marketing » Technology Tools for Real Estate

Did you ever go to a networking event or a conference and get stuck with that guy who could only talk about his business? You know the guy (or gal) I’m referring to: they’re focused on the hard sell, pitching their product, constantly promoting themselves or their company. Or they’re trying to nail down an appointment with you so they can sell you something later.

I don’t know about you, but these kinds of people make me uncomfortable and I avoid them like the plague.

They have an online equivalent in the real estate industry: real estate professionals who use their accounts to spam their followers with unending messages about the their company and the properties they have for sale. But just as blatant self-promotion is unwelcome in face-to-face situations, it’s a turn off in social media, too.

A better strategy is to position yourself as a thought leader in the profession. You do this by listening to prospects, communicating with colleagues, sharing knowledge, and offering ideas. You do more listening than talking, and you strive to make your social medial presence more of a conversation than a commercial. You bring value to the table.

Granted, it takes a little more work to bring a thoughtful, value-added approach to your social media campaign. But, if you do it well your following—and your business—will grow.

Facebook’s changes and “unchanges” in recent weeks should be a reminder to us all that it’s probably not safe to pin our marketing hopes on something we can’t control. And while you probably shouldn’t cancel your Facebook account just yet, you probably should re-evaluate the relative importance of your blog, your Facebook page, and any other social media you’re using.

In fact, your blog turns out to be one of the most valuable Internet marketing resources you have. Here’s why:

You don’t own your Facebook account, and therefore, you have no say over what changes Facebook might implement.
You don’t own the content on your Facebook page so that if it were shut down for some reason—or if some change in Facebook policy were to go too far and you decided to close your account—your content would be lost.
You like to think of them as “your” followers, but you can’t control how Facebook chooses to use the private information of people who like your page.
Your content (and that of millions of other people, of course) is what makes Facebook successful. Your effort enriches Facebook. Are you getting back as much as you give?
Your blog, on the other hand, is yours. You set it up, you make the decisions, and you own the content.
Your blog enriches only you, your brokerage, or whomever you chose to write about.
Your readers are your readers and your subscribers are your subscribers. As long as you put out good content and treat them well, they’ll stay with you. (You don’t have to worry that changes someone else makes might erode your readership.)
Other than occasional upgrades to the blogging software, there will be no changes that you don’t authorize.

The Internet and the social media tools we all use will no doubt continue to change and evolve as the big players try to find ways to gain market share and turn a profit. That means we’ll frequently need to review our Internet strategy and the usefulness of the tools we’re using. In the mean time, don’t ignore your blog. It’s one of the best tools you have.