Recently I taught the newly rewritten GRI (Graduate of the REALTOR® Institute) “Technology Applications in Real Estate” course at a local Association of REALTORS®. Before the class began, several of the students in the class were loudly opining to each other how worthless they thought that Facebook was and what a colossal waste of time it was. I’m happy to report that by the end of the day that they had changed their minds!
That got me to thinking that some of you may feel the same way, so I decided to write a series of blog posts that would attempt to dissuade you from this type of thinking. What follows is a very high level look at social media marketing. I’ll split it up over several weeks so that you have some time to think things over in between posts.
As ever, if you would like some help on implementing any of these concepts, I’d welcome the opportunity to connect with you to see how I could help. The first conversation is free!
Social Media – the Big Buzz
The big buzz in online marketing today is Social Media. Chances are that you are more than familiar with sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Pinterest, YouTube and many others.
The initial goal of social networking sites was to connect people with relatives, old friends, and colleagues. However, the marketing world is now utilizing this powerful tool to popularize business brands all over the world.
As a real estate agent, you can market your business directly to consumers at no cost using various social networking sites. The main thing that you need to do to be successful is to invest some time to grow and nurture your online following – transforming them into loyal life-long customers.
Social media is one of the fastest growing trends online. In fact, there are more than one billion people in the social media community. You probably already know that many of your customers are socializing online every day. Therefore, you might want to consider using it as a way to stay in touch.
Social Media can also be used as a way to generate new leads. Even if you only generated 100 new prospects through the use of social media, it is well worth the effort. The good news is that you can achieve these types of goals without spending an arm and leg.
Social media accounts are free to setup and use. This is why many agents have turned to social media to get more website traffic, more clients, and more transactions.
Creating Awareness About Your Business Through Social Media
When it comes to prioritizing your marketing strategies, it can be hard to decide what will make the cut. But the problem is that many agents usually ignore some of the most powerful strategies, such as Social Media Marketing.
Most agents simply do not have time to delve into this intriguing online concept and its mysterious features. Some of them do not understand what Social Media is, while others think it’s only for teenagers. However, what they do not realize is that ignoring social media could be a huge mistake.
Look at it this way; a good number of college students who joined Facebook in 2007 are in their twenties now and they are still using Facebook. Not only are they using Facebook, but so are their parents, grandparents, and siblings. (And eventually, their children!) And, they are buying (and in some cases selling) houses!
People of all ages, races, genders, and income levels are now using Facebook and other social media networking sites. It does not really matter whether you are a fan of social media or not; statistics and technology determine how businesses should shift their marketing efforts.
Although the ultimate goal of Social Media Marketing is to generate more sales, the approach should be to create awareness about your business. It involves building a relationship with your contacts and reminding them that your business exists. Eventually, many of those contacts will convert into sales.
Next week I’ll explore some more features of social media marketing for agents.
