I have been in sales and marketing for over 30 years, mostly as an Account Executive at Carnival Cruise Lines until a company lay-off in 2010. I then did PR/Marketing for a dentist (who I happened to be best friends with) for 4 years and learned a lot about "local branding". I now currently work full-time for Blackbird Caye Resort so back to tourism! I now have my real estate license and figuring out what social media platform works best. If you're in this century, you have to be in social media. Here's my take so far:
Facebook: I created a Business Page and used HomeASAP to run daily posts automatically (this cost me less than $60 for the year) and they also have other tools for Facebook but I am waiting to see the results of the "Page Engage" feature first. They also have a free referral system. Other than that, I find Facebook needs to be kept light and fun. Not too business-y because people are there to play, not do business. However, I did get my first true lead because an old co-worker saw I was now a REALTOR® and she is thinking of selling her home. I have often thought why bother with a Business Page but I don't necessarily want just anybody asking to be my friend on my personal page so I keep it separate. Have not paid for advertising yet, will look into this more in 2017 as I want more fans than just my friends!
Twitter: I am not much of a fan personally but again, it's important to cover all bases and I do link my pages so when I post on Facebook it goes to Twitter. Never have found it to be a great business tool though. However, it's a great way to meet people globally. When I used to blog on eco-friendly living years ago I met tons of lifelong friends across the US via Twitter.
LinkedIn: This is a great resource but very business-y. Keep it professional! LinkedIn has been a fabulous resource for me in business and an amazing networking platform. I just make sure my posts are business-related. I would like to see LinkedIn lighten up a bit.
Instagram: This is my favorite because it's a great mix of business and pleasure. I do have a separate business page too. My only complaint is you cannot put links in your posts which is frustrating. Hoping they change that soon. But, a great, fun place to network with lots of reach and interaction. If you're not using IG you're missing out. Of course, this is where the #hashtag was born and a hugely effective way to brand yourself and even have your own #hashtag. Brilliant platform and again, you can link other accounts to post to your Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, etc. automatically. I even have a secret tool for that and will post about that this afternoon.
My latest addition is YouTube and that's been surprisingly powerful as far as organic SEO! Check out my other article here: The Power of YouTube.
So, what's your personal favorite and why?
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