What You Need To Know About ... Foursquare
For retirement plan advisers, this location-based social networking website for mobile devices can help you to better connect with existing clients and reach out to prospects in your area.
Since the original app’s launch in March 2009, the Foursquare community has grown to include more than 50 million people around the world. The number of places listed, called “Check-ins,” stands at more than 6 billion. Plan advisers interested in Foursquare will join the nearly 2 million businesses currently using the company’s Merchant Platform.
To get started, Foursquare asks you to determine whether your business has already been listed on its website, perhaps by any customers who have “checked in” there. If this is the case, you may “claim” your business by searching for your company’s name and city. If your company has yet to be added, you can create an account by submitting your first name, email address and date of birth. Then, add your company’s name, phone number and address, as well as the cross street, if applicable. A map will let you drag a pin to show your exact location.
Advisers can engage more holistically with customers by adding their related Twitter handle—linking to either the company’s or a representative’s account—then selecting a business category. Make sure to choose the “Not Private” option for your business, so that it will be visible to all Foursquare users. For additional guidance, Foursquare provides links to its “style guide” and “house rules” near the top right corner of this page.
Once your location is established, you and your clients can add photos to your company’s brand page. Plan advisers can provide a brief description of their services, and past visitors can supply tips for future customers. Paying attention to what your clients submit here can help to improve your practice. For instance, if a member of your team receives rave reviews, ask him for advice about how to cultivate a positive rapport with clients. If your office is difficult to find, consider ways to make yourself more visible. Engaging in a dialogue with your clients by responding to their feedback can show that you are available to help and support their needs, sometimes before they even walk through the door.
For your brand page, you can create new content that will be automatically pushed to your clients’ smartphones once it has been published online. New visitors can find directions here, via Google Maps, as well as links to the company’s Facebook and Twitter pages, if you choose to provide them. Your company’s website, your hours of operation and the number of current visitors, total visitors and total check-ins to your location are also visible. Plan advisers can supply interesting retirement plan statistics or other related facts in this space: Think about what your clients want to know, and that can be the first thing they see upon checking in to your location.
Another way to show dedication to your clients is by checking in at events you know they would like to see you attend. Your presence at, for example, a conference or continuing education seminar can both promote that event and highlight your engagement in the industry. Add updates on intriguing news in the office or upcoming events relevant to your business.
Free analytics from Foursquare measure activity at your location and even identify a “mayor” of your business—the most frequent visitor. As always, half the battle with making a retirement plan successful is finding meaningful ways to engage with the people who can improve future outcomes for participants. Foursquare is one more resource advisers can use to promote their brand and keep their services top of mind with their clients.