Does Twitter Really Work in a Social Media Marketing Plan?

I hear a lot of skepticism about the return on investment in using social media sites to prospect for new customers and market real estate for sale. Let's face it, unless you see actual dollars coming from the use of any marketing tool then it's useless, right?

Well, what if you used Twitter as a messaging device? I mean, use it to tell and show people what you are really doing so they could see what your likes are. Maybe they could begin to get to know you and even like you by following you on Twitter. Couldn't this happen on Facebook too?

Interestingly enough, my son and I were out this morning putting flags out for his boy scout troop. The troop raises money by charging people to put an American flag in their yard on national holidays. Unfortunately, this morning one of the flags was missed. Thankfully, it wasn't me and my son although it completely sounds like something I could very possibly do. I know the flag was missed because the woman whose flag was not placed in her yard called me. After a pleasant conversation I asked how she came across my name associated with the flags. She replied that she hadn't, but couldn't remember the name and contact information for the person in charge of the event so she googled searched the troop number. A twitter post I made about a recent campout showed up which is why she called me.

I love Twitter.

Branding: Company vs Personal

Jeremiah Owyang, on his blog Web Strategy, recently wrote about Personal versus Career Branding. In his post Jeremiah describes the difference between creating a personal brand and a career brand.As expected, Jeremiah described personal brand as focusing on the individual. Interestingly enough, I thought Jeremiah would describe career brand as developing or helping to develop the brand or the company identity. But he didn't do that. Instead he said that career branding is focusing on what you can do for the consumer.

This is not what I had expected at all! It sounds a bit familiar though. Help me here, I'm feeling a little yellow!

Today in Fast Track training new agents were introduced to the DOORS Listing System, one of Weichert Realtors greatest tools. It isn't great because of its success rate although that helps generate income. It isn't great because of its customization or the size of the portfolio. The greatness of the Door Listing System stems from the focus of the presentation. It's all about the seller and meeting the seller's needs. WOW!

I am encouraged as I hear current marketing leaders write about company values. Their ideas reflect the solid appproach that Jim Weichert has been talking about for years. Weichert Realtors' Core Values reflect the foundation of real estate agency, serving the customer. Wayne Murray loves quoting Jim Weichert, "We are not confused."

What are your goals?

Every year this time someone, through articles or conversation, brings up this very question. Sometimes I can excitedly share my goals and vision for the upcoming year. Other years I skulk into a dark corner and hope that nobody notices that I didn’t answer the personal and prying question.
So, are you skulking, shrinking into the corner or are you ready to share? Huh, are you?
Is the structure of writing the goals the block? For me it has been. Chocolate Orchid blogged a fun alternative to the tedious chore of writing goals, suggesting creating a Vision Board to organize your goals. The Vision Board gives you the opportunity to think through your wants and desires and places them in front of you in a visual manor through pictures.
No writing necessary! Sit quietly allowing yourself to visualize your dreams. Use magazine photos, titles, and phrases to visually represent your dreams. Tear or cut out more items than you could possible use. Organize on a poster board the items into a visual statement. It’s ok to let the board sit for a while and then come back to determine if the board does actually represent your goals and dreams. Post the board in a prominent place so that you may continue to refocus your actions and thoughts toward becoming the goals and dreams you have set. Have fun!

Prospecting Requires Tool-kit

Sitting here reviewing the latest Facebook statistics, I am amazed at the fervor of activity and growth of social media sites. Facebook is now over 300 million users worldwide with over half of those logging on daily. Facebookers, spending ore than 6 billion minutes daily, post more than 2 billion pieces (including web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, events, and videos) weekly! Facebook is a growing, thriving country of intricately woven relationships.

It is astounding to me that we now have the ability to reach so many people simultaneously. It is no wonder why such a large number of marketers are focusing their attention on Facebook and other social media sites. We can create connections, establish relationships helping other people. Through a process of educational marketing we authentically develop these relationships with our friends as they begin to know, like, and eventually trust us, proving again Jim Weichert’s age-old adage, “People by people before they will buy a product or service.”

