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Social Media-Its about (THE) time. (Jim Marks AND Tom Ferry)

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Services for Real Estate Pros with Virtual Results

Real Estatesocial mediaTom and I work with Real Estate Professionals, not Social Media Marketers. There is a huge difference.

For Social Media Marketers, Social Media is their job. For Realtors, they have a job and social media is just a way to engage, communicate, become relevant in the market, build relationships, brand and generate leads (depending on who you speak to…) When teaching Social Media, the number one question (by a mile) I receive is: “

But where do you find the time?”

I hear this almost every day from my Realtors. Look, it is possible that YOU may not have the time. Possible, not probable. Here are some tips I share with my Realtors to ensure they can squeeze a bit more time for their Social Media Marketing Efforts

1) Control your day. - Do you get up each morning and let the day determine what your schedule is? Do you have 2-3 things on your calendar and “do some work” in between? Do you get up, go to the computer and REACT to your email? Not effective. Become a Task list taker.   Keep detailed task lists and prioritize them regularly. Immediately upon finishing one task, start another. At the end of each day do two things.

    a) Look at what you have ACCOMPLISHED. I know you work hard. Lots of people work hard. What did you remove from the list?

    b) Decide what you are going to accomplish tomorrow and commit to work until you accomplish it. Knowing that you will work until you accomplish your goals, will ensure you don’t waste time on non-productive stuff.

2) Get Mobile-How often are you parked in front of a home, waiting for a client, or Realtor to meet you. How are you investing your down time? Social Media Applications (twitter and facebook, etc.) have GREAT mobile apps. Keep in contact with your community through out the day, in your less productive time. (And for some, I know the word “app” sounds scary, but they’re not. They are simple, easy to download and use tools to make you more efficient- trust me!

3) Understand the cloud- Web based applications like gmail, facebook or twitter allow you to chime in from any computer, anywhere. At the office or a client with a few extra minutes? Get in touch.

4) Have a Virtual Lunch- Who do you go to lunch with, friends? Fellow Realtors? How about grabbing a sandwich and sitting down in front of your computer with your Active Rain or FB Friends and favorite tweeples.

5) Schedule it. It’s Marketing. Just like everything in life, sometimes when we don’t write it down and commit to it … it goes undone. And when you’re online engaging and marketing yourself, it can be quite easy to surf the net for latest news or celebrity gossip, or check out the sales online. Once you commit in your schedule time to engage in social marketing, hold yourself to this time allotment. 6) Remember, for many this is their form of Prospecting. – For years we’ve been taught to spend an hour or three making calls or knocking on doors, following up on leads, scheduling appointments after open houses and sending personal note cards. Today, spending strategic time on Twitter searching key action phrases like “looking at homes in LA” or “looking at Trulia” and engaging prospects is a valid form of prospecting. Spend some time getting your ‘virtual home tours’ on YouTube or Active Rain.

The key is (like everything else we do throughout the day) have a plan, an outcome and be intentional and it will pay off big time.

Was this Post Valuable?

This was the collaboration between Jim Marks(virtualresults.net) a social media strategist, and Tom Ferry, (yourcoach.com) a Realtor coach and trainer. Leave a comment if you would like more tips on how to control your time and create a successful social marketing strategy.

Show All Comments Sort:
Christine Donovan
Donovan Blatt Realty - Costa Mesa, CA
Broker/Attorney 714-319-9751 DRE01267479 - Costa M

I like the suggestions for where to fit in time for social marketing and think it makes sense to look at like the prospecting that it is.

I would like to see more tips.  Thanks,

Jul 07, 2009 04:54 PM
Angie Weeks
Cal Coast Web Design - Lake Forest, CA

You're so correct, Jim!

Kathy, I'm constantly tweeting outside of homes waiting to meet buyers...Realtors can think of 'wait time' as social networking time if they have mobile set up correctly :)

Also, if you add a twitter feed to your website and schedule blog posts to tweet the title when published, it helps to automate and systemize life!

Jul 07, 2009 05:00 PM
Missy Caulk
Missy Caulk TEAM - Ann Arbor, MI
Savvy Realtor - Ann Arbor Real Estate

I use a BB curve. I also have FB on it so can check updates as  I want to. But, don't get them in email form which drove me crazy.

