I'll get right to the point - Social Media can literally SUCK the life out of you, and bleed you dry!

Yes, yes... I know, everywhere you look, you're told you will be (or already are) a miserable failure unless you're some sort of online social maven - "engaging" with people online with each stroke of the keyboard. Well guess what - this is just plain wrong! And moreover, those who are pumping real estate agents (new or not) full of their fresh perspectives & spin, really need to own up to the Social Media Overload in real estate training today. It's all just too much; it really is sending many real estate agents into an abyss - ignoring the tangible foundations of their businesses.

Indeed, there ARE numerous examples of real estate agents who have done quite well with Social Media, and we can all learn from them. But taking the real estate industry as a whole, the only people getting "rich" are the ones actively over promoting their expertise, their social wares, and ultimately themselves. It's all about the money - and I don't mean the money that the poor agent in training may be earning... if they last long enough.

Now, before you cast me off as some nut - I believe 100% in engaging customers/clients by using Social Media. I've been doing it for years (as have others) - well before it was "in vogue," or even had a name. It's called Being Present, Asking Questions, Listening to the Answers, and Being Genuine & Honest while doing so. The only difference, is that today, we have a few more avenues to choose from, and there in-lies the confusion for many.

What... you mean you've never heard of me? I'm so disappointed! You haven't read my books, watched my YouTube videos, or seen my live presentations? Well, there's a good reason for this. My "Social Media" endeavors have been focused squarely on THE CUSTOMER. My one and only desire has been to "engage" with customers in a manner that clearly lets them know I am on THEIR side - period. It's that simple. It's not about me. <gasp>

So... before you set out on your journey into Social Media, research all the available venues, watch a few webinars and online videos, read a few blogs, etc. Then STOP - create an achievable action plan, and then implement it. Don't continue to watch/read/listen, etc., etc. Don't get lost in all the static, because guess what... it will always be there! There will always be someone new, someone more insightful than before, someone with the brightest idea or product for Real Estate Social Media ever - all for the low, low, bargain price of $297 by clicking that big red, green, or yellow button - then those closely-guarded, invaluable "secrets" will be yours.

In short... please don't assume that the Social Media Mavens know more about your business than you do. With few exceptions (yes, there are a few) they don't! Keep it all in perspective, and you'll do just fine.

 

Snoqualmie Ridge Realtors at Windermere


Anthony Gilbert is a real estate agent and REALTOR® with Windermere Real Estate
serving residential home buyers and sellers on Seattle's Eastside.



The RealFX Group at Windermere Real Estate

7829 Center Boulevard SE, Suite #309

Snoqualmie, WA 98065

www.realfx.com
 www.seattlehomehunters.com

Call Direct: 425-677-5603

 
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7 Comments on Social Media Overload - Don't Let it Suck You Dry!

SEP
20
2011
Called Shot Master

An interesting title from an up and coming ActiveRain blogger.  :-)

I certainly agree you have to budget your time and choose your venues to suit your audience and the desired interaction or the message you want to convey.  There are so many things we could be doing that we have to pick and choose carefully.
12:40am • #1
Outside Blog Called Shot Master

LOL... Hi Peter. Yes, I expected someone to say something about that. :)  Though, I'm personally not going to use AR as a "social media" platform in the most common use of the term. It's more the Twitters, Facebooks, Fourquares and the associated tools of the trade - and "experts" that I'm referring to. I think it's all getting a bit out of control.
12:46am • #2
190,027 Points 7 Featured Posts

Good points, Anthony.  There are probably too many outlets for a single person (with no assistants) to master them all at once.  Own a niche.
11:23pm • #3
SEP
21
2011
Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Thanks, Sam for your comments. We all see, time and time again, agents pulling their hair out over social media. It's important to stay focused, and keep it in perspective.
11:13am • #4
SEP
27
2011
715,735 Points 69 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Anthony - The social media gurus are only one step ahead of the rest of us.  I've learned everything I know about social media from other AR members, for free.  I don't spend a lot of time on social media, but I do use it to drive traffic back to my Internet sites.  Facebook brought me $1.2 million in sales this year.  I can't pinpoint the amount of sales from AR although I know clients have found me through AR, but I sure can pinpoint the FB sale as the buyer sent me a FB message, I showed her the house, and then a week later, she bought it!  Social media can be beautiful, but you're right.  Don't let it suck you dry or get too personal.  You have a good head on your shoulders.  I'm subscribing to your blog.  I like your perspective and how, even though you are new to AR, you aren't afraid to state your opinion.
8:00pm • #5
Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Hi Gail - thank you so much for your sincere compliments! (And congrats on your FB success.) All of my social media and SEO experience has pretty much been self-taught through observation and self-implementation as well. My (since sold) e-commerce site outsourced SEO for a while - at 3K per month. But, it only took a few months before I realized we could handle it on our own. And, it was our SEO placement that brought the buyer to us!  :)  (And we were competing with sites that had 100K+ annual SEO budgets.)

So while there are occasional nuggets of good info/insight from the "gurus" - for the most part, you are exactly correct - they're not much ahead of the game than anyone else. But I must admit, they do a great job of marketing themselves.  LOL
8:47pm • #6
MAR
25
2012

Hi Tony — your post on FB brought to mind my client who left a Prudential brokerage and went elsewhere after the broker tried to tell her what she could and couldn't do with her website. This was around ten years ago, when she was something of a pioneer in real estate online marketing.

An interesting thing about that agent as well as another client who has been the top producing agent in his county for over ten years: neither does much with social media. The first pays other people to maintain a modest social media presence for her, while second doesn't do any social media at all. Both pay other people like me and an SEO consultant to maintain their top Google ranking for their websites. (And we're not talking anything like $3k per month — far from it!) One occasionally posts a listing on Facebook; the other doesn't even have a Facebook or ActiveRain account, and they rarely touch their own websites. Neither writes blogs posts.

So, because of my experience with these two successful agents, I advise other agents not to get spread too thin; if in doubt about where to focus their energies (in terms of time and money), focus on their websites. 
1:49am • #7

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Anthony Gilbert Real Estate Agent Issaquah, Sammamish & Snoqualmie WA

Issaquah, WA

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Windermere Real Estate - Bellevue

Address: 14405 SE 36th Street, Suite 100, Bellevue, WA, 98006

Office Phone: (425) 643-5500

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Thank you for visiting! I am a full-time real estate broker and REALTOR® with Windermere Real Estate, located in Bellevue, Washington. I specialize in serving clients in the Eastside Seattle communities of Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah, Sammamish, Fall City, North Bend, and Snoqualmie Ridge, where I reside. I look forward to assisting you with your real estate needs.


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