These social media marketing platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, and the rest, have given real estate agents and other prospectors the ability to reach more people and further develop their sphere of influence. With the web 2.0 explosion, however, we have begun to lose sight of a very important piece of the prospecting system: good old eyeball to eyeball, belly to belly as the cronies call it, contact.

Yes, we can electronically and conveniently, send documents to be signed literally anywhere in the world. Relationships however still have to be developed and grown. Take the time to meet with people. It’s the relationship that really makes the service industry fun! Cherish the true richness of the personal face to face contact that or customers truly deserve.

Prospecting and marketing methods have changed. They include a new tool, social media. In the end, it’s still just a tool. You can’t hammer with it. You need a hammer for that.

Building a Brand and Creating Authenticity

Creating an online personality is an important part of establishing a social network. People need to know, like and trust you before they'll buy from you. In this article Stefan Swanepoel has takes a comprehensive look at setting up an online personality that is credible and authentic. Swanepoel's list is more philosophial than true steps to building the brand but it is definitely worth reading. Take a few minutes to read his article which is linked above.

5 Easy Steps to Prospect with Twitter

Now that your new Twitter account is up and ready to be used, I am sure your are wondering what to post. This important video gives you five quick and easy ways to ensure Twitter will create business for you. Success starts with Activity!

Social Media Marketing Doesn't Work?

I recently saw a presentaton by Poetic Systems sponsored by Friendswood Development. Matthew Hagar read some pretty amazing stats:

Social Media surpassed personal email in online use
4th largest use of a PC
10% of al time spent on the computer is spent on Social Media
13 HOURS of video is uploaded on youtube EVERY MINUTE
Twitter has a 1382% growth rate per MONTH
5 BILLION facebook posts a day
2/3 college grads are social media users
35+ year old is the fastest growing group

What do you do?

Success is Showing Up

Phillies' second baseman ends the game with an unassisted TRIPLE play. Not too many people can say they've ever been part of a triple play or even seen a triple play. Eric Bruntlett recorded all three outs of one! That's a play for the record books.

With the Mets creeping back into the game, Bruntlett's play ended the game. That's only the second time in Major League Baseball history that a game has ended on an unassisted triple play. Bruntlett, having a dismal season, was given a rare start in order to rest the regular second baseman Chase Utley. Eric Bruntlett showed up having a near career day at bat getting three hits in his first three at bats.

Success starts with showing up! Our hat's off to you, Eric Bruntlett.

Click on the title "Success is Showing Up" to watch the video clip.

FSBO Statistics

In researching For Sale By Owners, I found on the National Association of Realtors site some interesting statistics that I'd like to share.

Did you know?. . . the typical FSBO home sold for $187,200 compared to $247,000 for agent-assisted home sales.

FSBO Methods Used to Market Home:
Yard Sign . . . 50%
Friends/neighbors . . . 29%
Newspaper ad . . . 31%
Open House . . . 25%
Listing on the Internet . . . 21%

Most Difficult Tasks for FSBO Sellers:
Getting the right price . . . 15%
Understanding paperwork . . . 18%
Preparing/fixing up home for sale . . . 15%
Attracting potential buyers . . . 9%
Having enough time to devote to all aspects of the sale . . . 7%

Source: 2007 National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

Do you have what it takes?

