Recently, Mike Sachoff wrote about an HR study conducted by Toolbox.com and PJA. The focus of the study was to determine the role of social media for HR execs. As one could probably expect (since I am writing about it here), the results were very indicative to the potential of social media.
One of the things I found interesting was the HR execs spent more time on social networks than they did with editorial media (CNN, Wall Street Journal, etc.) or vendor-based content. On average, they spend 3.77 hours per week viewing social media, which equaled 43% of the total media content they consumed. Here are some other interesting results worth noting:
- Respondents state the most important uses for social media are to stay updated with what is going on (78% of votes) and connecting with peers (71% of votes).
- Over 50% of the respondents say they have answered a question by a peer within an online community.
- Almost 50% of the respondents state connecting with peers allowed them to build their personal knowledge networks.
- Having deep experience is considered the most valuable facet of a social media expert. Other important factors are having thoughtful and detailed responses.
- Almost half of the respondents say having a social media presence increases their value as a job candidate.
- Over 50% of the respondents claim that to build your brand, it is important to utilize social media.
What Does This Mean For Real Estate Professionals And FSBOs?
Just because HR is a different from the real estate industry doesn't mean you can't get valuable information out of this. In this study, HR execs found that social media has been, and continues to be, a primary mechanism to give and receive information, establish network connections, stay informed, and build their personal brand. What is preventing you from using social media in the same way?
Social media can have an amazing impact on building your credibility and trust as a real estate professional if used properly. This doesn't mean that you just sign up for accounts with Facebook, Twitter, etc. in hopes that hordes of people will rush to you. It also doesn't mean that you just post random and useless content. I have seen many people fall in these categories and wonder why social media is not working for them...
To utilize social media as a real estate professional in the ways HR execs are using it, it takes time and effort. It can be very intimidating, but just remember: everyone starts from zero at some point. You need to be active, participate in what others are discussing and provide quality and relevant content to your audience. If you do this and make a habit out of doing it consistently, then within time you will be able to achieve similar rewards as the HR execs have from this study.
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