Mixing Real Estate and Social Media

Transcription

Mixing Real Estate and Social Media
Mixing Real Estate and Social Media
“The tools don’t build the skyscraper, the craftsmen do. It’s
not about the tools; it’s about how you use the tools. The
most important part of your Social Media strategy is you”
...Anonymous
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This book is not intended for use as a source of specific business advice. Any
advice, recommendation, information, assistance or services given by the
Author within this eBook is general information, and your individual situation
needs to be taken into account before acting on this advice.
The information contained with the ebook is given in good faith and is
believed to be accurate, appropriate and reliable at the time it is given, but is
provided without any warranty of accuracy, appropriateness or reliability. The
Author does not accept any liability or responsibility for any loss suffered from
the Reader’s use of the advice, recommendation, information, assistance or
service, to the extent available by law.
You are encouraged to print this book for easy reading.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
REAL ESTATE & Social Media – The Right Mix
4
Social Media – The BASICS6
THE POWER OF FACEBOOK10
MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU15
GET INTO LINKED IN18
Social Media – AT USE IN REAL ESTATE
20
OVERALL SUMMARY21
BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS23
APPLYING WHAT YOU’VE LEARNT26
Conclusion – Keep it Simple!28
Want more? 29
ABOUT THE AUTHOR31
Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
REAL ESTATE & Social
Media – The Right Mix
The number one activity on the web is Social Media1 .
Did you know that 89% of home buyers start their search for a Real Estate
agent FIRST online, and then they give someone a call after?2 Real
Estate professionals are increasingly using Social Media for lead generation,
sales and branding, with the goal of utilizing Social Media to attract sellers
looking to list their homes or buyers looking to purchase homes. Examples
of effective Social Media include REIN (Real Estate Investment Network)
and using live Twitter at their conferences to sharing podcasts through their
Social Media channels to help attract more customers. The goal is to not just
create a Social Media presence but to participate in it and promote yourself,
your business and your expertise.
This E-book was designed for you to work while you read. If you have any
additional questions, feel free to contact me.
This E-book is a step by step introduction guide that will:
You too can use
Social Media
channels to
help attract
more customers
1. www.huffingtonpost.
com/2008/09/17/study-social-networking-s_n_127122.html
2. www.wikihow.com/Select-a-Realtor
4
1. Provide foundational information/definitions
of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
2. Demonstrate how to use Facebook, Twitter,
and LinkedIn to expand your business.
3. Draw customers to your Blog with the help
of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Before we start, take a few minutes and answer the following questions to
help create your Social Media strategy:
•• What do you want people to know about you?
•• How do you want people to perceive you?
•• What do you want to share with others?
•• Why do you want to have a presence online?
Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
REAL ESTATE & Social
Media – The Right Mix
Your Online Reputation
•• Do you know how people view your reputation online?
•• It is vital to create and manage your brand online
Action item: Do a Google search for your name in quotation marks
(i.e. “Vishal Badiani”)
•• What kind of results do you get?
•• Can you find yourself ?
•• Has anyone ever posted a review of you and your services?
Trends show that would be employers including Real Estate brokerages use
Google search to review a candidates online profile prior to hiring them so
be proactive and manage your own reputation.
Create a Google alert for your name. You will receive a report from Google
anytime your name is mentioned on the Internet; proactively manage your
online reputation.
Proactively manage
your online reputation
It is vital to
create and
manage your
brand online
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
Social Media –
The BASICS
What is Social Media?
•• An online communication medium that reaches people widely through
two-way communication
•• Many Social Media channels are available to suite your needs – this Ebook
focuses on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Blogging
Here are some examples of Social Media and popular sites/services:
Publishing
Articles
•• blogger.com
•• digg.com
•• wordpress.com
Sharing
Photos & Videos
•• youtube.com
•• flickr.com
•• slideshare.net
Chat & Instant
Messaging
Social
Networks
•• MSN Messenger
•• Skype
•• Google Talk
•• facebook.com
•• linkedIn.com
•• twitter.com
Social Media is not...
