This iPhone app was intended to let users stay connected with their Facebook friends while on the go. Great thing is Real Estate agents can also take advantage of this technology to make their open houses or neighborhood home tours more interactive and more in-tune with the social media. With the release of Facebook for iPhone’s newest version (version 3.4), one added feature is very useful for business owners: the ability to check-in at actual events.
This new feature for iPhone now allows users to check-in to events rather than just locations. So when users have RSVPd to an event and upon arrival, their GPS location and arrival time matches the address on the event, they can check in and see in map form where their friends are. To check in, users must first accept the invitation by saying “Yes” to the RSVP then they must also be present at the same time and venue that is indicated in the event invitation. So one user checks in to one of your open houses, by doing so spreading the word to all their friends, not only the location, but also spreading the word that there is an event going on and that the user is there. Therefore, inviting more people.
Event check-in feature can bring open houses and neighbourhood home tours to a whole new level by utilizing “connectability” and social interaction to connect to your potential clients and promote your business . You can easily organize an event- open houses, tours or even customer appreciation events, just send out invitations on Facebook and create a buzz leading to the event, and as people accept invitations and checks in to the event, the news gets to more and more people.
Also, with Facebook for iPhone, you can plan activities throughout the event and post them to engage your guests, encourage audience participation and create a call to action to a checked in users network. You can also keep tabs on how the event is being perceived by seeing what people are saying on Facebook, running opinion polls or surveys and obtaining real time responses, and interacting directly with attendees.
You can be creative and think of ways to make each event interesting. In an open house or a neighborhood home tour, you can hold a contest, probably a little game or just by draw and visitors get a chance to win a dinner for two maybe or just a little something that visitors would enjoy,giving them something nice to talk about each event that you organize, so they can pass it on to friends, giving you more number of potential clients.