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Social Networking - Do Real Estate Agents Get It??

Apparently some do not. The incident below has left me somewhat baffled!

I was on Facebook this morning, browsing a couple of groups which consist mostly of fellow ActiveRain members. In my search, I came across an agent in the eastern United States whose service area caught my eye. And as it happens, one of my clients has mentioned to me during the past week that he may be relocating to that exact area.

Okay, my Facebook profile clearly states that I'm a real estate broker. It even includes my company websites and my real estate designations. And the east coast agent similarly advertises herself as a real estate professional, looking to "network" with other agents who may have referrals. She works for a well-known company, one with a good reputation, in her area. So, I contacted her.

About ten minutes later, I got a reply message from this agent which read "I don't know you".

Am I missing something here??

If the only people you plan to "network" with are folks you already know, how much business do you think that will bring you in 2009?

Posted by Eric Kodner CRS, ABR, e-PRO, CLHMS, Madeline Island Real Estate Wisconsin on 12/25/2008 12:15 PM

Comments (25)

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25 Comments on Social Networking - Do Real Estate Agents Get It??

DEC

Wow, she definitely does not get it. I am sure she would not be the right agent for your client anyway.

I don't think most agents get it....yet. Like anything new, it takes education and exposure before it is accepted. Too bad for your aborted contact. If only she knew how she has shorted herself.

Randy, this really took me by surprise. Maybe she has had some bad online expeiences. Who knows? But this is social networking for business, not a dating site.

I have seen something similar on ActiveRain. Once in awhile, you'll run into a member who says, "why should I accept your request to add me as an Associate?" Maybe they feel they're giving up privacy or something by building an Associates list. It's hardly a marriage proposal, but being added as a "friend" or "associate" seems to trigger a paranoid response in some folks.

One problem with Facebook and other sites may be the "add this person as a friend" link. It's natural for someone to say to themselves, "well I don't know this person really, so that doesn't apply to me". A site that works better as social networking for business might use "add this person as a colleague" instead.

Wow, Eric! That sounds pretty lame! I still don't have the Facebook or Twitter thing down. It's on my list for next year!

Eric,

I find some consolation that Patricia is not big on Facebook and Twitter, as I thought I was the only one like that.

I see these things just when on your e-mail you get a message that people require you to register so that they will approve you and only then you will be able to send them an e-mail.

I should be dying to get to them to register. If you are in the business, and block e-mail, why would i want to do business with you anyway?

DEC

Maybe I don't get it but I don't necessarily accept friends that I don't know just because they are real estate agents. I am connected with a lot of real estate agents on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter but most I know from ActiveRain or RealTalk.

I don't say "I don't know you" but I ignore some requests. I look at friends (or colleagues) in common, their profile and what they have contributed before I accept an invitatation.

I have not sent out a lot of invites except on Twitter and ActiveRain I am pretty passive.

The whole web 2.0 thing is very new to many real estate agents. I try to explain why I have social online networking as an element in my Business Plan and a lot of agents think it's a social, fun thing - they don't see the benefit in the business world or understand completely how it works. I have to admit, when I first set up an account in Facebook, I received a request from someone I didn't know and I was a little nervous. You hear so much on the media of people posing as someone they are not. It wasn't until I figured out why I'm on the site in the first place did I actually get it and start accepting invitations. By the way - I'm located south of Boston, MA (Plymouth MA). Let me know if you need help finding an agent in the area. I'd be happy to point in the right direction:) Happy Holidays.

I don't ignore people if they have a picture and a profile. I DO NOT send (and I DO IGNORE) the stupid plants and ornaments, etc., etc., etc. That's not what I'm there for. I'm not sure why you are surprised that a RE agent doesn't get it!! Not many are embracing what's going on 'out there' re social media, etc.

Eric, I'm with Maureen. I may still not get it completely probably because I'm over 40. I love networking and meeting new people but also appreciate some privacy. I see the benefits of social networking but I also see a very unprofessional element to them.

BTW: I found this post via Maureen's tweet about it on twiter this morling with a link to activerain.

She doesn't get it. Shaking my head for her. Silly thing. Thanks for the fb link, Maureen!

Erik--Baffling! Even agents that seem to get it sometimes make unusual choices. You'd think that before just clicking a button, it would make sense to visit the person's profile and see if it is another agent. Maybe they just clicked a wrong button by mistake. I stick with the phone to connect with agents...If you think she is a good choice for the referral, maybe call her and ask why she didn't accept. Could be a good lesson for her as she may not have even realized she was clicking away business.

Pat -- I don't think social networking is for everybody. But there are benefits connected with it that shouldn't be ignored.

Jon, I agree that being contacted is the point of belonging to a social network in the first place. I do wonder why else someone would join. Maybe they see it exclusively as just another place to post a profile and a link to their website. So I'll acknowledge there may be some SEO benefit to belonging without participating.

Maureen -- I'm not knocking the idea of being selective or conservative about making connections.

I do, however, believe that some agents are missing out on the benefit of making connections with agents they don't know and learning about the real estate market in areas other than their own.

