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Social Media - Bad for Real Estate?

By
Real Estate Agent with The Mayer Group of eXp Realty

One of my favorite websites is TED. They showcase some of the the great minds of our time. I watched the video below from John Gerzema co-author of The Brand Bubble. Here are my takeaways from the presentation.

     Using the internet and primarily social media, consumers are helping each other by raising awareness of positive and negative experiences with local and national businesses. How many times have you read a FB post about a good or bad experience at a local business?

Survey Says! = 72% trust what others say vs. 15% from advertising...

     Consumers are working together and are driven to Value and Values - We all know the binge is
Moneyover and its not coming back... Thats a good thing! Personal debt to income went from 65% to 135% in 15 years and we are finally back in the black, spending is at a 62 year low. Consumers want Value in their purchase and Values from who they bought it from or in our case helped them with the purchase. They want to know that you did right by them and will continue to do so after they are gone.

     What do I think it all means? Do you care? I believe that you need to focus your efforts on offering real Value and be able to communicate = what your Value brings and why its important. Focus on honesty and integrity. Wow that sounds brilliant... "The world is getting smaller" is a tired term but seriously its shrinking at a rapid pace. If I describe a negative experience I had with you on a message board in your local community, lots of people will read it and they will tell their friends and it wont go away... Forget the BBB watch out for FB

Pillar     Become a pillar of your community to grow your business. Regardless of what you do for a living, helping others in your community will help your business. Its not only the right thing to do, its a great marketing strategy. Why?... Because in our business there is nothing more valuable as Trust Yes that scary valuable word that is usually followed with a lie when asked for. You need it and and there is no easy earn it without being the real deal. Helping someone with no strings attached is the fastest way to earn trust. Call it The Golden Rule, karma, what goes around comes around, you get what you deserve etc. etc. In conclusion - Social Media is bad for real estate if you are bad at it because you cant hide anymore - Social Media is like "Gossip Sunshine"

Paul Silver
Tiverton, RI
Rhode Island full service real estate firm

I too like the TED site... good stuff there... and I agree with the comment above: What goes around comes around... do the right thing.

A lawyer in our area has just been arrested for mortgage fraud... get this: he was not disbursing funds to clear previous leans on the properties he did the closings for... he filed with the town as cleared, and then just kept paying the mortgages monthly... he will be losing his law license, and likely going to jail... bad Karma caught up with him...

Jan 20, 2010 02:07 AM
Brian & Val Mayer
The Mayer Group of eXp Realty - Huntingtown, MD
Listing Specialist | Realtor in Calvert County MD

     Yesterday I received a call from the owner of a local business I have been coaching. She Googled her resteraunt for the first time and the only hit was for a negative review posted over a year ago. She was extremely upset and wanted to know how to take it down. I told her that she could not.

 

     To think that for a year, her only internet represenation was tiied to a negative review... I told her to reply to the post directly as the owner and from here, manage your image in the internet. To do that she needs to create accounts at merchantcircle, yellowbook and anywhere else that gives free business directory accounts. If not a website use a blog or social media to create an online presance. Monitor the search engines and reply to any negative press directly

 

     With each advancement in "web 2.0" we have less control of our image. This is especially true in the service business because of the emphasis on feedback within internet business registry sites. With Facebook, blogs, message boards, and other feedback sites, it is imperative that those of us with a public image pay close attention to our internet presance.

Jan 20, 2010 02:14 AM
Gail Robinson
William Raveis Real Estate - Southport, CT
CRS, GRI, e-PRO Fairfield County, CT
72% trust what others say vs. 15% from advertising This is the most important piece of info from the presentation and can save us all a lot of money as real estate agents. Advertising is a waste of money, especially print advertising, but even advertising on Google is not money well spent, because people trust the results from organic searches more. Earning trust takes a long time and a lot of hard work and can be easily lost. We have to be more selective about the clients we choose to work with because one dissatisfied client with a lot of social media friends can have an impact on our reputation. So Brian is right. It can be bad for your real estate business, just as it can be good. The sword cuts both ways.
Jan 20, 2010 02:16 AM
Joseph Diomede
Re/Max At Home - Rolling Meadows, IL

Excellent blog, Brian.  Lots of us subscribe to the same school of thought.  Thank you!

Jan 20, 2010 02:42 AM
Bill Gillhespy
16 Sunview Blvd - Fort Myers Beach, FL
Fort Myers Beach Realtor, Fort Myers Beach Agent - Homes & Condos

Hey Brian,  Terrific post !  We all want to be trusted but sometimes take for granted that our actions are how we aree judged.

Jan 20, 2010 02:59 AM
Gene Riemenschneider
Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA
Turning Houses into Homes

interested web site.  I agree relationships are king and it is what you need to build on.

