Confused by Social Networking? Don’t Stress…Do L.E.S.S

The following post was originally posted in the Inman NEXT blog - a collection of posts from some of the best minds in real estate. They asked me to submit a guest post and this was my first submission.

The rip tide warnings have been posted.

From the beach, it looks pretty choppy out there.

Visitors are advised to “enter the water at their own risk.”

The social media ocean is vast and wide and can certainly swallow up a new visitor quickly.

Even though many people reading this are what would be considered “early adaptors” of social sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ and are power users of technology tools like video, mobile devices and analytic research systems, think back to when you first started. It was probably a tidal wave of bleeps, pings and “must see” websites that must have been a bit intimidating at first, no?


So here you are now, riding the wave of the social network evolution with confidence and consistency and there on the beach is a new youngster (or “oldster”) hoping to learn to catch a wave and join the party. They timidly approach you and ask for your advice on how or where they should start to “get” the best ways to get on board.


Before you overwhelm the novice social networking user with tips, tricks and tweeters to follow, suggest they slow down and actually do L.E.S.S.


L is for Listen


One of the best ways to get engaged in a social site like the “Big Four” – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ - is to not try and do everything at once. Assuming you have created an account and populated your profiles, find some people to connect with and just start listening.


You’ll quickly find out who speaks up a lot. You will learn who carries a strong voice and which subjects they preach and/or teach about. Some will have voices that clash with yours and others will seem to be saying exactly what you would say.


The more you listen, the more you will learn. Some people listen for weeks or months before they feel comfortable being a part of the conversation. Once you have spent enough time actively listening to people and their conversations, you will feel ready to join the conversation.


E is for Engagement


When the Web first started it was a one way medium. Visitors went to websites and digested the information or message the website creators provided. Looking back now, it was really a one-way street and it was very difficult for the user (a.k.a the customer) to interact with the company. We often went to websites to seek out the phone number so we could call and get help or answers.


Now with social media, it’s much less of a monologue and more of a dialogue. Communication is the basis for the majority of the biggest, most popular sites and if there is relevant, timely content being shared by the users, it sparks engagement.


As the sender of information you’re hoping to engage with the receivers of your message, developing relationships, generating discussions, garnering feedback and, for a probable desired result, generating a lead that can be converted into a new client or sale.


If you are the “listener” on social media sites, engaging in the discussion (commonly referred to as the “thread”) allows you to build new relationships or further strengthen existing friendships. Your answers or input may solve some problems and at the same time allow viewers and other “thread participants” to learn about your personality and professional acumen and may begin to increase your “on-line trust” as a valuable participant in the conversation. The more you engage, the better chances you have of increasing your following and influence on others.


S is for Share


Not many people like someone who takes but never gives. Don’t let this be you in the social network environments. The beauty of sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ is the possibility of learning new and cool things that could help you or someone you know and the opportunity for you to share things as well.


You could share tools, tips or techniques that have worked for you in your business. You may share systems or sites that have served you successfully that others may not know about. Many people enjoy sharing inspirational or motivational content like videos, blog posts or photos. Sharing doesn’t have to be limited to business. You could share feedback on travel, products or services. Sites like Foursquare, Gowalla and Yelp! Are built around others sharing their input to help others make decisions.


Remember the days of “Show and Tell” in your elementary days? Wasn’t it neat to find out what you had in common with other kids from your class when they shared their GI Joe collection or perhaps their photos from the family vacation to Cape Cod? Sharing becomes a great way for you to identify other people who are similar to you in interests, beliefs or goals. That can create some powerful relationships that go far beyond the “virtual walls” of the on-line world as we know them.


S is for Support


When you have built relationships with people it just seems natural that you would want to strengthen them in any way you can. Being a supportive friend, co-worker or family member is a very desirable trait. Social networking has many ways for you to be supportive.


Following people, “liking” their posts and pages, +1’ing their comments and sharing their stuff are all great ways to support people. Did you like what someone you follow on Twitter said today? If so, ReTweet their message to your followers. Maybe you enjoyed a video posted on-line? You could always write a blog post about it and why you like it and what others can or should learn from it. Add your comments to people’s new blog posts or even subscribe to blogs that interest you or may help you become better. I have yet to meet a user of social networking that didn’t enjoy seeing their name, message or materials shared, spotlighted or spoken about.


Showing your support doesn’t mean that you always have to agree with the post, concept or issue. Many times people are using the medium of social networking to hear all sides of the story. If you have a thought on the subject, put in your two cents and debate with manners and modesty.


Surf’s Up!


Don’t over think your strategy in the sea of social networks out there. Paddle out into the conversation and start acting like a professional surfer. Relax, chill out and lose the stress. Log in and start doing L.E.S.S .


Come on in. The water’s fine.




Photo from Flickr by vxla vai Creative Commons

I'm Sorry. They Don't Work Here Anymore...

Wouldn't that be a horrible thing for one of your clients or customers to hear? We work so hard to get clients in today's fast paced world, why would we want to send them away?

