Using social media effectively allows your to remain top of mind with those who are interested in what you do. In turn, people often think that having a magical number of “likes” or “follows” means that they are “doing the social media” well, but are you reaching who is really interested in what you have to say? Like in all interpersonal communications, the more meaningful relationships you have are fewer in number than your acquaintances. Seems simple, but in the race to use social media, people have forgotten what “friending” really involves.
Understanding your audience to ensure quality
There are those who advocate a single social media presence, i.e., merging your personal life with your professional life, and others who ascribe to keeping them separate. I am in the latter group. It’s a matter of audience and what information that audience is looking for. Do your clients care about what you and your husband ate for dinner last night? If someone decides to like a Realtor’s Facebook fan page, chances are they fall into one or more of the following categories:
- They are interested enough in your services to maybe use them at some point.
- They are interested in the area you serve and want information about that area, specific neighborhoods, etc.
- They have questions about the current real estate market.
- You are a personal friend already, and they are being nice by liking your page. And personal friends will likely need a Realtor at some point.
The audience for a business has different expectations than a personal friend. In my business, for example, my blog posts, Facebook fan page updates, Twitter feed, etc. largely highlight helpful tips on marketing or design, because my audience is business owners and marketing professionals, and I want to provide information they can use. My Facebooking about rooting for the Detroit Lions in the playoffs Saturday night does not help that audience in what they do for a living. Your business’ friends are different from your personal friends.
Can your business have 1,000 true friends?
Yes and no. Having thousands of followers doesn’t necessarily equate to generating business. Are the right people following you? Do you have former clients and true prospects (not every person you meet) interested in your social media and blog posts, in addition to your personal sphere of influence? Focus on building an online presence of substance, no matter how big or small that number is right now. Providing helpful information and your own views on current trends will build the trust your true followers have in you.
Who in the industry can you reach out to?
Think about how you can use social media to build alliances with other Realtors and industry service providers. Gradually developing relationships online and off with your industry colleagues may lead to referrals and make it easier to do business, providing better service to your clients and consistently “wowing” them, which they will hopefully share on social media.
How have you used social media successfully to build relationships?
