The most esteemed experts in social media all agree on that “addiction and burnout” with the popularity of social networks like Twitter and Facebook will only happen to those expecting instant gratification. Patience is indeed a virtue. This week one of the most respected bloggers, Tamar Weinberg, wrote the a great article “ Is Social Media Becoming Boring?” to address this very issue.
If you are anything like me, I am plugged into Twitter because I know I will learn what is going on in every corner of the world directly from the local sources, instantly. A perfect example are the recent world natural disasters in Haiti and Chile. These events popped up on Twitter before CNN was airing them. When I tell this to people that have never heard of twitter (hard to believe it, but yes there are still some) they think I am crazy. They don’t get how the power connecting via social networks.
When it comes to social media we need to pace ourselves and create some strategies to avoid the burnout and to ensure that all the time and work that we have already invested does not go to waste. Here are some pointers on doing just that:
- Read books from the greatest authors in Social Media. Business Coach and blogger Stephanie York recently wrote the article “I need someone to help me!!!! 4 ways to find help“. By choosing a mentor like Stephanie, that will encourage you and guide you through your efforts, it will make a world of difference in your everyday psyche. For the professional that aspires to make Social Media part of your life there are some MUST reads. Here are my 4 suggestions: “Crush it! Why Now Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion”, by Gary Vaynerchuk; “Trust Agent” By Chris Brogan and Julien Smith; “The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web”, By Tamar Weinberg. Finally, a book that has a more global approach, articulates the current way business is done and has made an enormous difference in my life is “Linchpin” by Seth Godin. You can purchase them all through Amazon. I have them all together for you on the right hand column of this page.
- Make a Social Media Schedule. It is so easy to feel lost and overwhelmed if you don’t follow a pattern that you can stick to every day. There are many ways to socialize by blending most of your networks into one service and actually schedule action items even if you are away from your office or in the middle of a meeting. Personally, I am a huge fan of Hootsuite.com. Try it. It is free.
- Finally, and maybe most importantly, Social Media is NOT a source of immediate gratification. It takes time for the search engines to recognize you as a trusted source. The ONLY way to accomplish this is by writing and posting on your blog as often as possible. I LOVE WordPress as a blogging platform and I use the “Thesis Theme” with it simply because it is extremely user friendly. One word of caution here. The day you feel like posting has become a chore and not a passion you are doomed. Your posts define you and make you transparent to your readers. If you are writing for the sake of writing without giving it your all, your follower base will sense it and stop following you.
I hope you sense that my soul is filled with a passion to help people into living their own dreams through writing or even video blogging. If any of the above seems foreign to you email me or call me. I respond personally to every call and email. I will never claim that I know it all, but I can probably point you in the right direction.
Michael Mekler
mike@mikemekler.com, 760-846-2671
Social Media networks come and go. Like everybody else I sometimes question my addiction to Twitter and Facebook as the go to places to get instant information. Lets not forget what our dependency to AOL, Yahoo, Google, MySpace and so many others that we still may visit occasionally but not the way we used to. The current “flavor of the month” is without question Facebook. It has so much momentum that seems unsinkable just like the Titanic. But just like in the financial recovery years of the 1980′s, Mergers and acquisitions do happen.
Establish your presence and set yourself for creating a permanent online footprint. Hands down the best way of accomplishing this is through blogging. WordPress is my favorite. The new edition of WordPress 3.0 will make it even easier than before to write posts on the fly and I also like the Thesis theme for it ease to customize.
Don’t worry so much about the looks of your blog. Do not fill the blog with Widgets either. Lately it has been been proven that most of the security vulnerabilities to blogs has been coming through widgets. Besides, they are just a distraction to your content. Content should be your passion and the reason why consumers and readers are drawn to to you and subscribe to your feeds.
If you need help setting up your blog please contact me and I will be happy to do it for you at no charge. It is my passion. You may contact me via email @ mike@mikemekler.com.
If you believe social media is a fad you must watch the video below. It is not. In fact many of the mainstream publications are predicting that this year alone it will surpass any other source of information for consumers before they make any buying decision. ANYTHING from homes to widgets. As far as Real Estate there are 6 easy steps that will put you on the map and even make a difference in your business by propelling you go from a good year to a great year.
Here they are:
- Create an account with ActiveRain and write down on your schedule to at the very least answer questions or comment on posts from other agents
- Create a self hosted WordPress blog and write consistently at least 2 to 3 posts a week about your local market. Be passionate about your business and give useful information about your expertise. The goal here is to give people a reason to call you. If you do not have a W0rpress account, I will guide you through the process for free when you register your new domain through my “resources” page. Yes, I get a couple of bucks for referring you to the site that I consider it to be the easiest to install WordPress. If I am going to help you for free I might as well make it easy for myself. My site is powered by Thesis, a WordPress theme. It is very simple and easy to maintain.
- Register for a free Twitter account. It is strongly advised to NOT promote your listings there. Twitter is a “micro-blog”. You only have room for 140 characters. In my opinion Twitter is a great way to drive traffic to your new beautiful looking WordPress blog.
- Regardless of what your perception is of Facebook you must have a presence there. It has surpassed Google for daily visits. Become a fan of as many trade related groups as you can find through the search feature.
- Subscribe to an automated posting system like hootsuite.com. It gives you the ability to manage all your daily activities by allowing you to centralize all your accounts.
- Buy yourself the ebook by Naomi Trower, “Social Media Marketing“. It has some unbelievable information for people of all levels of Social Media knowledge. Some basic information and some information that will help you as your knowledge grows.
Social Media is not a fad but it is certainly allows you to be transparent. Live your passion. If you are truly motivated and have a passion for what you do I will give you a very special gift should you allow me to help you.
Please contact me with any questions
If you are in the real estate profession and the word “transparency” is still foreign to you, you need to rethink your approach to establishing relationships with your clients. While the quote “people buy from people” is still valid, in today’s home buying landscape it is more appropriate to say, “people buy from people they trust”. I hope I do not offend any agents by stating that sending your listings via twitter is not the best utilization of social media. Home buyers want to know who you are, and want to have a reason to convert from “just looking” to “please help me”. Here are the 5 reasons to establish a blog:
- According to NAR, 93% of all buyers did a search on line before making a home buying decision.
- Gives consumers and opportunity to become informed about your local market.
- Blogging gives you credibility in the marketplace as an expert for any given niche that you are pursuing.
- Having a blog is one of the best ways for people to find you in all of the search engines.
- Social media is all about making connections and, in my experience, gives prospective buyers an excuse to ask general questions before they go out looking for property.
Above all, blogging can be a lot of fun. I have found it to be an incredible release after a long day and to voice my opinions about what is happening in my marketplace. Regardless of the topic, make sure you write from the heart so the prospective buyer feels the passion that you have in your profession.
For more information about the do’s and don’ts of blogging please join my meetup group to receive a FREE Worpdress blog setup to your existing domain or pay minimal fees (domain registration and hosting fess) for a new domain.
