Are You Missing Opportunities on ActiveRain?
Commenting is an opportunity to share information, provide another perspective or opinion, share a compliment, and for the writer, as well as others who comment, a way to get to know you better. Not commenting could be a missed opportunity.
Are You Missing Opportunities on ActiveRain?
Life is full of missed opportunities. Sometimes we don’t see them for what they are, or we make certain decisions, or don’t, and poof, the opportunity is gone.
It’s true in the real estate business as well, on social media, in public places, when meeting people face to face or on the phone, when having conversations with current and past clients, and here on ActiveRain.
So what are those missed opportunities on AR and what might we be missing? And shouldn’t we also consider the opportunities that are lost not by what we don’t do, but what we do!
BLOGGING
We all knowing writing great content that will be of interest and use to consumers, and others in our business, is a good thing to do. That’s a big part of why we are there. Those who join but don’t do much or any writing are missing out on a wealth of opportunities – to begin with potential referral business and relationships with other real estate professionals from around the country.
Other opportunities come to those who choose to pay and become Rainmakers, whereby your posts can be indexed by the search engines, then viewed by the public including potential buyers and sellers, resulting in more traffic to your website(s), better rankings on the SERPs, and of course more business!!
Blogging also presents huge opportunities to build your credibility in your local market by sharing what you know. In order to write you might be doing more research (e.g., market reports, information on communities) so you have the opportunity to learn more about the area (s) you service which benefits your clients. And I bet you will become more proficient in your writing, and communication in general…another opportunity for growth.
COMMENTING ON OTHER’S POSTS
Commenting is an opportunity to share information, provide another perspective or opinion, share a compliment, and for the writer, as well as others who comment, a way to get to know you better. Not commenting could be a missed opportunity. Keep in mind that being negative, accusatory, a name caller, or engaging in other bad behavior when commenting is a missed opportunity, too – it drives others away, creates a negative impression of who you are and how you work, and could result in others avoiding you entirely or adding you to their “I would never refer to these people” list. Think about what you might be missing. Read this terrific article by Liz and Bill Spear about ActiveRain Commenting Etiquette.
I suspect most Rainers appreciate comments from others, and it’s a good opportunity, besides reading their posts, to get to know them. But are you a cut and paste commenter? Well, you have missed an opportunity for true engagement! Do you try to drive the writer and other commenters or readers to YOUR website or post or are you otherwise advertising YOUR services? You may have lost the opportunity to engage the writer, and others, or to have them want to know more about you, and turned them off by your actions.
RESPONDING TO COMMENTS
You have more opportunities for people to get to know and like you but responding to their comments. It also adds to the conversation, if done well, and those who have left a comment will appreciate it. You might not be able to respond to all comments, and that’s OK.
RECIPROCATING
Another opportunity, when someone leaves a comment, is to reciprocate by reading one of their posts and leaving a comment. Even better if it’s not someone you already know or are following. You might make a new friend and earn something new.
ASKING QUESTIONS
You might not like the Q and A section of AR, or perhaps have never even visited. But it could be yet another opportunity – for getting help on a particular issue, for sharing information, asking advice, and, yes, once again engaging with others and given them a chance to get to know you! Admittedly there are some questions that might be viewed as inappropriate, silly, a waste of time, etc., so just ignore them.
As with commenting, responses to question can send a pretty strong message about you to others who are reading – are you being helpful? Critical? Testy? Down-right rude? While participating in the Q and A section presents another opportunity, bad behavior and creating a negative first impression results in another lost opportunity!
FOLLOWING OTHER ACTIVERAIN MEMBERS
Following others whose writing you like and admire is another opportunity to get to know them, develop a relationship, and perhaps learn a few things. And through that relationship comes the opportunity for referral business, from you or to you. Thanking those who follow you, with perhaps an email or a call, is a nice way to show appreciation and enhance that relationship further. Not following others could be a missed opportunity for relationship-building and more!
ACTIVERAIN MEETUPS
An organized meet-up with some other members, whether part of the formal AR Meetup schedule or just on your own, is a great opportunity to get to know others. It could just be a couple of people, or more – it doesn’t matter, but meeting face to face takes the relationship to a new level.
And it doesn’t just have to be local. You can reach out when traveling on vacation, or perhaps when attending a conference or some other event elsewhere in the country. No doubt you will find other Rainers willing to get together for an hour or so over coffee, lunch, drinks or dinner
Lastly, you could just take the opportunity to reach out, via email or better yet phone, to someone you know, or someone you don’t know to chat, ask a question, or seek help.
Are you taking advantage of all the opportunities here on ActiveRain? Or are you simply missing them?
**************************************
CLICK ON PHOTOS, LOGOS and ICONS BELOW TO LINK TO USEFUL
REAL ESTATE and COMMUNITY INFORMATION and
MY SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES!!
ALL ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RELOCATION DUDE (link)
If I can provide more information about Carlsbad homes and real estate for sale and surrounding areas, the housing market in general (or locally), or otherwise assist you, friends or family in a home search or sale, please contact my mobile office or text me at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JeffDowlerSolutions@gmail.com
Serving Carlsbad (including Aviara, La Costa & Carlsbad Village), Encinitas (including Leucadia & Olivenhain), Cardiff, Solana Beach, Del Mar, La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe, San Marcos (including San Elijo Hills), Oceanside, Escondido, and San Diego
All content ©Copyright by Jeff Dowler. All rights reserved.
Comments(16)