Jul 08, 2009 12:13 AM
Chris Griffith
Downing-Frye Realty, Bonita Springs, FL - Bonita Springs, FL
Bonita Springs Listing Specialist - Agent

Great list, from the grand masters, no less.  I find "the list" super important and motivational, too.  Every once in a while I just write down a page or two of something that needs done *sometime* in the future.  The future moves alot closer when it's in ink.

Jul 08, 2009 01:32 AM
Rick Schwartz
William Raveis Real Estate - Danbury, CT

It's not social media that is time consuming - everything we do is time consuming. The decision you must make is which activities to do and when to do them.

The biggest mistake that people make when they jump into social media is that they don't make a plan.  They check out the new "thing", try it for a bit and either don't see the value because they didn't set a goal or they find it addicting and spend way more time on it than they should.

Not planning, of course, can be said about most things.   The vast majority of people that I know, make up their day as they go along with no real plan.

The most common method of time management is to mark time-specific events on your calendar and then keep a to-do list which is sometimes prioritized into High, Med, Low or 1,2,3  or A,B,C.   Very little thought is put into deciding which activities are things that you can actually accomplish in the course of a day.  The lowest priority things never get done.  The low priority items may very important but may not have an immediate gratification.

The things that actually get done, are typically those that are urgent - things that if you don't do them in the short term, there will be a measurable negative consequence.

Some of the very important things that could have tremendous benefit to you in the long run, never get done, until they hit the level of being urgent.

One reference that I live by is Steven Covey's matrix of URGENT Vs IMPORTANT - which is from his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  If you can't find the time to read the whole book  - find this matrix and study it  - very enlightening.

The other thing I live by and it has truly changed my life (biz and personal) is David Allen's Getting Things Done.   Once read or listened to you'll begin to understand that "Time Management" isn't the issue   - it is "Activity Management".  

He teaches that you  must totally accept the fact that there is simply not enough time to get everything on our list done - and there never will be. So the key is to choose what to do-  and to renegotiate with yourself constantly as to what you can and should accomplish. I get twice as much done as I did before adopting his methods.

One of his tips, for example, is a very simple thing.  Don't overwhelm yourself by calling something a "task" when it is really a series of small tasks. If there are 10 sequential steps necessary to accomplish something, then make each separate item a task.  You will end up with a lot more to-dos but each one will be a minimal time investment and can be worked in easily.

 

For me spending time on Twitter, spending time on Active Rain, spending time on blogging, are all projects that sit  right alongside scheduling an open house, calling past clients, checking new listings for buyer prospects, etc etc.

 

Jul 08, 2009 02:14 AM
Steve Facella
ReMax Prestige - Lake Worth, FL

I struggle with this all the time. I really need to take this to heart. Thanks for this post!

Jul 08, 2009 02:34 AM
Harrison K. Long
HomeSmart, Evergreen Realty - Irvine, CA
REALTOR , GRI, Broker associate, Attorney

Jim ... Thanks for this post and reminder that the key is to make and have a plan, what you cal "an outcome and be intentional".  That's a challenge.  Lots to do, organizing RE web site, contacting clients and responding to their wants and needs, keeping track of property listings, preparing content for blog and sites, showing properties, attending REBarCamp, contacting vendors, educating ourselves and making friends.  Then get some exercise and having fun too.

Jul 08, 2009 03:12 AM
Deanne Olivas
eXp Realty - Gilbert, AZ
Your Home Matters

I wake up every morning thankful that I that I can spend my day doing something I love doing and can plan my activities rather than punching a timeclock and having someone else tell me what to do. There are too many people who go to a "job" everyday, then go home and watch TV. I am in an profession that allows me to really make a difference in peoples lives and I am in control of how I plan to acheive my own goals.

Jul 08, 2009 03:38 AM
Sandy Noll
(RSVP Real Estate) 425.890.0878 - Gig Harbor, WA
RE Pro Serving Snohomish to Thurston Counties

Great post Jim!  Thanks for the tips.....Love the virtual lunch idea!

