You Only Get What You Give

Have you been caught up in the Social Media frenzy? Overwhelmed about all the national websites and social networks out there? Not sure where you should be participating and spending your Time besides your “Home Base” blog or website? You’re not alone. There are many places online that you can strategically spend your time. Depending on your participation levels and engagement, your time spent there could really help you establish your Social Media presence while building your sphere of influence.

Back in June, I wrote a post on the Trulia Blog called, “The Top Three Non-Real Estate Social Media Sites for Realtors®”. Besides Facebook, Linkedin and Meetup.com, there are many other non-real estate social media sites real estate agents can take advantage of. Creating a profile on these sites is just the first step - and a very important one at that. You profile page provides consumers with an overview of who you are and what you do. It’s important to make a good first impression when networking online - your detailed profile helps you do that.

Just Having a Profile is Not Enough

If all you do is create a profile you will never reap the benefits some of these communities can provide. It’s called social networking for a reason - you have to be present and active to benefit. Otherwise, were just being anti-social and social notworking. Don’t get me wrong, you can still get a tremendous amount of value by just observing and reading. In fact, it’s best to be an observer first. Each community is different and the vibe and culture is unique in each. Understanding the culture will help you become a better participant.

From a Fly on the Wall to a Participant

After you create your profile and learn the culture, it’s time to engage and join the conversation.  Besides being active on our popular Trulia Voices Q&A and Blog platform, I participate on and test numerous national sites and social networks. I frequent some more than others and learn new ways to use them all the time. It’s pretty obvious how to use some sites, e.g. Trulia Voices - it’s a great place to engage local home buyers and home sellers. It may take a little longer to figure out how some other sites, e.g. Plurk, can help you grow your business and sphere. Nonetheless, the best part is connecting with people and building solid relationships.

Here’s a non-real estate specific real life example of how I went from being a fly on the wall on Yelp.com to participant. I have been using Yelp for over a year now as an observer to search for local restaurants. Recently, I started getting a little more active there by adding some restaurant reviews myself. Just this week, I participated on a really interesting thread. I complimented one of the commentors and as a result, he sent me a private message. We had a nice back and forth and I’m meeting with him next week for something pretty cool which I can’t talk about - yet. The point is, that I was proactive. I engaged in a conversation with someone I didn’t know and something positive has come out of it for Trulia. Ultimately, your level of engagement will determine the results you receive. You only get what you give.

Where’s my Yardstick?

As agents, it is vital that we understand which types of networking and marketing works and doesn’t work. It’s important that we measure everything we can. On social networks, gauge how many people you have communicated with whether it be via chat, email, private message or phone. Were they meaningful conversations? Did they help you or your business in any way? Did it just make you feel good? There is no wrong answer here. You will quickly learn what you want to get out of each site and how to do it. Measure your results.

For your Home Base blog or site, using tools like Google Analytics or Clicky to track your traffic will help you decide where to actively participate online. There are even services that allow you to track and measure phone calls to specific phone numbers you create on your advertisements. Use these tools to help you decide where to spend your time and money – free is always good.

Social Networking Karma Challenge

Try different things before you let others convince you what works and what doesn’t. No one can walk in your shoes. Take the steps necessary to find out what works for you and your company YOURSELF!

Good luck and please let us know what works for you.