Real Estate is a contact sport, which means the more people you contact the more people you will likely do business with. It’s a game of numbers. Social media has become a logical and effective way to reach large numbers of people.
Social Media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, YouTube, etc… are a fantastic resource for any business and especially beneficial to Realtors. Some of the benefits for your real estate business include
- Cost
- Improve and enhance search engine optimization
- Social Media campaigns can compliment traditional marketing efforts
- Brand building
- Position you as the expert on a particular topic or geographic area
- Generates leads
Like many REALTORS, you may be feeling the pressure to “keep up” with social media trends, techniques and products. Seems like every time I turn around, Facebook has made a change here or a change there. Just in recent weeks, Facebook has added instant personalization (Yelp, NY Times, Pandora) to name a few- and of course changed fan pages or business pages to [for lack of a better term}-"like pages". With all the demand and pressure that Realtors no doubt feel to always be relevant, and stay ahead of their competition, it's not surprising that companies have sprung up, literally over night to "guide" you or train you or in some cases even manage your social media efforts. Many of them will call themselves "social media experts".
It's the "expert" part that scares me. How can you be an expert on a subject that is relatively new and is constantly evolving? These "experts" offer to provide set-up, training or manage your social media efforts for a fee. I was curious what goes into being a social media expert, I was disappointed to discover that it is exactly what I thought it was. No training, certification, course completion, you name it, there is none of it. It's because of this that I always suggest you be careful who you are hiring to build or manage your online presence through social media. I have discovered some companies charging ridiculous fees for custom facebook fan pages, blogs and management. Facebook Fan Pages that traditionally cost under $500 are being offered to Realtors for $1500-$3000.
I have learned over the years that to be an expert in anything, you really only need to know a little more than the person you are talking to. If you don't know how to assign a username to your personal facebook profile, change your privacy settings to turn off personalized search or drive people to your website/blog and I do, I can easily appear to be an expert-I will be the 1st one to tell you-I'm not. Why-Because I continue to learn from what others are doing and most importantly-their mistakes. Same thing with some of the companies that are marketing to you or being called "social media experts". I had one company referred to me. I was told they were "social media experts", so I called them. I played dumb about social media, and asked some pointed questions about facebook, facebook fan pages and training they are providing to Realtors. It was after I corrected a few things they told me over the phone that the person I talked to backed off the "expert" throne and suggested that they were better suited for social media beginners. {But they charge like they are for professionals}
What Does A Social Media Expert Look Like?
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Before you hire anyone to kick off your social media campaign do your due diligence or call me. Many of the services they offer, I or those in my network can offer for free. Well, it will cost you your escrows......but you will want to give them to me......:-)
Social media is more than just the vehicle ( fb, twitter, youtube) you choose. It requires a well thought out plan. What do you want to convey to your audience/fans? What do you want them to do?
If you are a Realtor/Lender in the Phoenix Metro area that would like help with your marketing efforts, lets talk.
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