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Is Facebook the Best Site for Marketing?

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Mortgage and Lending with PS Mortgage Lending 305-791-4874 or 888-845-6630 365768

Is Facebook the Best Site for Marketing?

Marketing is a word that strikes fear into the hearts of some people. Unless they can afford a professional who can take the time and effort to make sure all their social media pages are updated and running while they're SEO is at an all time high, marketing is not something most people have time or knowledge to engage in.

Frankly, social media, especially sites like Facebook, which have recently incorporated paid advertising into its business plan, don't seem to be as social as their name implied.

I am not speaking as any sort of SEO expert but, for me, Facebook isn't as exciting for marketing as it used to be.

From what I can tell, more user-friendly sites like Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn are where people are getting the most bang for their buck. And, of course, Active Rain.

Twitter allows you to get your message across quick and easy, so advertising isn't as intrusive as it would seem on most sites. Pinterest allows you to show what you're offering and have people check out "the goods" before they contact you. Finally, LinkedIn allows you to market yourself and your business without coming off as a narcissist. 

Heck, even Youtube, if done right, give consumers more to look at in less time. They actually get to see the person they're looking for in action and get to them through videos before making any inital contact.

Active Rain, not only has "Google juice" but it allows you to connect and form relationships in your field while giving you the freedom to express yourself, not just as a professional, but personally as well, via blog posts.

The reality is, there are better marketing sites out there besides Facebook, and new trends on the site aren't making it any better.

Every time I look at my newsfeed, it seems to be a bunch of advertisements I don't care about and posts from three days ago that are no longer relevant. It seems Facebook is about to go the way of MySpace but instead of being taken over by musicians, it will be taken over by advertisers. 

I'm not saying Facebook doesn't work. Maybe it does for some people. Maybe it's where most of their business comes from...I don't know. Less and less though, it doesn't seem like the best site to promote your business or be who you are. Most of the status updates I see either tell you to go to the business's personal website or go tweet what you think of "x,y and z" somewhere else, not on Facebook. Very few are solely concentrated on Facebook to begin with.

If the point of social media is to be "social," and be able to participate, how does liking a page help your business?

Some posts here on Active Rain have even stated that their business has been better served through engaging consumers via traditional marketing. Facebook business pages don't make you feel social, they just throw information at you. Maybe they're doing it wrong, maybe I am. So far though, I don't feel very social on Facebook.

Interested in a reverse mortgage or simply have questions? Give PS Financial Services a call at (888) 845-6630 or email us at info@PSReverseMortgage.com. We do not pressure those who inquire, we are simply here to help.

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Information and content in this blog is original to Phil Stevenson

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Phil Stevenson

PS Financial Services

Owner and Principal Mortgage Originator

Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional (CRMP)

LO #365768

NMLS #968090

Cell: 888.845.6630

Miami Mortgages & Florida Mortgages

Copyright © 2013 by Phil Stevenson & PS Financial Services, LLC

Show All Comments Sort:
Kathy Stoltman
Ventura, CA
RETIRED

Phil, while I have both a personal and business Facebook Page, I am not a big fan of Facebook for either purpose quite frankly.

Oct 15, 2013 01:29 AM
Phil Stevenson, CRMP
PS Mortgage Lending 305-791-4874 or 888-845-6630 - Miami, FL
"Mortgage Nerd" in Miami, Florida and Texas

Kathy, me neither. Personally, I think Facebook is great for reconnecting with older friends, especially seen more people seem to have Facebook than they ever did Myspace but professionally, I'm not seeing the benefits. Thanks for your comment!

Oct 15, 2013 01:32 AM
Mark Loewenberg
KW of the Palm Beaches - Palm Beach Gardens, FL
KW 561-214-0370

each needs to be used for the platform that they are, fb is a different language than twitter and li and youtube ... so speak the correct language and you will do great

Oct 15, 2013 02:21 AM
Phil Stevenson, CRMP
PS Mortgage Lending 305-791-4874 or 888-845-6630 - Miami, FL
"Mortgage Nerd" in Miami, Florida and Texas

Mark, that is true. I guess Facebook just isn't for me for the time being.

Oct 15, 2013 02:24 AM
Gene Mundt, IL/WI Mortgage Originator - FHA/VA/Conv/Jumbo/Portfolio/Refi
NMLS #216987, IL Lic. 031.0006220, WI Licensed. APMC NMLS #175656 - New Lenox, IL
708.921.6331 - 40+ yrs experience

Phil:  I know of some people that have good luck with Facebook marketing.  Others that don't.  Same things goes for Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and others.  Some have success where others don't.  The trick is finding what works for you and your business.  Personally, I think Facebook will shoot itself in the foot at some point and eventually disappear.  People grow bored quickly and easily .. and I sense for many this is already happening with FB.  The "alure" and shine has dulled and they are moving on ...

Gene 

Oct 15, 2013 05:06 AM
Phil Stevenson, CRMP
PS Mortgage Lending 305-791-4874 or 888-845-6630 - Miami, FL
"Mortgage Nerd" in Miami, Florida and Texas

Gene, that's what I've been noticing as well. As other websites grow stronger, FB seems to be dying down, slowly, but it's happening. It's not as exciting as AR or Twitter for marketing, and personally, it's not as exciting either. When a social media website isn't exciting personally, I doubt many regular user will go there professionally. Again, maybe it's just me but it's not as good as it used to be.

Oct 15, 2013 05:09 AM
Gina Tufano
Ask Gina & Company with Pearson Smith Realty - Sterling, VA
Ask Gina & Company, Northern Virginia Real Estate

you should "like" Ask Gina & Company on Facebook ;) https://www.facebook.com/askgina

Oct 15, 2013 05:48 AM
Dick Greenberg
New Paradigm Partners LLC - Fort Collins, CO
Northern Colorado Residential Real Estate

Hi Phil - I tend to agree with you about FB....except that there is a way to do very finely targeted paid advertising on the platform. If you can define a specific target audience effectively, FB knows who they are and will place your ad in front of them - and the price can be very reasonable. Ben Kinney tells a story about listing a first-time homebuyer property in Bellevue, and running a very inexpensive FB ad that only went to 46 people - all local Microsoft employees who were engaged. The home sold.

Oct 15, 2013 06:50 AM
Phil Stevenson, CRMP
PS Mortgage Lending 305-791-4874 or 888-845-6630 - Miami, FL
"Mortgage Nerd" in Miami, Florida and Texas

Dick, I didn't know that but I don't know how I would feel about paid advertising on social media sites. The whole purpose of me blogging on Active Rain, for example, is free advertising. The ads I talk about in the newsfeed at the beginning of the post reference those ads and they're not as appealing. The same with ads on Youtube, if I can skip them, I do, if not, very rarely do I pay attention. Either way, your input is always welcome, thanks for sharing that success story! It may be of some help in the future.

Oct 15, 2013 06:55 AM
Charles Stallions Property Manager
Charles Stallions Real Estate Services - Pace, FL
Pensacola, Pace & Gulf Breeze Property Management

I need to find my niche then as nothing is working for me.

Jan 05, 2014 07:15 AM
Phil Stevenson, CRMP
PS Mortgage Lending 305-791-4874 or 888-845-6630 - Miami, FL
"Mortgage Nerd" in Miami, Florida and Texas

Michelle, a niche helps a lot because it concentrates efforts in one sector of the market and you can really push in that one sector a lot, instead of doing a little bit of everything. 

It shouldn't stop you from doing other things, or giving referrals, but a concentrated effort, especially to start is more effective overall. Just my opinion, hope it helps.

Jan 05, 2014 11:06 PM