•• A replacement to offline marketing
•• An online classified website where you post listings one after the next
•• A get rich quick scheme
Sales don’t come directly from Social Media but the relationships you build
over Social Media lead to sales. If people know, trust and like you, they
will be more inclined to do business with you. Trust is the highest form of
motivation and when trust goes up, things happen faster and at a lower cost.
The goal is to create one unified and consistent message.
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
Social Media –
The BASICS
Become a tribal leader or influencer:
Identify who the influencers are or BE the influencer – it’s not about trying
to connect and please everyone but it’s about getting connected with the
right people. Influencers are individuals who will actively encourage others to
use your services.
Making use of Social Media is all about sharing credible and useful
information, whilst also promoting your network and their opinions.
The three key ways to create trustworthiness through Social Media:
•• Think of the world not as a zero sum game – there is enough for everyone
•• Trust people first and they will trust you
•• Default to yes, when you interact with someone think about how you can
help this person
“We are here on
Earth to help
others, what
others are here
for, I have no idea”
Timing
•• Social Media requires speed as it must be relevant and timely information
with a need to be shared
•• If your information is out of date you will quickly lose credibility
•• Plan in advance how much time you want to spend on Social Media,
whatever time you decide, make sure it is focused time
•• If you start blogging, it’s important to continue blogging, otherwise
visitors will see your site is outdated and not return.
...WH Auden
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
Social Media –
The BASICS
Select your Communication Channel
The Internet is brimming with a whole host of different kinds of people. You
will even come across markedly different people within your own network.
As a general rule, individuals in your network will fall into one or more of
the following categories3:
•• Inner Circle – these people are primarily devoted to maintaining and
developing existing relationships with family and friends, rather than
developing new online relationships
•• Business Users – specifically use the Internet for work-related purposes,
as well as for staying in touch with contacts and associates. They aim to
promote their company or enhance their personal careers
•• Cautious – such individuals are selective about who they communicate
with and type of information they are willing to share online
•• Information Seekers – are detail-focused individuals who go online
to research and find information. They tend not to be interested in
creating new content. Their interest lies in viewing credible sites for
feedback for information
Information Seekers – are
detail-focused individuals
who go online to research
and find information.
3. www.exacttarget.com
8
Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
Social Media –
The BASICS
•• Enthusiasts – connect with people with similar hobbies or interests, or seek
information that supports their lifestyle
•• Deal Seekers – are people with a passion for promotional content. They
love exclusive deals, freebies, discounts, coupons and sales notifications
•• Shoppers – interested primarily in the topic of shopping, they spend a lot
of time researching and preparing for in-store shopping. This group tend
to focus on quality above discounts
•• News Junkies – simply can’t get enough of real-time breaking news
stories and current events. Information is their motivation
•• Gamers – can be either a casual or serious console users and they have a
strong interest in the latest gaming software and technologies
•• Social Butterflies – maintain a lot of online friendships and use a wide
variety of social tools to keep in touch
•• Adopters – interested in connecting, educating and sharing
resources with others
•• Open book – individuals who openly express what they like, dislike or
experienced with the online world
Identify or cluster the individuals to identify your target audience – what
type of personas are in your network? Study their motivations and then use
the right channel and an appropriate message to communicate with them.
What will you say?
•• Focus on “you” instead of “I” in your posts
•• Think about the top 5 Real Estate topics that you like discussing.
Which of these do you feel your audience will care about?
•• What Real Estate websites do you enjoy exploring? These may well feature
topics that others will want to know about
•• Research top Real Estate blog sites, what do they talk about?
•• Think about attending a face-to-face networking session, what
would you typically discuss?
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
THE POWER
OF FACEBOOK
What is Facebook?
There are more than 17 Million active Canadian Facebook users; or just over
50% of the Canadian population4.
83% of all companies use Facebook5. It is the largest Social Network in
the World, with more than 500 million active users. It is also viewed as the
‘default’ social community.
