Getting your face amougst the crowd is one way of building a customer base...but do it because you wane to.  If people feel you are there just to get business you will lose more than you gain.

You have to have passion for what you are involved in. You will quickly be outed if you fake an interest in something. We have an interest and work for foster care and adoption because of several children in our family who have been adopted or have been in foster care. Find out what really strikes a chord with you. 

Sarah in Nashville

Funny - thoughts must just be in the air. My Thursday newsletter this week is about "return on involvement." 

Good Post!  More and more these days it matters how you are giving back, not only on a personal level, but to our piers and potential clients and customers.  I used to write a check, it's easy and very little effort on our parts, but now I volunteer in many capacities - it's very rewarding. It's really amazing how many people do take note.

I love volunteering.  One thing that it brings however, is people 'expecting' you always to be the one to do something when no one else will (any time, any cause).  I have learned to volunteer at the places I feel 'feed my soul'.  I have also learned when to say no.  The minute I found my voice in turning down the requests that do not feed my soul or that I just don't have time for, the time I volunteer at places that do feed my soul, became more meaningful.

I love to volunteer for causes I have a passion for.  My Sister (Judy Shoulak) is a 6 year Breast Cancer Survivor and since 2011 we (our entire family in Wisconsin and Minnesota as well as hundreds of volunteers) have been sponsoring a Fundraiser called Shoulak BreastFest Music Festival to Raise Money for Breast Cancer Awareness, Research & Education, Support, Treatment, and a Cure! Each year we have raised substantial funds -- $160,000 in the past 5 years and 100% of all proceeds go to a number of organizations:

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Park Nicollet Foundation

Piper Breast Cancer Emergency Fund

The Hope Chest

Breast Cancer Education Association (BCEA)

The Firefly Sisterhood

We just had our annual event this past weekend ... and this year we raised over $80.000!  Amazing!  And the funds are still coming in!

Getting involved is important. I regularly volunteer at our local public radio's fund drive twice a year. I do love to support the station and it has brought me some business!

I was hoping your links would lead to ideas about organinzing a drip campaign or how to use Brivity for fundraising purposes.  They were just trying to sell us Brivity.

The essence of this post is great!  I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one that contends with "just cutting a check" vs. further involvement.  It is quite a challenge for a committed working agent as you only have 24 hours in a day and you don't want to be known for just cutting a check.  My approach thus far is slow and steady (I choose and believe that as I gain more notoriety I'll be presented with more request)- until then I give of my time and attention (and always in sincerity).

It's called social media for a reason in that respect and it takes a bit of learning and trial and error

They say that you have to take imperfect action. good is always better than done at least for a while in my life

REALTORS are the movers and shakers and volunteer horsepower for the local communities for sure!

It is important to be involved in the community where we live.  You raise a lot of important points.

Get knowledge and get noticed and get people interested and everything falls into place

If you do what you can do, nobody has to do a lot to do anything substantial. It makes the dream work with all the teamwork! That was corny for me to say but true nonetheless.

Find something that you can relate to and strive to make a difference.  It will show and people will notice.

If y'all do a little, no one has to do a lot it's kind of as simple as that. Have wonderful holidays and the best wishes for 2017!

I agree. If you can relate to it, you can care about it all that much more, and the rest just seems to fall into place!I have happy holidays and a wonderful transition into 2017! Rose Mary Justice

I'm noticing that people want social media success without the social element. That type of thinking will get them nowhere

Happy New Year as well.  Welcome 2017.  I hope it is a great year for everyone.  

I'm wondering when the next post will because I want to learn more about all of this

I keep coming back to this one about getting noticed because it is such a good reference point! :)

I always come back to getting involved in so I'll kind of revisited this one again just for like the purposes of thinking. Does that make sense?