For a moment, I'll compare social networking to attending a real estate convention. I attended the CRS convention in Las Vegas a couple years ago and there were over a thousand agents there. This was a three-day event at the MGM Grand in Vegas and the first thing I figured out was that if I didn't make an effort to introduce myself and meet some agents, I was going to miss out on a huge opportunity! Of course I already knew most of the CRS members from my own area and you could see agents from the same towns/cities huddling together in pockets, like little social clubs. But that is precisely the kind of behavior that these events are trying to break down. I guess it's much the same with social networking sites.

Jennifer, if I was nervous about someone posing as a real estate agent, I would take a few steps before either accepting or rejecting an invitation or contact from someone. First off, you could Google that person's name/company name and verify that they are an active agent. There is also the ability to check with that agent's state licensing authority to verify who they are. And if that agent has any designations or certifications, those can generally be verified too, either at the designation website (such as crs.com) or at the NAR website.

Thanks for the info on your marketplace and the offer of assistance! This is what networking is all about!!

Susie, I think it's fine to have a few parameters or requirements when you select which agents to network with.

I'm gonna play devil's advocate now for a second. I belong to a luxury properties site called the LuxuryRealEstate.com Luxury Lounge. When you join and log in, you have the opportunity to select the "People" tab and browse the members roster. Then, you can click on a link in that member's profile that reads "Connect with this member". Last week I was searching new members and I spied the name and profile of one of the most successful agents in the world, a broker whose company has multiple international offices. His profile had no photo and very little description. If I used the "no photo" criterion to reject contacting him, that would have been a pretty major mistake, in my opinion.

My point is, we may sometimes miss out on making contacts with others in our industry from time to time, for reasons which may have nothing to do with good judgement.

Bonnie -- You're correct that social networking has taken most agents by surprise. Many haven't figured out yet what's in it for them. And until they do, they'll be on the sidelines.

BTW Maureen, your mention of this post on Twitter induced me to login there for the first time in over a month and to follow you there..so I owe you a debt of gratitude!

DEC

Mitchell, I'm over 40 too :)

I agree that some social networking sites don't necessarily lend themselves to a business setting. It makes sense to be a bit cautious, of course. Look at the very nature of being a real estate agent. We are in a very transparent occupation, like it or not. We market ourselves all over the Web because we are struggling to survive in a competitive marketplace and in a challenging economy. It's easy to find an agent's email address, office location, phone number and other information. And state licensing databases also provide personal information to the public.

I'm not saying it's good or bad, but the desire for privacy and being successful in a very public occupation may not always be compatible goals.

Teri, I appreciate your perspective. It's pretty easy to verify if someone is a real estate licensee these days!

Hey I am trying to follow you back. Why protected on Twitter? not that it is any of my business... to each his own... use the tools the way you see fit... ; - )

There was a conversation on Twitter because of your post mostly in Columbus, I found out WHO in the RE community in our market is the only one who uses social networking correctly. It's not me. ; - ) actually the comment was that RE folks are the worst abusers of social media, except one agent in our market. Just one person's comment.

I forgot until I read Natalie's comment yesterday that my tweets feed to Facebook... I thought "Oh Oh..." Oh well. I don't do anything on Facebook other than accept invites and my tweets show up there.

I believe I use Linkedin and Facebook exactly the same but it has more to do with just reacting (accepting invites or ignoring as I see fit) rather than being proactive.

One of the funniest things about RE agents and social media to me are the AR members who believe that AR is NOT a social network. The belief that the "social" in social networking means "party" and as long as they stay on ActiveRain and just spam one another back and forth they are conducting business.

Maureen,

The "protected updates" thing was an omission..my bad!

Have you received any referrals because of your social networking efforts outside of ActiveRain? I recently got my first buyer referral off Facebook. So I'm pretty sold on the idea of spending time at widening my participation in sites like LinkedIn and Facebook.

DEC

Hi Eric!

Did you by any chance write in the subject who you are or did you send a message introducing yourself? As you know, I am on Facebook too and, so many times I get requests from people I don't know and who are not "friends" of my friends. Many times I cannot see their profile because to do that, I need to become their friend.... So, network or not, I ignore... I agree with Maureen and Mitchell on this one, and I am also over 40 =)

I agree, that person should not have written "I don't know you" and, she should have looked you up.... mistakes... mistakes...

Happy New Year!

Lourdes

Natalie -- My purpose in writing this wasn't to be tough on the lady who replied "I don't know you". I thought the subject was worth discussing though.

Lourdes. I get friend requests on Facebook and Associate requests on ActiveRain all the time, without any accompanying introduction. The people who make these requests almost never introduce themselves.

If you are unable to see a person's Facebook profile, it is a simple matter to Google their name. You'll usually find a wealth of information about their company, address, designations and client references.

If the person is a fellow ActiveRain member, I routinely accept the request. I see no reason to reject a networking request from a colleague. After all, they are in the same industry and they have taken the step of placing a profile on one of these sites which discloses their occupation, just as I have. We have something in common, namely our occupation and our desire to grow our business. So it simply never occurs to me to exclude them or to reject their request.

When I wrote this person, I knew that she had an ActiveRain profile and that she is a real estate professional. I also knew that she could easily verify that I am a fellow AR member and a licensee in two states, as well as an advertised REALTOR on Facebook. Based on that, I guess I concluded that the contact request was reasonable and non-threatening.

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