If Facebook were a country, it would be the world’s 3rd largest6:
•• China
•• India
•• Facebook (500 million registered users worldwide)
•• USA
Facebook is
often viewed
as the ‘default’
social community
Number of Users on Facebook by Province
[% based on Overall Population]
Newfoundland & Labrador
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward island
*Stats Canada, Population by Year
by province and territory, 2010
http:www40.statcan.gov.gc.ca/l01/
demo02a-eng.htm
*Number of users taken from Facebook.com – Active Users are users
who have logged in at least once in
the past 30 days
4. www.facebook.com/press/info.
php?statistics
5. toprankedwebsite.com.au/social_
media_marketing/
6. www.techxav.com/2010/03/19/iffacebook-were-a-country/
10
New Brunswic k
Quebec
Ontario
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
British Columbi a
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
THE POWER
OF FACEBOOK
Think about the
Facebook wall as
a bulletin board
in your office
7. blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/
consumer/global-advertising-consumers-trust-real-friends-and-virtualstrangers-the-most/
How do you build relationships and generate leads?
•• Create your list of influencers – search through Facebook and add them to
your contact list
•• Keep things fun and entertaining
•• One of the greatest things about Facebook is the surprise element –
you never know what to expect when you logon, whereas when you are
Googling, for example, you have an idea on what to expect. Use this to
your advantage by being creative in the way you engage with your audience
•• Every Facebook member has a wall, when you write (post) on your wall; your
network will be able to view it. When you post on someone else’s wall, your
network will also be able to view it. Think about the Facebook wall as a bulletin
board in your office, it’s a central location for information to be stored and shared
•• Post information by updating your status and share articles, links and
“sharing” and “liking” your network’s information
»» You can attach links or paste articles on your wall. This will be shared with your
network. Link these to your blog (we will cover this under Blogging later on)
»» If you notice a colleague or friend has posted information that your
network will enjoy, you can click on the “share” button, add your two
cents and share this with your network
»» Press the “like” button, this tells your network that you “like” a
particular comment or article that someone else has posted
»» Research shows that by posting articles over the weekend on Facebook,
people are more likely to share this information as individuals consider
Facebook more social and is used more during non working hours
•• 90% of people trust the recommendations of their Facebook friends7
•• People are less tolerant to irrelevant Facebook messages then to irrelevant
emails so be wary of how much and what you communicate with your fans
or you will be “unliked”
•• @mention – when you want to mention someone in one of your status
updates (and you don’t want to write on their wall) try the @mention. In
your update, type the @ symbol and type the name of your friend
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
THE POWER
OF FACEBOOK
Personal Profile vs. Page
12
Personal Profile
Business Page
What is it?
•• People build a personal
and professional
relationship with you
•• Post pictures, videos and
write on people’s walls
•• Share information:
personal (birthday,
relationship status, etc) and
business (job information,
your likes, etc)
•• Create a business page that
separates personal profile to
professional profile
•• Include
information on your
business, website
•• Forum to discuss, share
business ideas and engage
in discussions
•• Possible to have
multiple administrators
(i.e. your assistant)
Pros:
•• Build personal online
relationships
•• Stay in touch and be
aware of news around the
world and engage in the
“global village”
•• Easier for people to
connect with you – simply
press “like” on your page
•• Post through your Page onto
your personal profile page
Cons:
•• Line between personal and
business difficult to manage
– know where do you draw
the line
•• Profile difficult to customize
•• Cannot see the pictures of
status updates of your fans
(unless you are friends with
them), becomes one way
communication
Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
THE POWER
OF FACEBOOK
Groups vs. Pages
Groups
Pages
•• Can be created by anyone and
about any topic, as a space for
people to share their opinions and
interest in that subject
•• Can be closed, open or secret
•• Groups are for smaller groups of
people that you know personally
and have limiting functions in
place where group members exceed
a certain number
•• Create a group:
http://on.fb.me/dT7VwH
•• Pages intended to
communicate publicly
•• Created to represent a real
organization, business,
celebrity or brand
•• Allow people to maintain
personal vs. professional profile
within Facebook
•• If you post anything on your Page,
it will appear from your Page
•• Create a page:
http://on.fb.me/6FFg
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
THE POWER
OF FACEBOOK
How to Get People to “Like” Your
Brand or Business Page?|*
discounts & Promotions
Show Support for Brand/Company
Stay informed About Activities
Updates on Future Products
Fun & Entertainment
Access to Exclusive Content
Referred to Join by Someone Else
Learn More About the Company
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Action: Create your Facebook account
* www.exacttarget.com
14
1. Create and complete your profile (including a profile picture) by
going to: http://on.fb.me/e6fKnM
2. Do a search and connect with people that you know (past
friends, others in your office). Add 10 friends in your first week
3. Set your privacy settings to only friends and set your email
notifications so that you receive an email when someone
interacts with you
4. Create a business page (including a business profile picture)
and encourage your network to “like” you
5. Get a custom URL for a business page when you have
more than 25 fans
Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
MAKE TWITTER
WORK FOR YOU
The site has over
160 million
registered users
8. article.wn.com/view/2011/03/21/
Twitter_turns_5_goes_from_0_
to_140_million_tweets_a_day/
9. socialtimes.com/twitter-userssending-50-million-tweets-eachday_b2821
10. www.avenuesocial.com/blog/social-media-the-buzz-word-of-2010/
What is Twitter?
