With an abundance of sites like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and eBay, gone are the days of picking of the paper to browse local classifieds. The online classified market is thriving with estimates as high as $47 billion by 2020. With this anticipated growth, it’s clear that residents in your community would love a simple platform to post and browse classifieds in their area. Bring convenience to this process by implementing a community management tool that includes classified listings. Beyond simplicity, there are several reasons your residents will benefit from community-only classifieds.
Safety and Reassurance
We’re constantly preaching the importance of improving safety in your community. By providing a platform for residents to buy and sell everything from furniture to used vehicles, you’re providing a safer way for them to complete these transactions. When purchasing items from sites like Craigslist, you never know who you’re actually talking to and what you’re actually going to get. By encouraging residents to conduct classified sales on FRONTSTEPS, they will know exactly who they’re purchasing products from, helping provide peace of mind and ultimately, keeping them safe.
Less Spam
While Craigslist can be an awesome tool, it has some serious downsides including spam. I recently tried selling my car on the site and was bombarded with spammy emails and texts from individuals trying to sell me everything from car detailing services to tools for running vehicle history reports. This was extremely annoying considering that I had specifically checked the box, “do NOT contact me with unsolicited services or offers.By offering an exclusive members-only platform for your community to buy and sell items, outsiders pitching spammy services become a thing of the past.
Mobile-Friendly
Did you know that 30% of all classified database searches occur on a mobile device? Unfortunately, several online classified sites are not mobile-friendly, making the process of buying and selling items a smartphone much more difficult than it needs to be. With FRONTSTEPS, residents can list and browse items within the community on a convenient mobile app.
Convenience
If someone is looking from small, inexpensive items, such as a garden hose or flower pots, they probably aren’t willing to drive across town to pick these items up. By offering a community-only platform for classifieds, you’re making it easy for residents to quickly find inexpensive items they need without spending a ton of gas money to transport them back to their house.
Adoption
Having trouble getting residents to use your community management platform? Classified might be just the tool to get them started. If adoption is low, send out emails and post flyers around your community encouraging people to try buying and selling used items on FRONTSTEPS. Be sure to remind them of the benefits of using this platform (as mentioned above) over other classified websites like Craigslist.
Resident Connections
Having residents buy and sell used items is just another way to get them talking to each other, thus building stronger connections. Let’s say that Amy bought some gardening supplies from Johnathan who lives several blocks away. There’s a good chance they’ll be more likely to say hi and perhaps start a conversation if they run into each other at the park or on a walk. They may even decide to swap gardening tips on a regular basis. Either way, classifieds serve as an excellent opportunity to spark conversations and help introduce neighbors to one another.
Looking for additional ways to improve the overall resident experience in your community? Download your free copy of our Six-Step Guide to Providing an Exceptional Resident Experience.