Jan 20, 2010 03:49 AM
Sandy McAlpine
RE/MAX EXECUTIVE - Cornelius, NC
Search Lake Norman Homes For Sale - Lake Norman NC

Trust and friends = Referrals! Referrals are the best clients! Sure, building a brand online using social media is good, but won't pay your bills!

Jan 20, 2010 04:31 AM
Tony Anderson
Century 21 Community Realty - Clarkesville, GA
Serving Habersham Banks White & Stephens Counties
I agree with Gene, relationships are the KEY. I liked the video.
Jan 20, 2010 05:42 AM
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired
Brian, I have to say it's very true as I've just personally slammed a local business on their lack of customer response & plain bad attitude. How did I do that - feedback on the Yellowpages link to their business. They treated me rudely, served up bad food, refused to correct it so I responded in kind where all could see my experience. The internet stays around a very, very long time.
Jan 20, 2010 06:16 AM
Dagny Eason
Dagny's Real Estate - Wilton, CT
Fairfield County CT, CDPE Homes For Sale and Condo

You are so right!  You need to make sure everything you say and do are what you want to represent you forever.....   My very first comment is still around on the internet, and showed how green I was at the time.   That's ok, we all start somewhere....  

Jan 20, 2010 01:46 PM
Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089
Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI
Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

Well that was quite interesting, with some startling numbers.  It's clearly time for a change in consumer habits.  TED is a really good site.

Jan 22, 2010 12:36 PM
Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089
Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI
Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

Well that was quite interesting, with some startling numbers.  It's clearly time for a change in consumer habits.  TED is a really good site.

Jan 22, 2010 12:36 PM
Brian & Val Mayer
The Mayer Group of eXp Realty - Huntingtown, MD
Listing Specialist | Realtor in Calvert County MD

     Thank you everyone for your comments. I agree that relationships are the key to any business and the most important factor in a relationship is trust.

     Social media and the internet allows you to strengthen or discourage trust and relationships. Lets say a potential "partner, lead, connection" I am working on trying to gain trust with is on my FB page or follows the link to my Active Rain blog in my email signature?

At that point I will either gain trust and credibility or lose it

     Think about how many time your become FB friends with someone you dont know very well. Do you browse their photo album? Their wall? Now everything you type on FB shows up in their news feed... Relationships are like a checking account, each transaction either adds or removes something. Next time you post on FB, think about whether you are depositing or withdrawing in your relationships... I think I have a new blog to work on...

Jan 23, 2010 12:41 AM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400
HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400 - Pikesville, MD
Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
"Helping someone with no strings attached is the fastest way to earn trust.... Social Media is bad for real estate if you are bad at it because you cant hide anymore" So true! Enjoyed speaking with you today.
Jan 23, 2010 09:06 AM
Russel Ray, San Diego Business & Marketing Consultant & Photographer
Russel Ray - San Diego State University, CA

I always caution my Clients not to spread themselves too thin. Pick a couple of social media sites and be the best you can be. If you're average or worse, it will show.

Jan 23, 2010 12:30 PM
Brian & Val Mayer
The Mayer Group of eXp Realty - Huntingtown, MD
Listing Specialist | Realtor in Calvert County MD

Russel,

     To your point, I make sure to fully complete my profile on any online account I am signing up with. Even if I am not going to use it regularly, I make sure to upload a picture, provide all my contact information and fill out a description of myself.

     Take for instance Active Rain. How many people have you met in person then later looked up their AR profile? What do you think when their profile page still has the default text "this is where you tell others about your background" or something similar? It looks like they are not very concerned about their image and you take it from there...

 

     Magaret, it is always a pleasure speaking with you. You have taught me many valuable lessons in the short time we have known eachother.

Jan 25, 2010 12:55 AM
Dana Devine
Charles Rutenberg Realty - Apollo Beach, FL
wow that video had a lot of information...thanks for sharing and I have never heard of TED
Jan 25, 2010 02:00 AM
Monique Combs
Royal Shell Real Estate - Bonita Springs, FL
Royal Shell Real Estate - Monique Combs

Brian ~ Wow what a great post! I completely agree with Karma!

Jan 25, 2010 07:53 AM
Beverly Femia
BlueCoast Realty Corporation - Hampstead, NC
Broker Realtor Stager - Greater Wilmington, NC Are
Thank you for the turn-on to TED!
Jan 25, 2010 11:48 AM
Rita Minion
O'Brien Realty - Solomons, MD

Hello Brian,

What a terrific post!  Thank you for the video clip - I liked it!  I also am a believer in the Golden Rule.  Thanks for your article - it was excellent.

Rita

 

 

Feb 02, 2010 12:51 PM