Liz Provo, with Mass Marketing Resources, recently published a semi-provocative article on ActiveRain which garnered an expected amount of comments. It was entitled,
"Are We Kidding Ourselves about the Value of Social Networking?"
She starts out by stating that she's having 'serious' doubts about the overall value of social networking. She then cites as an example a local business she's been following on Twitter who posts upwards of 20 tweets a day to a following of 140 Twitter members, most who, according to her, are from outside their geographical market area. She suggests that this company is wasting time trying to market their message to people who are not interested, and that they're neglecting their real customers and potential customers.
From there, she makes a rather large transitional 'leap' and berates social networkers for taking the 'Easy' way out. We're simply 'zoning' out, she says. We're too lazy to answer our phones or engage in real conversations. We hole up in our offices, ignoring our customers, and play 'Mafia Wars' all day. Social networking is just our 'excuse' for not doing any 'real' marketing or serving our clients.
While I will agree that there are those who can get easily distracted or sidetracked when using social networks to promote their business, there is a significant amount of real estate professionals who have successfully leveraged social media (and especially social networking) to effectively promote and grow their business.
I think it would be safe to say that there are many people who have attempted to use Twitter in their marketing efforts, but for whatever reason, have failed to make it work. One size doesn't fit all in the social media arena. Part of the journey is trying out new tools and seeing what works best in your particular location. For many people, Twitter has definitely become a valuable marketing tool.
She ends her post by saying: 
"So, I'm reconsidering my time spent with this new medium....I will not use social networking as an excuse for other marketing and customer service.
Interestingly, she later states in a comment within her post that she thinks social networking has a place in a balanced marketing plan.
Excuse me? Which is it? Either Social Networking has value or it doesn't. And I thought political candidates were the only ones who flip-flopped!....
Evidently, the point she was trying to make was that there is a difference between connecting/forming relationships and merely chasing numbers.
Okay, I'll agree that some people get caught up in how many 'friends' or 'fans' they can get on Facebook. Or how many 'followers' they can achieve on Twitter. Or how many points they can earn on ActiveRain. But those things, in and of themselves, don't negate the value of such platforms.
And one of the primary benefits of social media and social networking is the ability they provide to connect and form meaningful relationships.
A perfect example is ActiveRain. ActiveRain is a social network. It has literally revolutionized the way I view marketing and the manner in which I grow my real estate business. Many of my business successes and accomplishments over the past several years can be directly traced to my involvement here. And many of the friendships I have fostered and developed here will no doubt last a lifetime!
So I guess I'll just continue to take the 'Easy' way out and keep depositing those commission checks from clients I've attracted through social networking!....
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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, Crabbing in the Hood, Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail: kitsapagent@gmail.com
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