Social Media Playground — Time to play foursquare?
Four square was never really a popular game during recess. Tether ball, red rover, and mutilate-other-people’s-snowmen were the playground fads when I was a kid. Several years and many ill-conceived wardrobe choices later, foursquare has finally reached popular acclaim; well, its title at least — I’d be surprised if 3rd graders are fighting over four square courts down at Happy Learning Elementary this afternoon.
The location-based social networking site foursquare has celebrated monumental growth since its launch in 2009 — championing over 15 million users in December. Businesses and organizations around the globe (including those in the multifamily industry) are embracing the limitless opportunities that exist among those 15 million users.
Foursquare offers oodles of free tools for businesses, most notably specials. After a business has claimed their location, they can post specials to entice potential customers to stop by. Rental companies currently engaging in foursquare offer specials such as waiving the application fee for a check-in (LCOR Residential, Las Vegas) or free coffee and a cookie just for stopping by (The Bozzuto Group, Baltimore).
But it’s not all about specials ― by using foursquare’s lists and tips, The Cocoran Real Estate Group has provided a wealth of local insight to prospective buyers: expert recommendations on restaurants, shopping centers, arts venues, etc., within the neighborhoods the buyers are touring. So people visiting properties in the East Village can check out Cocoran’s lists and tips and see that Artichoke Basille’s is where locals go for pizza, Tompkins Square Park has an awesome Halloween Dog Parade, Rockwood Music Hall has free shows with emerging artists, and suddenly they can imagine themselves easily making this neighborhood their new home. Cocoran has a whopping 14,000-some followers, and is able to engage mobile users for 40% longer than on the Cocoran.com website alone.
If you’re still trying to find ways to get your community in the foursquare scene, consider these ideas:
- Invite prospective residents to take a foursquare tour through your various different properties, by setting up foursquare check-ins at each location and offering rent discounts to those that check-in at every destination of the tour.
- Coordinate with local businesses through foursquare cross promotions.
- Offer prizes to residents that check-in at community events.
- Provide monthly perks for your community’s foursquare mayor: rent discount, gift card, or dedicated parking spot.
- Offer a badge to the resident that contributes the most photos to your foursquare page.
I’d love to hear your foursquare (or four square) sentiments and promotional ideas, so leave a comment. And if you’re ready to play, here’s a video from Howcast that provides a quick and simple intro to foursquare for business. It’s basically the hottest quadrilateral-based sport since chess.
About the author
Tashina Wortham specializes in marketing and public relations at Property Solutions International, the nation's largest provider of apartment community websites and a leading developer of innovative property management software tools. Visit http://propertysolutions.com/ to learn more.