Do you have what it takes to be successful in real estate, to be an independent contractor working for yourself with nobody to answer to, nobody to call your boss? Take a few minutes to read through the folowing questions and comments written by Dan Miller.
1. Are you a self- starter? Successful people don’t sit around and wait for people to come to them.
2. Do you get along with different kinds of people? Are you conversational, get along with printers, secretaries, mortgage brokers, title people, appraisers etc?
3. Do you have a positive outlook? Focus on the positive. Optimism and sense of humor essential. Small setbacks are just opportunities to stepping stones to eventual success.
4. Are you able to make decisions? Procrastination is the main obstacle to good decision making. “How to Eat a Frog”- concept is to do what you look least forward to and do it early in the morning, of get it over with- out of the way. 80% of decisions made right away.
5. Are you able to accept responsibility? Be willing to listen to your client’s complaints, gripes, and accept responsibility for your mistakes.
6. Do you enjoy competition? Don’t have to be cut–throat, but enjoy competing for listing presentations for example. Even competing against yourself. Dan sets small goals for himself when he was a struggling student he would set small goals for himself like he would 20 cold calls before eating lunch- sometimes he would eat at 12pm, sometimes at 4pm. You could do 40 door hangers and go have a latte after it.
7. Do you have will-power and self-discipline? Without it you won’t succeed.
8. Do you plan ahead? Need a long-term plan to succeed. Know where you want to go and devise plan to get there. For example, I will do 3 find 2 new buyers a month. How to get there- what are the most effective activities to find new buyers- open house, networking, referrals, and postcards.
9. Can you take advice from others? You don’t have to have all of the answers- learn from others. Don’t have to make all of the mistakes yourself- take seminars, read marketing or business books, hire a business coach or mentor.
10. Are you adaptable to changing conditions? Change is constant- market changes, technologies change, relationships change. Do you adapt well and are you able to take it in stride and enjoy that each new day is not like the day before?
11. Can you stick with it? Most new ventures take longer than we would like for them to. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Are you prepared to make a one year commitment to this business no matter how bleak it looks sometimes? Will you continue even if your friends or family tell you to throw in the towel?
12. Do you have a high level of confidence and belief in what you are doing? If you don’t believe in what you are doing, you won’t be able to sell it. Enthusiasm is selling what you believe in.
13. Do you enjoy what you are doing? Don’t think that you will be successful if you are in it just for the monetary rewards. You should get a sense of meaning and satisfaction from what you are doing.

Helping people buy and sell real estate is a rewarding job. Getting to help people live thier dreams can't be listed in the job description of a real estate professional. With all its rewards and glory, selling real estate isn't for everbody. Reflect on your answers to these questions to help decide if the exciting career in real estate is truly for you. Still think you have what it takes? Let's talk!!

Do your buyer a favor. Close the deal!

When I first started in real estate I took ALL the classes. Every time some sales guru came to town peddling the latest marketing system or the latest greatest technique, I was there shelling out my hard earned money. I was sure that they had the answers and could help me on my way to greatness in real estate.
I reflect now, shaking my head about some of the snake oil salespeople who I gave my hard earned money to see. Ouch! I would hate to add it all up. I also shake my head at how badly I needed to use some of the techniques that these sales gurus preached. I sure could have used a few good closing techniques. I wished I had used my newly learned techniques to close on a buyer or two.
When sitting with a buyer getting to know them, their needs, desires, motivations, I learned not only what my clients wanted in a home but also why they wanted these amenities. This didn’t just include number of bedrooms and types of room. As an exceptional real estate agent looking out for the best interest of my client, I learned about lifestyle needs, dreams, location desired. I dug deep. Taking all these variables I scoured the MLS searching for homes that didn’t just fit but were ideal. Carefully previewing each home, scrutinizing it with this buyer’s tailored made yard stick, I filtered my list of homes from ideal to perfect.
Excitedly I showed each of these gems to my eager buyers each home perfectly meeting all their criteria. Home by home we methodically went through the list with not one contract written. What went wrong? All the homes were exactly what the buyers wanted including the right price. Why didn’t the buyer buy?
Sadly, their agent in looking out for all his clients needs forgot to ask just one simple and short question. It can be said so many ways but went unspoken… “So, what do you think, do you want to buy this beautiful home?”
OR “Can you see yourself raising your children here?”
OR “Shall we put pen to paper on this one?” The list goes on.
Back then I felt that closing on buyer was wrong especially if they were my client. I felt it was a manipulative thing to do. Unfortunately, I was completely mistaken.
So often I personally go into a new situation knowing what I want to accomplish but don’t know how to get to the outcome I desire. If only an expert on the subject, someone I could trust would help me through the process. Usually, however, nobody does and I am left to figure the tough stuff out on my own. If only…
Transfer this to our buyers who are now faced with the largest financial decision they have ever made. Their agent, who just days before talked about best interest, trust, and loyalty is now mysteriously quiet while they inwardly plead for a lifeline. If only the agent would ask, “How are you feeling about this beautiful home? Would you like to make an offer?”
“Yes,” eeks the buyer. “Thanks for asking. What do we do now?”