Can the people you want to find you actually find you?

Are you sure that if someone came across a profile of you on-line somewhere you would actually be at the end of the "Contact Me" link or phone number suggested

I was just spending some time today on LinkedIn and was looking through my contact list. I was absolutely amazed at the number of Realtors who I am "linked in" with who don't even have their correct brokerage listed! Many people who are in a non-sales position also had their incorrect companies listed. I wonder if they even remember creating a LinkedIn profile? The sad thing is I bet this is true for some people on sites like Twitter and Facebook too.

"The Phone Books Are Here!!!"

Back in the old days (a.k.a. The 90's) you just needed to make sure your name showed up correctly in one place - the phone book. Remember how happy Navin R. Johnson was when he saw his name in the phone book in the classic movie, The Jerk ?

Well today you'll need more than the phone book...and this thermos. (if you don't laugh at that reference, order The Jerk on Netflix)

Have you checked your "on-line" profiles recently? It might be a great time of the year to log in to any site you think people (i.e. potential clients) might find you and update your contact information and personal profile.

You could add in a recent photo and you should also update your family info, office locations, mobile contacts and social media links. In real estate, we never know where our next good lead will come from so let's do what we can to insure it does,'t get sent to the competition by default.

Not only might you be missing good opportunities with clients, you could also be violating state license law when it comes to clearly representing your brokerage and role.

What are you waiting for? Get out there and check your social media profiles. While you're there, make sure we're connected. I'd love to stay in touch with you...assuming your contact information is correct.

It's Time to Raise Your IN-10-SITY

Days like today don't come around very often. In fact, they only come around once in a lifetime. It's October 10th, 2010. That's 10/10/10. What a great reason to come up with a list of...

Ten Things to Boost Your Business

#10. Take ten minutes to print a one-line report of your current data base of contacts. Review it from top to bottom. Eliminate any duplicate entries you may have, highlight any contacts who are incomplete and purge those names and "contacts" that you have no idea who they even are.

#9. Put ten of the incomplete data base entries on your daily to-do list and begin to acquire the missing data. Spouses names, kids names, email addresses, etc. can all be found out by a simple phone call. Repeat this until you have completely updated your data base. Done correctly, this is almost guaranteed to add leads to your business.

#8. Take ten minutes to practice the following script; "Hi (insert name of contact), it's Sean Carpenter with Coldwell Banker. I hope you're doing well. The reason for my call is I have been putting together some great information about our current real estate market and I want to get it out to the people I know. In order to do that, I've been taking some time to update my Relationship Roster and I noticed that I am missing some information from you. Do you have a minute for me?"

#7. Dial numbers on your list for ten minutes. All you need is one good contact a day who adds some information to your current data base. If you want, you could make calls for longer than ten minutes but baby steps seem to work well for most people.

#6. Take ten minutes to send a hand written thank you note to each person you speak with in person, whether they provide you with any new information or not. That personal touch will come back to you in time, trust me.

#5. Research your market statistics over the last ten months. What has happened in your local markets since January 1st, 2010? Can you create a chart, graph or general report on prices, inventory levels and pending home sales?

#4. Identify the ten top selling areas in your local MLS based on # of sales or average days on the market. These are great areas to be knowledgeable and focused on as they are turning over business and doing so quickly. If you know someone who lives in one of those areas, don't you think they'd want to know this information? If you're selecting an area to hold an open house, these might be great places to start.

#3. Schedule ten Open Houses between now and January 1, 2011. Buyers who are out looking in the 4th quarter are usually more "buyer" than they are "looker." Because there are only 11 more weekends left in the year, that means you'll probably need to double up on certain Sundays (hold shorter opens houses; 12:30 - 2pm and then maybe 3-4:30?) or choose a day that isn't a "traditional open house day" in your market. That's okay. Why not hold an open house on Thursday afternoon or Tuesday evening? Consumers today are looking for different, not status quo.

#2. Touch ten people a day on social networks like Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. It won't take you a lot of time but it will continue to help you build relationships, solve problems and have fun.

#1. Take ten seconds each day when you wake up to say these words to yourself, "It's going to be a great day because I choose to make it great!"

Are Your Peers Putting Pressure on Traditional Marketing?

At last week's Coldwell Banker Summer Technology Summit, keynote presenter Stefan Swanepoel discussed many of the top trends in real estate today. As one would expect, he spent a significant amount of time talking about the impact of social networking and the new opportunities people have to build vast relationships with more people than they ever knew they really "knew" through the use of networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter among others.

Here's a brief video from the event where Swanepoel discusses the impact that social media (and the social marketing aspect it has created) has had on the "old fashioned" way of marketing to and through consumers. He also talks about how a relationship on Facebook (peer to peer) can now deliver more of the trust and credibility that the traditional media used to provide.




Are you just amassing friends, followers and contacts on these sites or are you leveraging the massive power of these sites to "build relationships, solve problems and have more fun"?