Yesterday I gave a presentation to the Arcadia Association of REALTORS® Young Professionals Network (it was a great group). As in most presentations that I give, there’s always someone in the group that I bump into with some resistance. Here’s the thing, in real estate, there’s no one “right” way to do things. You do what works for you. For some, that involves social media. For others it doesn’t.
How Do You Know If It’s Right for You?
The best way to learn is to just do. It’s like riding a bike for the first time. You might not get it right away. You might mess up and fall. But after a ride or two, you slowly start to get it.
- Join Facebook (it’s easy). You sign up for an account like you do anywhere else. Don’t know if your clients are “social media savvy”? Here’s a neat trick, Facebook allows you to import your email database. Do it. You’d be amazed at how many people in your database area already on Facebook.
- Get on Twitter and tweet. Here’s a short list of people to follow who I think are doing it right: @EvangelistaLA, @ChrisBrogan, @Startabuzz,@FunomenalRltr, and @unmarketing. Give them a follow, say hello and start tweeting.
Then, the brilliant folks over at MyTechOpinion wrote an excellent resource titled:
- Start a blog and just write. You can do this for free at wordpress.com. My friend Laurie March did this and now her site is hopping with readers and comments.
- Subscribe and start reading other blogs both inside and outside of your niche. I use Google Reader for this (the folks over at Common Craft have anexcellent video tutorial for you). Here are some blogs to read and subscribe to: Problogger.net, Copyblogger.com, ChrisBrogan.com, AgentGenius.com and Ribeezie.com (heh, that’s me).
Remember, you wont’ always get it right straight from the beginning. That’s ok. The trick is to pick yourself up and start riding again. And if you have any questions, well, that’s what the comment box is for…ask away!
I think a great way to start out in social media is to read blogs. Read lots of them. Find some that you like, and comment on them. A LOT. Bloggers work hard on their posts; knowing that people are getting something out of them really DOES mean something to them. Also, if you’re establishing a presence by commenting on blogs that you like, when you go to follow someone on Twitter, it’s far more likely that people will know who you are.
Once you dive into Twitter, listen to what people are saying. It’s OK to simply read tweets for a little while, just so you can get the hang of things. But, as Ricardo has said, the best way to learn is simply to DO. It’s like learning a new language. Immersion will get you far farther than reading something in a book.
Try different sites, find the ones that feel most comfortable to you. Those are the ones that will benefit you most. If you’re not enjoying it, it won’t get you anywhere.
I think a great way to start out in social media is to read blogs. Read lots of them. Find some that you like, and comment on them. A LOT. Bloggers work hard on their posts; knowing that people are getting something out of them really DOES mean something to them. Also, if you're establishing a presence by commenting on blogs that you like, when you go to follow someone on Twitter, it's far more likely that people will know who you are.
Once you dive into Twitter, listen to what people are saying. It's OK to simply read tweets for a little while, just so you can get the hang of things. But, as Ricardo has said, the best way to learn is simply to DO. It's like learning a new language. Immersion will get you far farther than reading something in a book.
Try different sites, find the ones that feel most comfortable to you. Those are the ones that will benefit you most. If you're not enjoying it, it won't get you anywhere.
Agreed! One of the best way to learn from the start is to start reading (and commenting on) other blogs. I use Google's Feedreader for this and have grouped my feeds into several categories: “Real Estate”, “Technology”, “Local Bloggers”, “Community” etc.
As for follow up & community building, responding to each and every single comment and following up in some way/shape/or form is always *always* important! For me that's a video email using Eyejot and a follow up comment like so… 🙂 Getting to know your commentators by visiting their blogs/Facebook/Twitter is always a good way to engage with your community as well.
As for what social networks to join… There are a ton of social networks out there. At the end of the day I say choose the one's that best allow you to express yourself. If twitter's openness is too much for you, then Facebook is probably a better way to do. Either way, join and: Listen, Engage, and Provide Value (you can't fail with that).
I think a great way to start out in social media is to read blogs. Read lots of them. Find some that you like, and comment on them. A LOT. Bloggers work hard on their posts; knowing that people are getting something out of them really DOES mean something to them. Also, if you're establishing a presence by commenting on blogs that you like, when you go to follow someone on Twitter, it's far more likely that people will know who you are.
Once you dive into Twitter, listen to what people are saying. It's OK to simply read tweets for a little while, just so you can get the hang of things. But, as Ricardo has said, the best way to learn is simply to DO. It's like learning a new language. Immersion will get you far farther than reading something in a book.
Try different sites, find the ones that feel most comfortable to you. Those are the ones that will benefit you most. If you're not enjoying it, it won't get you anywhere.
Agreed! One of the best way to learn from the start is to start reading (and commenting on) other blogs. I use Google's Feedreader for this and have grouped my feeds into several categories: “Real Estate”, “Technology”, “Local Bloggers”, “Community” etc.
As for follow up & community building, responding to each and every single comment and following up in some way/shape/or form is always *always* important! For me that's a video email using Eyejot and a follow up comment like so… 🙂 Getting to know your commentators by visiting their blogs/Facebook/Twitter is always a good way to engage with your community as well.
As for what social networks to join… There are a ton of social networks out there. At the end of the day I say choose the one's that best allow you to express yourself. If twitter's openness is too much for you, then Facebook is probably a better way to do. Either way, join and: Listen, Engage, and Provide Value (you can't fail with that).