•• Twitter is the tool that allows you to engage a large audience through short
messages of upto 140 characters
•• Twitter is one of the fastest forms of mass communication
•• The site has over 160 million registered users, who, between them, send a
massive 90 million tweets a day8
•• Twitter averages 50 million status updates per day9
•• 20% of all Twitter communication contains a reference to a product or service10.
References could include an article or breaking news related to Real Estate
•• Users can quickly see what people are up to right now, with access to
everyone from celebrities and politicians to CEOs and sports personalities
•• You can use people’s desire to interact with and get to know these
individuals to your advantage
•• Some consumers dislike Twitter, and many simply don’t understand it,
but the ones who do use it value its potential and are highly influential
online consumers
•• Individuals are more likely to “follow” you on Twitter then to subscribe to
email lists
•• Two symbols that you often see are:
»» The “@” symbol. This used to refer to a username over Twitter.
It is used to send someone a message over Twitter. For example,
if I wanted to send Don Campbell a message, I would put
“@donrcampbell” in my post and Don would see the message on his
profile. This has to be a real user
»» The “#” symbol. The hashtag is used to denote similar topics or
subjects. For example, if we were talking about the REIN ACRE
weekend we could include “#ACRE” in our messages whenever
anyone was talking about the conference. The use of #ACRE
would ensure that anyone searching Twitter for information on the
conference, would receive a list of all tweets, containing the relevant
hashtag, in their search results
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
MAKE TWITTER
WORK FOR YOU
•• People often include links to articles/videos/other pages through Twitter.
Since the 140 character rule always applies, use the following website to
help shorten your link: http://bit.ly/. Place your URL for your webpage
and click “shorten”
How do you build relationships and generate leads?
•• “Listening on Twitter” - When you first start on Twitter, the best way
to get started is by “listening” to get a feel of what people are saying and
where you can contribute to the conversation. Use the search in Twitter to
see what people are saying about any topic
•• You can also find people tweeting in your area through the advanced search
option. Go to search.Twitter.com/advanced – many options are available
•• “Follow” individuals that you would like to hear from and encourage
people to “follow” you
•• Look for profiles that you want to interact with, ask the questions before
“following” an individual/company:
»» What kind of things do they talk about?
»» Who interacts with them?
»» Do they interact at all or are they just using Twitter to post ads or to
spam people?
