WOW!
Seems like just about everyone here has a tail. Some are longer than others. Some folks have a great tail . . . just didn't know what to call it ...Others knew the value of the tail and worked on theirs for a while but didn't quite make it through the dip (Through to "the other side") . . . Don't quit just before you're about to see results.
It doesn't take years to create a great, robust tail . . . It does take persistence . . . and establishing of the ritual of posting authentic thoughts frequently (4+ times each week). Just as with our marketing and prospecting efforts to our real estate clients, our internet audience deserves and requires LOTS of genuine contact.
I believe there is a tipping point (Seth Godin) that is the catalyst for ANY effort to reach a critical mass of people who propel the project from "great idea" to great results. We never know what action will be the tipper . . . or how many people we will need in our sphere . . . All I can say for sure is that persistence is the key.
Who is this person on ActiveRain who decides which posts are deemed appropriate as "Featured posts?" Goodness! I posted this Tail post yesterday @ 3:45 . . . and it was tagged shortly thereafter as a featured post . . . I did not even know what it meant, but I knew that it was likely a good thing . . . Next thing I knew - Comments were hitting my in-box like crazy . . . and they were GREAT comments. I now know there are MANY tremendous souls in this group.
POINTS! Hmmmm . . . I did not ever even THINK about building points . . . much less what the rules were for those. I guess there are plenty of folks who will comment just for the sake of accumulating points . . . I have contacted many folks directly to comment on their posts unaware that I am missing out on POINTS) As I read the comments here, my delusional self leads me to believe that most of these folks really mean what they say . .. and are not commenting just to gain personal points.
OPTIMIZATION is the "O" in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). When I started working on increasing my internet presence, I researched SEO and got very excited about it . . . Until I saw how much work (and potential expense) it would be. I was very busy with building our team and developing our office and coaching program and decided that I would instead pursue this in an ORGANIC way . . . Take appropriate action and see what grows from it.
Organic Optimization is more simply termed "Building relationships" which lead to future business (That is - growing a long tail) . . . With that in mind . . . I see a tremendous opportunity brooding for all of us. One of my primary goals of writing in this blogspace (other than self-therapy from writing) is to develop relationships with REALTORS all over the country . . . Relationships that might lead to future business for all of us. We can do a certain amount of that here within Active Rain . . .
We can OPTIMIZE it by strengthening our connections through "Social Websites" like http://www.linkedin.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/ . . . there's no "development" necessary . . . Those communities are already established. The power of these tools is that when you connect with another person in those spaces, you ALSO gain connection with THEIR spheres of influence . . . and those spheres generally consist of a large diversity of people in a variety of careers - The compounding power of these connections becomes infinite very quickly . . . As one person said in a comment . . . The world suddenly gets much smaller.
Anyhow . . . With all of that said - I am open to connections @ Linkedin.com . . . My Profile is HERE http://www.linkedin.com/in/barryowen - Let's connect at a higher level :-) I know The Owen Group is poised and ready to serve any and all referrals that come our way - Nashville, TN - and we are equally well positioned to field a relatively steady flow of leads out of Nashville to other cities. Our Keller Williams Realty presence has matured enough (Over 1200 Associates in Middle TN) that we often need good outside referral sources in other cities.
And finally - Having a great tail bears some pretty heavy responsibility . . . Once you have one, it does not go away easily . . . Tails are ASSETS . . . You should groom your tail regularly and be proud of it . . . I know of no rules against bragging about your tail.
My Best to you as we enter the final week before the Christmas holiday - My message to our associates is to keep on PROSPECTING EVERY DAY . . . Even if other business activities have waned.
b
Barry Owen
Productivity Coach and Principal Broker
Keller Williams Realty - Nashville, TN - Green Hills
www.creatingspaces.blogspot.com
Simply Living the FourFold Way in Open Space!
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