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Are you ANNOYING? Ask your 'friends'.....

By
Real Estate Agent with REMAX Realty Team-Cape Coral, FL

Are you "annoying"?  Ask your friends...

There is so much talk about social media these days and everyone is jumping in.  It's fun, it's entertaining, it's addicting....but be careful......

Soliciting business through social media can hurt you and your business if not done correctly.  Remember, it's called social media not business media.

How about if I give you an example?  Henry the Hay Hacker updates his Facebook wall daily.  Great so far, right?  But all of his updates just promote his business..... "I can hack hay faster than anyone".... "Get your Hay Hacking Here"...."I am the best Hay Hacker in Town"......"Visit my Hay Hacking store today".....

BORING!!! With a capital B_O_R_I_N_G !!!! 

His Facebook ‘friends' will no doubt get very bored and possibly annoyed with this type of constant ‘in your face' solicitation. Note:  If this is the type of media you want to do then check out a Facebook ‘Fan Page'.  This is a business related page that allows you to update info, news, ideas, blogs, links, advertising....anything and everything about your business.

So the question is...how can I solicit business from my friends, family, etc... on my regular Facebook page without turning people off?

Easy.....

How about if Henry the Hay Hacker updated his page this way.....

    "Whew...it's going to be a hot day for hacking hay...but ‘hay' someone has got to do it....ha-ha!"

    "The hay was so high in the field today that I couldn't see over it"

    "Darn, the hay hacker machine broke today...do you know how much a button for that darn machine costs?"

    "One more hour of hay hacking and I am off to the beach"

Sound better?  More fun and interesting?  I mean, how boring must hay hacking be (sorry to all those hay hackers out there) but now Henry has made it more entertaining...makes  you kind of want to hear what he has to say next....BINGO!!  Henry's having fun connecting with all of his friends, family, and colleagues AND at the same time he is reminding all of them that he is the hardest working and best Hay Hacker there is.

 So go out there and have fun.  Be yourself...just tell your Facebook contacts what it's like being you!

Epcon Communities Epcon Columbia
Epcon Columbia, SC - Columbia, SC

Good suggestions.  I assume the Hay Hacker is an example.   How much hay can a hay hacker hack if a hay hacker hacked hay?

Nov 01, 2009 12:07 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Thanks for sharing. A good reminder to to some of on our business promotions. Hope you are having a great weekend.

Nov 01, 2009 12:08 AM
Barbara Michaluk
Weichert Realtors | Phone Direct 240-506-2434 | 301-681-0550 office - Silver Spring, MD
Leisure World Specialist / Full Service REALTOR

Good suggestions on how to best utilize facebook and other social media without being obnoxious with a capital "O". 

Nov 01, 2009 12:13 AM
Verlyn Steward
Vision Realty Partners LLC - Mount Juliet, TN
Real Estate Answer Man

Your example is great.  I may have to link this to facebook...but would I upset the ones hacking hay?

Verlyn

Nov 01, 2009 12:19 AM
Bryant Tutas
Tutas Towne Realty, Inc and Garden Views Realty, LLC - Winter Garden, FL
Selling Florida one home at a time

Debbie, I struggle with this myself. My Facebook updates are almost always about real estate. My problem is that i LIVE real estate. It's more than what I do. So for me....my "life filter" is real estate. I'm getting better at presenting it differently.

Of course I'm also a serious person. I may want to read about your Halloween but I will rarely tell you about mine. To put forth a different persona online just because that's what I'm supposed to do would be deceitful. Does that make sense?

Nov 01, 2009 01:00 AM
Debbie Cullen
REMAX Realty Team-Cape Coral, FL - Cape Coral, FL
Your Cape Coral, FL Specialist

Ahhhh Bryant...you are talking to the girl who lives and breaths real estate 27 hours a day (not a typo)....

It is ok to be the serious type (after all I married on of you guys)....

But keep in mind what the blog is about...it just says BE CAREFUL....

 

Nov 01, 2009 02:43 AM
1~Judi Barrett
Integrity Real Estate Services 116 SE AVE N, Idabel, OK 74745 - Idabel, OK
BS Ed, Integrity Real Estate Services -IDABEL OK

Debbie,

I don't like the "fan" page at facebook... I've actually considered having two fanbook accounts if that is permissable.

One for my business contacts and one for my friends and family. 

The only problem that so often they are one and the same.

I don't update my facebook page but my posts are sent to my page so it's mostly

real estate, real estate, real estate.

 

Nov 01, 2009 09:48 AM
Jay Beckingham
Christensen Financial Mortgage - Port St Lucie, FL
Seniors ROCK!

i resisted the whole social networking for quite awhile. i just couldn't see or feel it. But now i have fun with it.

an indicator as to if your annoying to others may well be if you're enjoying your interactions or if it just seems like more work.

question; do you think your friends would tell you if you are just annoying?

Nov 02, 2009 09:16 PM
Bob & Leilani Souza
Souza Realty 916.408.5500 - Roseville, CA
Greater Sacramento Area Homes, Land & Investments

Debbie, I guess I'm one of the few here that doesn't use Facebook for real estate! I created a fan page, but don't do much with it except auto-feed my AR blog posts. Honestly, what's annoying to me are the people who always have these app updates like Mafia Wars, Mobsters, etc. I just "hide" them! I think about 99% of my FB friends also use it personally and not for business, so the only business posts I see are from those that I am a fan of. :)

Leilani

P.S. Great post, btw...sorry if I got off-topic! :)

Nov 03, 2009 03:34 AM
Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400
The Top Team @ Charles Rutenberg Realty 255 Executive Dr, Plainview NY 11803 - Plainview, NY
Long Island Condo and Home Specialists

Debbie...Great reminder, but the hay hacker probably isn't listening!

Nov 03, 2009 10:12 PM