•• Reply to individuals questions and discussions
and actively use the “@” and “#” symbols
•• Post tweets and retweet articles and stories of interest
“Follow” individuals
that you would like
to hear from and encourage
people to “follow” you
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
MAKE TWITTER
WORK FOR YOU
What motivates people to follow a company,
brand or associate on Twitter?*
To get Updates on Future Products or Services
To Stay informed About the Company’s Activities
To Receive discounts & Promotions
To get Updates on Upcoming Sales
To get Freebies [Samples, Coupons etc. ]
For Fun & Entertainment
Access to Exclusive Content
To Learn More About the Company
To Show My Support for the Company to Other s
To interact [Share ideas, Feedback etc. ]
For Education About Company Topics
Someone Recommended it to Me
The Company Could Send Me a direct Message
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
ACTION: Create your Twitter Account:
1. Create a complete profile (including your picture and your bio).
Visit: https://Twitter.com/signup
2. Search for people using Twitter near you or use keyword search.
Twitter.com/advanced. Create a list of influencers and industry
experts. Follow 20 people in your first week
3. Post 2 updates and reply to someone’s tweet everyday. It takes just a
few minutes each day and is well worth it
* www.exacttarget.com
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
GET INTO
LINKED IN
What is LinkedIn? •• LinkedIn is a large business/professional social network to help you
connect with companies, organizations, professional networking groups,
peers, old and new colleagues
•• Over 75+ million business professionals are on LinkedIn
•• LinkedIn is a great place to discover insider connections, when you are
looking for business opportunities, and share advice with your network
Recommendations
are positive
comments about
you from other
individuals in
your network
3. www.exacttarget.com
18
How do you build relationships and generate leads?
LinkedIn Recommendations
•• Recommendations are positive comments about you from other individuals
in your network
•• On your profile you want to build your recommendations by actively asking
for recommendations from people who have used your products or services
•• Make it a habit to write unsolicited recommendations for people you know,
this may inspire them to do the same for you
•• Joining groups is one of the best ways to expand your network
»» From the search bar at the top right of the screen, click on people
and you will get a drop down menu. Select Groups
»» Try searching your city, or other groups you may be interested in
»» Actively contribute to these groups. People who join these groups
often select to have updates from the group be sent to their
email. The email updates always show the names of people who
contributed to the group
Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
GET INTO
LINKED IN
LinkedIn answers
•• Ask professionals for advice or answer questions for others
•• Use the search bar at the top right of the window, click on the drop down
box and select Answers
•• This can help you learn about your audience and as well as actively network
and contribute answers to new clients
Applications
•• Applications are a great way to add depth to your profile, you can post
polls, share a reading list – allows for great interaction with your network
•• If you scroll down your profile page, you will see a section called
Applications – click the Add Applications link to view a list of applications
ACTION: Create your LinkedIn account
1. Create and complete your profile (including your background,
website, Twitter account, profile picture) by: http://linkd.in/fy8wEn .
This will add you to search engines within LinkedIn to make it easier
for people to connect with you
2. Search and add influencers to your network by looking through
“People that you may know”. Connect with 10 people in the first
week. Remember to only add people that you know or else people
may reject your invitation
3. Add relevant groups
4. Send an email from your LinkedIn account to your past clients and
ask for recommendations
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
Social Media – AT
USE IN REAL ESTATE
Here are a few examples of Real Estate organizations or Sales
Representatives using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn:
Facebook
•• I use the following Facebook page to share articles with my users:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vishal-Badiani/132246143506315?sk=wall
•• Amy Flowers Team Page shares news stories on the Milton market:
https://www.facebook.com/amyflowersteam
Twitter
•• Peter Kinch – Mortgage Broker: http://twitter.com/#!/peterkinch
•• Oliver Manalese – Real Estate Sales Representative:
http://twitter.com/#!/OliverManalese
“How you do
anything is
how you do
everything”
LinkedIn
•• Royal LePage Meadowtowne:
http://www.linkedin.com/company/1004348?trk=NUS_CMPY_FOL-nhre
•• Tahani Aburaneh – Broker of Record: http://linkd.in/rex5NE
“Not advertising your business
is like blinking in the dark”
3. www.exacttarget.com
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
Get
Started!
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Post 2-3 times a day
Post 8-10 times a day
Post once a day
What is it?
