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I Won't Hire You If You're Not on Facebook

By
Education & Training with REIC™

I was searching for a pest control company a few months back (not a fun experience). I wanted to verify the credibility of each company so I looked all 3 companies up on Facebook.

Company 1 had no Facebook page.

Company 2 had a Facebook page that was a little out of date, but some past customers had written on their page about a positive experience with the company.

Company 3 had an up-to-date Facebook page with news articles posted every few days.

Which company did I hire?

Company #1 was eliminated right away because I couldn't verify their credibility.

It was actually a really tough choice between 2 and 3, but I chose #2 because I felt the testimonials were more comforting than than the updated pest control articles.

Company #3 demonstrated they get the importance of social media, but I didn't really find anything to verify what my experience would be like with them.

You're probably realizing just how important it is to pay close attention to your online reputation.

It's a fact that more and more potential clients are searching for REALTORS online and on social media sites.

If they can't find you they will move on. If they do find you, how can they verify your credibility?

Adding testimonials to your Facebook page is one very easy and simple way to comfort a potential customer who is searching for you.  (see two examples we created here: www.facebook.com/thedemopolisteam , www.facebook.com/hellerthehomeseller )

**When you hire REIC to create a Facebook page, we do it for you!

Dedicated to your success,

Jarred Alexandrov

REIC Social Media Director

SMPK_Button_John_Alexandrov

 

Comments (46)

K.C. McLaughlin
RE/MAX United - Cary, NC
Realtor, e-PRO, Homes for Sale - Cary, Raleigh NC

I research the company on the internet and like when they have a website with testimonials to check out. If they do not, I call and ask for referrals that i can call to verify that they had a positive experience. I value a recommendation from a collegue, friend or client the most.

Nov 04, 2010 02:48 AM
Karen Feltman
Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, IA KW Legacy Group - Cedar Rapids, IA
Relocation Specialist in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

I think that FB is not the only way to advertise, but I agree that it is important to have a good mix of current updated information and testimonials as well.  Sounds like you have some great tools in place to help people make the most of their business advertising.  I have bookmarked your site to take a look at it and see if you can help me.  Thank you!

Nov 04, 2010 03:30 AM
Shirin Sarikhani
Seattle Staged To Sell www.seattlestagedtosell.com - Seattle, WA
RESA-Pro

Thanks for the blog. I am working on building my FB Fan Page and this is a great tip. It's best to build both personal and online referrals. 

Nov 04, 2010 03:36 AM
John Alexandrov
REIC™ - Northborough, MA

Hi Karen,

Feel free to call our office directly if you would like to speak! 508-438-1164 (ext. 1100).

Nov 04, 2010 03:38 AM
Phil & Celeste Pafford
PaffordHomes.com, Corona CA - Corona, CA
Corona Short Sale Broker

I love getting new ideas on this site!  Great Post

Nov 04, 2010 04:46 AM
Will Curry
SeaSocial - Seattle, WA
Seattle Social Media Management

Great infor here John! Lesson of the day. Find your balance and invest into yourself. Social Media isn't going anywhere folks. Be regular with your posts, make a plan and stick with it! 

Nov 04, 2010 06:20 AM
John Bunka
AgentAvenue.com - Colorado Springs, CO
SimplexStudios.com - WordPress for Real Estate

This is so true, but funny considering this was not the case a year or two ago. I love fb as well.

Nov 04, 2010 06:46 AM
Donna Harris
Donna Homes, powered by JPAR - TexasRealEstateMediationServices.com - Austin, TX
Realtor,Mediator,Ombudsman,Property Tax Arbitrator

Personally, I could careless if a company has a facebook page or is on Twitter. I just want them to have a website so I can get information quickly. I don't want to "like" every company just to get main information, and there are always good and bad experiences with every company, so testimonials don't mean much to me.

Nov 04, 2010 09:22 AM
Dustin McClure
Mossy Oak Properties Outdoor Realty - Mooresville, NC

Social proof is huge these days. Yelp.com should be a huge part of any service provider marketing plan, in addition to all of the others.