Jul 08, 2009 03:41 AM
Karl Peidl
Moorestown, NJ
Accredited Loan Consultant

With the ease of accessing Facebook and Twitter through my blackberry, it is very easy to use "down time" to stay on top of my Social Media sites.

Thanks for the great post.

Jul 08, 2009 03:56 AM
Jae Burnham
TheSuccessfulBiz.Com - Grand Ledge, MI

One great tool that is not being discussed here that will shorten your time with SMM is Ping.fm. With Ping you can just update your status once and it'll go to every social media site that you are a part of. You can also get update from others in your network of SM sites. Great time and money saving idea.

Jae Burnham

Jul 08, 2009 05:20 AM
Anonymous
@CoachTomFerry

Hey everybody... I was just thinking about SM as it relates to many 1.0 agents.  Think about this... Facebook, Twitter etc... are simply like a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week open house.  The more you effectively draw people in and engage them with soft selling skills, the more appointments you'll set.

What do you think?

TF

Jul 08, 2009 07:07 AM
#30
Diana Hathaway Timmons
San Luis Obispo, CA

Fabulous tips on incorporating social media into your day! You're right, it's a tool, just like many others that Realtors use every day. SM is useful, and manageable if done right.  I'd like to add another point to your great post: Know what you want to get out of social media before you start twittering away.  if you have a goal in mind, your tweets and Facebook updates will take less time, and you'll be left with less 'staring at the screen wondering what to write.' I'm excited to see so many real estate professionals embracing social media, and incorporating it into traditional methods.  Excellent post! 

Jul 08, 2009 07:39 AM
Gene Riemenschneider
Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA
Turning Houses into Homes

Very good post.  I like the focus on Being a Real Estate Professional, the other stuff is marketing.  It is a tool, not an end in itself.

Jul 08, 2009 09:39 AM
Tom Ferry
Tom Ferry-yourcoach - Newport Beach, CA

Hey Karl,  You got it!  In between seminars, coaching sessions, biz follow ups... I'm on my bb getting connected.  Gotta love your phone!

 

Tom

 

Jul 08, 2009 09:41 AM
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Great tips and suggestions on how to 'plan' your day instead of it running you into the ground. There is time for anything that you want to do and find value in. I have followed Tom for many years and he always offers valuable advice for your business.

Jul 09, 2009 12:46 AM
Tom Ferry
Tom Ferry-yourcoach - Newport Beach, CA

Hey Lyn- Great to "see" you here and thanks for reading! We need to connect!

Tom

Jul 09, 2009 06:15 AM
Joy Carter & Jeff Booker Brother and Sister Team
Keller Williams Parkland/Coral Springs Realty-GreatFloridaHomes Team - Coral Springs, FL
Trust Your Family's Move To Our Expertise!

I always keep reading material (mostly sales) in the car to catch up between waiting.  I'm not good at sitting still doing nothing.  Being productive makes me happy.  Of course productive could be with a pina colada by the pool (reading of course) when I have the time.

Jul 09, 2009 02:04 PM
Eileen Hsu
Douglas Elliman Real Estate - Manhattan, NY
LICENSED REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON

Fantastic post and tips! Getting mobile apps for Facebook and Twitter can be addicting! One should be warned before once you started you won't be able to stop!

Jul 09, 2009 02:55 PM
Anja Kerstens, 669.270.8034
Compass - Morgan Hill, CA
GRI, NHCB, CDPE, CHS. Silicon Valley Homes

Your post confirms that I am on the right track.  You made a good point: time management doesn't work without making it stick.  I have a stack of folders on my desk (one for each day of the month) and every morning the first thing I do is to go through the folder with "important" and "follow up" tasks.  It holds my to-do list and a list of phone calls to make.  My calendar prompts me to start a new task and what I don't finish within the time allotment I try to finish later in the day.  

Your post received some excellent tips.  I guess we are all striving to make the best of every day.  For me that includes to not let myself get caught up in the TO Do and many tasks I have every day but to stop to make time for my children who are all home for the summer.  

Jul 11, 2009 05:45 AM