•• Stay in touch and
•• Post right away
comment, share
•• Short posts (140
information with new and
characters or less)
old friends
•• Line between personal
•• Share pictures, videos
and professional blurred
•• Strive to strike a balance
•• Goal is to attain
between personal and
“followers”
business (groups and pages)
•• Goal to attain “fans”
and they help to spread
your message
Daily
Activities
•• Post questions, photos
and videos
•• Reply when people reply
to your posts
•• Post content that links
people to your website
– preferably directly to
your piece of information
(called “deep linking”)
•• Post links to websites
you visit
•• Share articles you like
and “like posts” from
other members
•• Send birthday messages
•• Professional network
•• Post your online
resume and connect
with individuals on a
professional level
•• Add to groups, answer
questions
•• Receive and give
recommendations
•• Post questions, share links •• Profile should be up to date
•• Reply to individuals
•• Reply to individuals in
questions and discussions
“groups” and “answers”
and actively use @
and # symbols
•• Retweet articles and stories
of interest – “spread the
good word”
•• Retweet old posts as
other individuals may
now be online
•• Engage professionally
with politicians, celebrities,
athletes etc
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
Get
Started!
Weekly
Activities
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Post 2-3 times a day
Post 8-10 times a day
Post once a day
•• Encourage friends to
•• Encourage friends to
•• Encourage friends and
connect with you
connect with you. If
colleagues to connect
•• Do searches to connect
someone follows you, look
with you
with other influencers
to follow them back
•• Add new Groups to your
(Be sure you have a
profile and post topics
connection with them)
and contribute
•• “Like” other business pages
•• Search in Answers and
answer questions
When should you post?
Posting TimeWhy
11:30am – 12:30pmET
Many people check their media profiles at lunch
1:30pm – 2:30pmET
Slack time, people will take a moment in
the afternoon to check their profiles
7:30 – 9:30pmET
After dinner, people do a final check on Social Media
before they go to bed
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
BLOGGING FOR
BUSINESS
Blogging
•• Consumers communicate freely between Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
With the help of a blog, you can integrate all media, which allows you to
use all three social networking sites. This can be a powerful tool in helping
you communicate your message across your network
•• Deliver targeted content across a variety of interactive channels, ensures
that you reach your diverse customer base regardless of where they are
spending their time
Use Facebook,
LinkedIn, Twitter
as channels to
direct people
back to your hub
What is a blog?
•• The name blog comes from “web log”. This is your personal way to keep
in touch directly with your clients. It is essentially an online journal
•• Your blog is your home base where you can create dialogue, discussion and
to get people interested in you and what you have to say
•• Use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter as channels to direct people back to your hub
•• The goal of your blog is to move as many of your followers and friends into
your email contact database so you can communicate with them directly
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
BLOGGING FOR
BUSINESS
What are the keys to attract people?
•• It should be regularly updated and provide meaningful content to your
audience
•• Things to share: market reports, tips for buying and selling, mortgage rate
information etc
•• Create Video blogs (V blogs) through You Tube – videos need to be short
(approx. 2-4 minutes) i.e. www.philipmckernan.com for some great examples
•• Do not shower your blog with “classifieds”
Tips for communicating with your clients
•• Content needs to be relevant to what they signed up for
•• Do not send every listing to every client
•• Send interesting articles that engage in a discussion
•• Do not over email – put yourself in your audience’s shoes, how often would
you want an email from a business?
•• You must include an “unsubscribe” button at the bottom of every
communication. If an individual does unsubscribe, include a comments
field for them to tell you why they unsubscribed
•• People typically trust larger brands and assume their email addresses
are secure, safe and unshared vs. lesser known brands. Therefore, it is
important to manage email addresses appropriately, as any failure to do
so will quickly spread through the Social Media network and impact
upon your subscriber registration
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
BLOGGING FOR
BUSINESS
Writing your blog
You want your blog content to be sticky. This means that people will see value
in it, they will share it, post it for others to see and come back to.
Here are some tips:
•• Keep it simple and to the point, give your reader quick points and
intriguing information
•• Provide content that entertains and enlightens. Always ask, why would
someone read this?
•• Deep link – when you include a link for someone to get further
information, make the link as “deep” as possible. What this means is
don’t give someone just the website address to where the article can
be found but direct them to the exact place on the website where the
article can be found
•• Invite people to post their comments and feedback on the topic
•• Include badges on your site for Facebook, Twitter. Badges are applications
that you include on your site for individuals to connect to their Facebook,
Twitter accounts so they can share your information with their network
Always ask,
why would
someone
read this?
