Why I Love Foursquare
At the recent Phoenix RE BarCamp, I did a breakout session on Foursquare, and a few people just couldn’t wrap their thoughts around it. But then there were others that I could literally watch the lightbulb go on behind their eyes.
Social media platforms may have you scratching your head wondering if they are a waste of time or a cool new way to generate business. FourSquare is one of the newest ways to enagage and connect that has caught on. It currently has over 1 million people checking in!
So…what the heck is it?
Foursquare is an application to download to your smartphone that enables you to:
- Check in when you go someplace.
- Have your check-in posted as you have set it: to your friends, your Twitter account and/or your Facebook account. (You’ve probably seen the postings on your Facebook page of the little map and comments.)
- Add a comment (shout) about where you are.
- Give good (or bad) feedback about the place where you are. (“Enjoying a great steak and yummy Flemings potatoes at Flemings!”)
- Be competitive. You can get points, become the mayor of a location and earn badges.
You may think, “Why do I care?”
So here is my thinking on some ways this site could help you as a REALTOR®:
- Connect with the businesses (I call them “social partners”) with which you have clients in common.
- Show the business owners what it is all about. (You become their educator helping them get more business.)
- Become the mayor of your company and set up specials for people!
- When you become the mayor or a frequent visitor somewhere, you establish yourself as someone who engages in the community and shares about it.
- Set up “meet-ups” like “tweetups” taking the online offline.
The Law of Reciprocity is what this is all about. (And having fun!)
Here are two other explanations why you might consider Foursquare:
Jay Baer’s Blog: Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril!
Janie Coffey: Be a Local Hero (Arizona REALTOR® Magazine)
Includes suggestion for checking in to your listings and adding tips to them on Foursquare.
Chuck Reynolds Explains Local Marketing
Have the lightbulbs started flashing yet?
Tags: Foursquare, local marketing