One thing that haunts an experienced agent is that when you do a lot a business it is easy to spot the achievers from the wannabees. Perhaps it is the old 80/20 rule. That 20% actually get it, and make a living from it, and the others just pretend. In my own mind, the new real estate social icons in our industry are the "Twitter Kings & Queens!" It does not mean they produce any sales, but rather they've become larger than life and very visible amongst their social media real estate peers. So in my mind, and in the minds of many other experienced agents...questions and concerns are raised about the major disconnects. An old Wendy's commercial used to ask "So where's the beef?" As an industry we must ask claims to fame and success be substantiated, and not just accepted at face value. Unlike years gone past were earnings were a part of the measure of your abilities, the new social media counts "Tweets!"
It should be no surprise to anyone that real estate is an ego driven industry where puffing and bragging have become so trite that they are accepted as normal behavior. Those that follow blindly without can create an almost cult like following in the new fads. However, it does not mean they will survive and prosper. These issues are nothing new in real estate. Rather it is just the media that is new. It's exponentially viral and could be an incredible tool. The new social media can easily boost an individual to gain high visibility, but is their staying power, and profit? Is the "Tweet peak" just an ego high or can it be converted to dollars? It's hard to say, because most never talk about their closed volume of sales. There will always be 'fame junkies' that claim they are the big producers, and those that dream. In life, there will always be those that "Do" and those that talk a great game, but "Never sell real estate!"
The buzz words in real estate these days are, "Twitter, Tweets, podcasts, Facebook, social media, RSS feeds, and Blogs." At first glance these so called real estate socal media appear to be almost random schizophrenic ramblings that make no sense. To me, Blogging seems have the most structure and it is coherant, covers topics of interest, and makes sense. You could gain a major audience from it that will actually bring you business you can close. However from what I see, most of the Blogs, Twitters, and tweets come from non productive agents that do not understand the purpose of what they are doing or why they are doing it. It may leave the beholder to assume Tweets and Twitters are for those in our industry with real estate attention deficit. They are not even maximizing the use of it for viral marketing and SEO.
So there is a disconnect when I listen to a great presentation, between what is being said and reality. "Do they walk the talk?" It is always a good idea to check it out. When when I visit a blog or website it is 'Inactive!' It is a total a disappointment! The last post may have been several months or even a year ago. It's very sad that the presenter it still trying to ride that 15 minutes of fame and make a living out of it. So I am at a loss to explain the euphoria about social media if it cannot be backed up with closed sales and referral fees paid. Talk is cheap. The end game of the social media exercise should be to sell your talents, make a living out of it, and not just to gain personal fame. The bottom line is what is the measure of success? Tweets or Dollars?
On a similar note....several years ago I went to a local seminar on websites, and I listened to a speaker that was a great presenter, but really did not offer any ground breaking advice for those in attendance that actually wanted make money from her ideas. During the seminar she kept mentioning her website, and when I went back to the office...so I decided to look at the website. The interesting thing was it was a real estate site that was abandoned sometime ago. There were missing graphics, and the website was selling juices, vitamins, herbal medicines and nonsense. What a terrible reflection on the talents and industry professional. It was also misleading to those agents that attended the seminar, and purchased tapes and training materials. Making claims of achievement is one thing, but to never have acheived those goals is pretty much a sham. I sometimes get the same feeling when I go online and read posts, (or should I say "Boasts?") The claims are so incredulous that there is a disbelief of the accomplishments, and claims that are made by those posting are doubted. So what message is being sent to the viewers? Are those posting, "Shallow, concieted, clueless, inexperienced, lack knowledge, obsessive compulsive or just plain dreaming?"
The topics we write about and discuss reveals a lot about who we are. So too is the content we Blog about. It is easy to understant why so many that Twitter and tweet do not discuss real estate for their topics. The claim may be that it doesn't have to be about real estate, but the bigger question is why not? What a great opportunity for high ranking SEO, and professional visability. My personal feelings...the reason many do not blog or twitter about real estate is because many do not sell real estate and make a living from it. It is obvious to many they do not understand it.
There could be many great topics to discuss on your Blogs, Twitters and Tweets that may actually bring you a real business - buyers, sellers or a person relocating and looking for your assistance. What a novel idea! Topics could include: contract changes, a discussion of agency, home inspections or inspectors, liability, insurance, defective building products, the importance of title insurance, fixed rate financing vs. adjustable rates, fiduciary to clients, license law, marketing and negotiation strategies are not part of the vocabulary of those that claim their fame of having millions of "Tweets" but no closed sales to back up their wasted time. So In the future perhaps we should judge the "Twitter Kings and Queens" by their closed sales volumes. Performance matters.
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This is certainly confirmation for those that have to work extra hard at their (chosen) profession just to get back here and blog/connect. It aggravates me when I have to blog at 11pm, but at least I'm actually working most of the day on transactions! My pull to get to the blogging aspect is mostly to keep away from the roller coaster trend that a sales job can be - and blogging is a primary source of business for me.