Action: How to start blogging?
1. Set up a Google Gmail account – www.gmail.com
2. Then use www.blogger.com to create a personal blog
3. Add themes such as Word Press or purchase a Word Press template.
These are two of the most popular and easiest to use sites, offering a
wide range of templates used by individuals in the industry
4. Use a site that allows you to capture email addresses and to
communicate with your clients. I.e. www.feedburner.com
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
APPLYING WHAT
YOU’VE LEARNT
Tips to get from good to great
Be active on Real Estate forums or topic specific forums. These allow you to
express your thoughts while the community gets to know you better
Examples of good forums:
•• Myreinspace – active Real estate community, search through topics, answer
questions specific to your expertise
•• Quora – this is the next big Social Media. It is a collection of questions
and answers created, edited and organized by everyone who wants to know
about the question
•• Find specific forums related to your geographic region or industry.
i.e. Hawthorne Villager is an active forum for the city of Milton.
City councillors will regularly post updates and you can interact with
community members
•• Meetup – Real estate professionals are frequently using this platform to
connect with like minded individuals to network and learn more about their
business and community. You can create your own Meetup near you i.e.
Timetosaygoodbuy organizes meet ups for the Real Estate Cash flow game
•• Get paid for recommendations – take a look at www.socialpayout.com –
individuals are paid for recommending brands to their network. Be sure
you are credible and have verified your recommendations
Be active on
Real Estate
forums or topic
specific forums
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
APPLYING WHAT
YOU’VE LEARNT
Hootsuite and Postling
These are two great tools to help you publish posts to multiple Social Media
platforms. Features include scheduling posts in advance, staying on top of
comments, knowing stats, email summaries and tracking competitors.
•• The free version of Hootsuite allows for free social analytics, 5 social
profiles and 2 RSS feeds
Is email going the way of snail mail?
Not in the near future, the amalgamation of Social Media and email will
increase but the following reasons explain why email will continue as a
communication tool:
••
••
••
••
Consumers are familiar with the technology
Consumers know what to exactly expect
Email is trusted as a safe and secure way for handling private matters
Mobile email use continues to be on the rise
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
Conclusion –
Keep it Simple!
1. Set your objective to your Social Media – if
you don’t have objectives, it’s hard to measure
outcomes and celebrate the achievements
2. Sign up for Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
3. Create a blog and include the Facebook,
Twitter badges i.e. “like” and “follow”. Collect
email addresses
4. “listen a hundred times. Ponder a thousand
times. Speak once”. Add knowledge not just
another opinion. Write a blog once a week.
Keep it conversational and write like you would
write to a friend, seek opinions, ask questions
and offer exclusive content to your members
5. Be active on forums(i.e. myreinspace, quora),
reply to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn messages
and encourage others, recommend and share
good information to your network
6. Focus on your network and fans - authenticity
is imperative, keep your information active
and up to date. Be transparent and consistent
to create trusted relationships. If you make a
mistake, be the first to admit your mistakes and
right them, thank people who bring attention
to your mistakes. Be creative – try new
innovative methods to reach your audience
“If you do what everyone else is doing then
you will get what everyone else will get”...
anonymous
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“Not advertising your business
is like blinking in the dark”...
Malcolm Gladwell
7. Don’t over advertise – they may love your Social
Media information, but they are not dating you,
so be smart on how and when you advertise to
them. Consumers rely on Facebook, Twitter and
LinkedIn to protect them from spam
8. Review your analytics and tweak as required
9. Show gratitude to your network for their
business
10.Privacy and credit – if you reuse anyone’s
material give credit where it’s due and respect the
privacy of others. If a customer doesn’t trust you,
they won’t subscribe to your communications.
Follow rules and regulations of your Real Estate
board and address these two questions for your
audience: “Will their email be shared?” and
“How difficult is it for them to unsubscribe?”
Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
Want more? Take a look
at the following LINKS:
Blogs:
•• Don Campbell – bestselling author and
President of the Real Estate Investment
Network http://www.donrcampbell.com/
•• Ash Silva – connectologist and blogger:
http://www.ashsilva.com/
•• Rentbusters blog
- http://www.therentbusters.ca/blog/
•• Seth Godin – world renowned marketer:
http://sethgodin.com/sg/
•• Copyblogger –Learn great
tips on writing effective blogs:
http://www.copyblogger.com/
organization focusing on social change:
http://www.facebook.com/InspireTogether
•• Inspiring Kids Together – progressive
and dynamic community organization:
http://on.fb.me/hUA5wk
Twitter:
•• Peter Kinch – Educator, Author,
Speaker, Entrepreneur, Investor:
http://twitter.com/#!/peterkinch
•• Greg Habstritt – Entrepreneur, teacher and
coach: http://twitter.com/#!/greghabstritt
•• Steffany Hanlen – Quantum Speed:
http://twitter.com/#!/quantumspeed
Facebook:
•• Investing in Rent to Own – Information
on Rent to Own by Mark Loeffler:
http://www.facebook.com/renttoownbook
LinkedIn:
•• Royal LePage Meadowtowne http://linkd.in/fwEjNu
•• Tahani Aburaneh – Investor, Realtor, Author
and Entrepreneur: http://on.fb.me/dFsgdC
•• Toastmasters – District 86 Group:
http://linkd.in/fFS0K2
•• Philip McKernan – Mentors people
through live intimate experiences:
http://www.facebook.com/PhilipMcKernanInc
•• Goforthinstitute – Providing
Essential Small Business Skills:
http://www.LinkedIn.com/company/goforth-institute
•• Engaged Investor – DJ/Entrepreneur –
turned professional real estate investor:
http://www.facebook.com/TheEngagedInvestor
•• Inspire Together – Grassroots
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Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK
Social
| MAKE
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– The BASICS
WORK|FOR
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POWER
| GET
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FACEBOOK
LINKED|INMAKE
| BLOGGING
TWITTERFOR
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BUSINESS
FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
Want more? Take a look
at the following LINKS:
Forums:
•• MyREINSpace – Canada’s Online Real
Estate Investing Community and Forum
http://www.myreinspace.com/
•• Quora – collection of questions and answers
created, edited and organized by everyone who
uses it http://www.quora.com/
•• Hawthorne Villager – Online
Milton community forum :
http://www.hawthornevillager.com/phpbb/
Other:
•• Socialpayout – Get paid for referrals:
http://socialpayout.com/
•• Hootsuite – Social Media dashboard:
http://hootsuite.com/
•• Meetup – network of groups, site makes it easier
for people to meet: http://www.meetup.com/
Shorten your URL:
•• http://bit.ly/
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Stories
Here are a few examples of businesses and the Good
and Ugly on Social Media:
Social Media Stories – The Good
•• Burger King Facebook campaign:
http://on.mash.to/RPrs
•• My Starbucks idea: http://sbux.co/EKuT
•• Zappos blog: http://blogs.zappos.com/
Social Media Stories – The Ugly
•• Nestle Facebook Page: http://bit.ly/ceLJql
•• Sony Setting up a Fake Blog:
http://bit.ly/4KKQEl
•• Molson Pulls plug on Facebook contest:
http://bit.ly/b4v9ds
Social Media – The BASICS | THE POWER OF FACEBOOK | MAKE TWITTER WORK FOR YOU | GET INTO LINKED IN | BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Vishal is a Real Estate Agent in Milton, Ontario.
He also is an instructor at Sheridan College teaching
Management Information Systems and owns his
own business - Motion Capital where he specializes
in investing in Real Estate in the Kitchener,
Waterloo, and Cambridge area. He utilizes Social
Media on a daily basis to interact with his audience;
he is live on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs
at: www.vishalbadiani.com.
Vishal is available to train you or your group of
colleagues on Social Media and will take you
through a detailed session on the key details of this
Ebook plus more!
Click on the following icons to find me:
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