This is the second post in my series on social media and how real estate agents can use it to improve their daily results. You can find the other posts here:
- Why Twitter is different and how to use it to get results
- How Twitter and Facebook are taking us back to the future
- Coming soon: Using Twitter to build critical connections for your business
- Coming soon: Finding the right leads on Twitter
- Coming soon: Managing your recommendations effectively
- Coming soon: How to spend less time getting leads on Twitter
This post, like the others, relies heavily on the work of others like Gary Vaynerchuk and Mark Suster. Today I am laying the groundwork for our future discussions.
Return to small town dynamics
You don’t have to be a historian to know that there was a time when customer service was one of the most important pieces of any business. When most marketing was word of mouth at the water-cooler, the PTA meeting, or at a neighborhood BBQ, anything that was bad customer service spread quickly. Because most of the customers lived near the business, there was a good chance that customers would talk to one another about their experiences. As Americans began to move further out to the suburbs, the little things that made good customer service stopped making a difference in businesses because the customers were much less likely to talk to one another.
Now that we have more ways to connect with our friends and those we respect, people are beginning to talk about brands and customer service again. A friend of mine went on a week long rant against Paypal on Twitter and I am now much less likely to use Paypal. More importantly, as social creatures, we have always given more credit to personal recommendations than to regular advertising. This is bad news for anyone that is used to getting business by using spam tactics and it is great news for anyone that works independently. It is great news for you.
Evolution of the spam filter
Image credit courtesy of freezelight on flickr
As more people spend more time online, they spend more time looking at advertising. I have learned through doing research on my own business that many real estate agents have a very well developed spam filter. You are constantly bombarded with unsolicited messages from every type of service provider in the known universe. As a result, you are much more likely to ignore advertising that is impersonal or just broadcasting to everyone. However, if your colleague that you used to work with in Big City sends you an email saying you should try ACME software, you are probably going to at least take a look.
You should know that this is becoming the norm for many people. So, if you were trying to get more business, does it make more sense to spam them or to make a personal connection? This is something you should think about when you are using Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Nobody following you cares about your listings. Nobody cares about how many followers you have. They care about what you have to say as an individual.
So what does this all mean to me?
We know that word of mouth is making a comeback and we know why. We know that people don’t respond to spam and we know what spam looks like. But what can you do about it now? Social media is giving real estate agents the chance to be themselves and build real connections with people based on who they are and what they offer to the world. Let me use myself as an example.
I frequently tell people that I expect half of all new Twitter followers to unfollow me within a week. This usually gets some weird looks, but I know that I am not for everyone. Sometimes I complain too much, I have a sarcastic sense of humor, and I wear my heart on my sleeve. That isn’t for everyone, but it is who I am. The people who continue following me probably find value in the comic relief, the information I provide about business building, and that I start conversations about the communities I belong to. Most importantly, I try to remain approachable. If anyone asks me a question, I try to answer. If someone just says hi, I try to say hi back. At the end of the day, I am genuine.
That is all you need to be. If you are a genuinely aweful person, social media is going to be the worst thing that ever happened to you. But for the other 99% of us, it is the chance to be yourself AND do something positive for your business. Don't try to close a deal. Try to have a conversation that is meaningful to the other person. If you keep that in mind and stay the course, you will get results from using social media.
PS - I am looking for some real estate agents interested in learning how to use Twitter more effectively. I will work with you to and we will record some data that I can use in a future blog post. If you are willing to put in 30 minutes an evening for a week and get some hands on help, please comment on this post.
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