Nov 04, 2010 10:48 AM
Eileen Hsu
Douglas Elliman Real Estate - Manhattan, NY
LICENSED REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON

I think the key here is to have a good online presence whether is on Facebook or blog or website. Consumers now are online, not in yellow pages.

Nov 04, 2010 11:20 AM
Anna Tolstoy
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Natick, MA

John, you can also google the company, and unbiased reviews will come up , eventually, just keep looking. I usually google something like "XYZ company review" or "testimonial" etc. Yelp is a good source as well. You make an excellent point: testimonials on FB would help everybody make a decision. These googled testimonials might not come up until page 8 or later, and if one doesn't have time and patience to go through that all...

Nov 04, 2010 11:24 AM
Steven Beam
RE/MAX Alliance - Parker Colorado Real Estate. - Parker, CO
Parker Colorado Real Estate

I use google. Facebook is cool but I don't take it serious for searching for real information.

Nov 04, 2010 12:55 PM
Jonathan Smith
Haynes, ND

This is a good example of why it is so important to make sure that you present a very professional presence everywhere on the web!

Nov 04, 2010 01:25 PM
Katerina Gasset
The Gasset Group & Get It Done For Me Virtual Services - Provo, UT
Amplify Your Real Estate & Life Dreams!

John- LOL, well, if you lived here, you would not be hiring hardly any companies for anything. You are just not going to find that type of participation from businesses here in our part of Florida. The way you find out who to hire is by asking those you are horseback riding with, word of mouth is the way of the world in our world. :) Coach Katerina

Nov 04, 2010 02:06 PM
Carla Freund
Keller Williams Preferred Realty - Raleigh, NC
NC Real Estate Transition & Relocation 919-602-848

Interesting you would go to FB first.  I probably would have looked at their website.  Testimonials definitely are a big advantage.

Nov 04, 2010 03:05 PM
Leslie Ebersole
Swanepoel T3 Group - Saint Charles, IL
I help brokers build businesses they love.

If I was looking for a product or service used by eighth grade girls then I would rely on FB for testimonials. 

I am pretty sure that hiring a pest control company is very different from hiring a Realtor. My twice a year bug spray is about $80 per service, and I can change the service provider with a phone call if a see a few more ants than I expect. I would expect a very different level of service, commitment and investment from a Realtor I hire.

Some methods of communication (what I call the delivery vehicles) run the very real risk of trivializing the content of the message. Which elements of the message track (the content) can or should be communicated in an environment like FB is the issue the "New Media" advocates must continue to explore and test.

But please don't ask me to align my marketing communications with those of a pest control company.

Nov 04, 2010 03:28 PM
Christine Donovan
Donovan Blatt Realty - Costa Mesa, CA
Broker/Attorney 714-319-9751 DRE01267479 - Costa M

I need to see if I have testimonials on my Fan Pages.

Nov 04, 2010 04:51 PM
Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

John, thanks for this great post.  My Facebook Page is a "work in progress", and you have given much food for thought.  Thanks again.

Nov 04, 2010 05:15 PM
John Alexandrov
REIC™ - Northborough, MA

Wow, I'm surprised people are taking such offense to the idea that you should appear credible on Facebook and calling people "Stupid". That probably just shows their level of credibility!

Congrats to all who have found this "food for thought." That's exactly what it's meant to be.

Nov 05, 2010 02:09 AM
Leslie Ebersole
Swanepoel T3 Group - Saint Charles, IL
I help brokers build businesses they love.

John, to be fair, you used a provocative title. I would never call anyone stupid, and don't consider it appropriate. To say you would never hire anyone without a FB page sounds silly, though, to me.

The people who participate on AR are a prety knowledgeable group. No one here would dream of discounting the role of social media. Most of us have thrown endless amounts of time and money at each new cycle of marketing communications. Each new vendor has a 2 part pitch: how good it's going to be when you hire them, and how bad it will be to miss this boat. After many years, you learn to disregard the vendors who threaten us if we don't do as they say.

FB is simply a platform..the content, the mesaage track...now that's the tricky part.

 

Nov 05, 2010 02:45 PM