IFA Life today launched its branded page on Foursquare, the leading location-based social networking site.
One of just a few hundred brands from around the world including Sony, Gucci, NASA, Red Bull, The Wall Street Journal, Harrods and others – IFA Life’s partnership with Foursquare will enable consumers to locate information and tips about financial advisers on GPS-enabled mobile devices, such as iPhones, Android mobile phones, Symbian and BlackBerry smartphones.
In 2010, users checked in to Foursquare on 381,576,305 occasions, and it is believed that IFA Life is the first financial services brand in the world to have teamed up with Foursquare in this way.With more people accessing the Internet via mobile devices than fixed desktop computers*, IFAs and financial advisers need to focus their attention on ensuring their website is easily accessible from smartphones and tablet devices such as the iPad.
Founder of IFA Life Philip Calvert said today: “There are still many IFAs who do not even have a website, let alone have an online presence that has been optimised for mobile devices. And when people do search online for financial advisers, they need to find more than just directories of IFAs which list out services provided.
“Lists and directories of IFAs are nearing the end of their sell-by date, as consumers will increasingly want new and more interactive ways to quickly see how one financial adviser differs from another locally.”
RDR will force many IFAs to clearly differentiate their service proposition, and social networking technology will help to facilitate that through blogs, video, photographs, photos, reviews, question and answer services, forums, presentations, location-based services and Apps.
When a user checks in to Foursquare via their mobile device, they are able to view tips about locations and businesses. IFA Life members taking advantage of the service will be able to add tips about their service or business – including financial advisers around the world.
Philip Calvert continued: “Tips about businesses need to reveal a different side to your financial advice business; simply saying that you help with pensions is of limited value. People want to see what’s different about you and something of your personality.”
Tips should be:
- Actionable (go here, do this, see this, ask about etc)
- Relevant to a specific location/address
- Valuable and useful, giving ‘insider information’
- Interesting, short, clever, worthwhile, occasionally entertaining and as though from a trusted friend
- Under 200 characters
- Tips could also promote seminars, events, local sponsorship initiatives, networking opportunities, IFA job vacancies and niche markets catered for
Philip Calvert added: “It’s very exciting that the Internet constantly gives us new ways for consumers to find information about and to engage with local business. Location-based tools such as Foursquare are rapidly growing in popularity and IFA Life is delighted to be helping IFAs to make the most of them as part of their communication strategies.”
For information on how to obtain a listing on IFA Life’s Foursquare page, visit http://www.ifalife.com/Foursquare
