I was reading Blake Clifford's blog post where he posed the question: Is Facebook REALLY an Effective Tool for Real Estate? While I was reading through the answers I was amazed at the number of agents that STILL resist Facebook.
Here are some of the things I have heard from other agents in my area:
I keep hearing that it's a great tool but I haven't figured out how to use it yet
Facebook is a waste of time. Who wants to hear what I had for breakfast this morning??
I'm on Facebook, I promote the hell out of my listings on there, but I never get any business. Facebook sucks.
(From an older agent that is used to send out postcards to his farm areas) How do I get my postcards on Facebook?
Then I realized something...
Wait for it.
FACEBOOK MAY NOT BE FOR YOU! Whew. There, I said it. Being such a strong believer in social networking and Facebook, that was not an easy thing for me to say.
Here is what I mean:
If you are old school and have been doing this for 20 + years, have a data base of 3,500 past clients that you email post cards to every month, and have so much business that you can't see straight as it is, Facebook may not be for you. (That one is for my Broker Mary)
If you are the agent that has your big mug on 37 bus huts around town, 18 billboards, and have a flier hanging over every urinal in every Fort Wayne bar, Facebook may not be for you.
If all you do is shamelessly promote yourself anywhere you go (shaking hands and kissing babies), while never listening to the people you are promoting yourself to, Facebook may not be for you.
If you (I'm kinda starting to type this in my Jeff Foxworthy voice) still can't type more than 20 words per minute and need weekly help from your assistant to open an email, Facebook may not be for you.
Last one, but one of the most important ones...
If you are that seriously pushy REALTOR that is an arrogant self righteous prick... FACEBOOK IS DEFINITELY NOT FOR YOU!!!
My rules are simple.
Engage people. Everybody loves to talk about themselves so ASK QUESTIONS.
Have fun, stay positive and laugh. There is so much negativity on Facebook that positivity and fun are like a breath of fresh air for most people. I have heard that many times.
Share your story, take people along for the ride. A lot of my Facebook friends feel like they are a part of my journey as being a REALTOR. I play little games like "Where the heck is Jared" when I am at an open house. If I am at a showing and see something incredibly obscure or funny I will take a picture and we all laugh about it. I wouldn't recommend sharing the negative side of real estate though. :)
97% fun, 3% Real Estate. People do NOT go to Facebook to find a Realtor, they go there to have fun and interact with people, not sales people. I learned early on that people do not like to be sold to on Facebook. One of my friends from a year ago deleted me and sent me a message saying "Dude, I'm sure your cool in person, but man, stop trying to sell me stuff!" Oops.
Thank you for reading my rant. I love Facebook and have closed many deals from friends, friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends. I'm going to ride this wave until the next social media wave comes along. Happy surfing. :)
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