Web Marketing through social networking is a different beast from any other type of sales & marketing. If you want to increase your influence online, you can't use the same tactics you use in networking face-to-face. Facebook is definitely a place to market yourself online, however, you must do it carefully. You don't want to turn people off. If you market yourself with skill and class, you won't come across like a cheesy car sales person or a "self-absorbed "Slick Willy." You will get more respect and more clients by following this proven web marketing protocal.
This article won't discuss the psychological reasons it's a turn off to be sold on the web, but it will show you how to build rapport with people and make them like you well enough to eventually do business with you.
Direct Sales Jargon is Nauseating
Our culture is so bombarded with advertisements everywhere. It's nice to get away from all the ad deluge and just relax talking to friends or learning about things that interest and intrigue us online. Our brains are so overloaded with ads that we now just tune them out. It's pretty easy to click away, or avoid sales-types on Facebook. Be a part of the solution, not the problem.
Don't be a commercial. Be a friend.
Who goes online to their favorite social networking haunt to be sold something? Nobody. When marketing your real estate practice online, you'll need to lose your aggressive, shark-like sales tactics and get back to the basics of relationship building. I'm talking about a different kind of friend here--not bosom buddies. You've got to be a friend in the web-marketing kind of way.
Do's for Marketing on Facebook
- Determine what is important to your target market.
- Keep your network informed in areas of importance TO THEM.
- Find a niche angle to discuss, blog and provide data about. (ie: schools, neighborhoods, government, parks, families, nightlife, highrises, investment properties, etc...)
- Provide personal information along with business info to keep it real.
- Give interesting tidbits about yourself, your market and other news daily.
- Brainstorm ways to keep others informed.
- Make yourself valuable to your network. Bring value and it will come back to you!
- Get to know others in your real estate service area: (ie: merchants, other agents, stay-at-home moms, dads, other business people)
- Establish credibility, establish expertise. Business will follow. (courtesy of Steve Richman (Genworth Financial)
Don'ts for Marketing on Facebook
- Do not sell in an obvious way.
- Do not limit yourself to only speaking about how you want leads, or how you want to sell houses, or how you want to make money. This will turn most prospects off.
- Send out massive emails to people on Facebook regarding something that doesn't interest them.
- Think about your network more than yourself.
- Don't become fake-friends with people. Be sincere.
- Think of Facebook as a route to making deals, not the be-all-and-end-all.
- Think of Facebook as a way to gain popularity and get your name out there, not to sell a house tomorrow.
- Think of social networking as a way to add value to the community which will in turn increase your value and cause people to flock to you.
- Be patient. Don't try to get immediate results. Build your network one sound relationship at a time.
- When discussing what you're doing, try to form it in a way that shows a potential client that you're the agent for them. Do this sporadically or it will seem obvious.
- Do not use a lot of exclaimation points or they will become meaningless.
Facebook is an online place for you to expand your business off-line. All of your clients and prospects are on the web and will continue coming in droves. The people who are positioned on the web properly in the beginning will be the ones to benefit from the influx of users in the future. Trying to shove your services down their necks when they get there will ruin their image of you, and cause Facebook to be a gross place to visit. Building relationships and making friends by bringing value to the table is the best way to experience success with web marketing. Selling should be done matter-of-factly, only AFTER you've given something worthwhile first.
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