Note: This post was also published on www.lisamayhuby.com

As more and more businesses gravitate to the high reach-low investment medium of social media, I find there are far too many jumping in with both feet that really don’t have any business even dabbling their toes in it.

MLMers, real estate agents posting “another hot listing” or endless Facebook fan pages of nothing but listings, get-rich-quick gurus, and newbies that expect instant results after 2 Tweets about how great their product or service is: none of these have any place in social networking, and all will have a negative experience using it.

You want a good – no, great – experience? As in, a ‘pretty-darn-good-results-for-not-a-whole-lotta-time-invested’ type experience? Follow these tips:

1. Stop whatever social media stuff it is you’re doing RIGHT NOW. Just stop everything. Halt. Arrêt. Now, think of what you want to get out of your efforts. Better yet, write it down. The list should be point-form, one goal per line, a singular idea. If you’ve got the word “and” in one of the goals, that’s two ideas. Separate them. Next, review your list and remove the unicorns and rainbows. That includes any idea that makes you gaze wistfully into the distance, like the ‘generate X leads’ goals, ‘get X followers’, connections goals, and so on. Hopefully what you’re left with is real, measurable, and attainable.
2. Social networking is about just that – networking. And it works great when it complements your other marketing efforts. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it until people finally get it: social media is a tool. A tactic. Something you use in conjunction with something else. Your teeth are tools with which you chew food and begin the digestive process. Social media is the tool with which you share bite-sized bits of information to help begin the lead generation process.
3. Stop being part of the “hey, look at me!” crowd, mindlessly echoing others’ thoughts and ideas to try and position yourself as an ‘expert’, and really engage with people. Stand out. Be selective with whom you engage. Don’t choose only the people that might be able to promote whatever it is you’re selling. Go on, be different from the millions of online minions fighting for attention.
4. Be consistent with your engagement. Whether it’s once a day or once a week, be consistent and reliable.
5. Evolve. Figure out how to move social media to the next level. As Lisa Barone of Outspoken Media says, “We have to grow up because not only does the same old crap not work anymore, but now it (and you) is just annoying.” (Incidentally, it’s just a coincidence that my post has 5 tips and hers has 5 tips. Really. Besides, they’re different tips.)

I always advise clients that you’ll discover what works best for you, and that’s absolutely true if you put some thought and planning behind it. Social media doesn’t and probably never will work for everyone in every business. If you’ve taken the plunge and are trying to use it for your business, help make it a more enjoyable (and hopefully profitable) experience for everyone.

It’s your web, keep it beautiful.

Lisa-May Huby, Director of Marketing

I can’t believe it’s already Mid February. The Olympic Games are in full swing and I’m counting down the days to my much-needed family vacation. That’s right, I’m taking the whole family – and the kids are more excited than Christmas morning!  I must be crazy because a vacation with kids is far from relaxing, but it is great bonding time, and I’m all about building relationships through good times and having those memories to reflect upon.

Speaking of reflection, I was back in Ottawa (the Canadian capital) last week for business. Terry LeClair, our CEO, had a speaking engagement on internet strategies and web technology, and the following day we were involved with a tradeshow for Royal LePage. It turned out to be a productive four days, and even though travel can be exhausting at times, I absolutely love my job, so it hardly felt like work.

Rob & Sebastian at Royal LePage Ottawa Tradeshow, Feb 2010

The best part of my job is when I’m able to solve a problem for a potential client; for me it’s about more than selling a great product, it’s about building relationships – much the same as with my family. Many Realtors nowadays are struggling with their web strategy, and most progressive-thinking agents recognize that they need a dynamic website to captivate the online consumer, but that’s where it ends.

If you’ve ever been in the market for a home and found yourself meandering through some Realtors’ static business-card-style website, you’ll appreciate how frustrating the experience can be. If this is a point of frustration for the online consumer, it’s a serious concern for the Realtor who’s hoping to captivate an audience with a sub-par website. When I demonstrate the power of RealtySites PLUS™ in captivating the consumer, communicating with clients and cultivating new leads, I get a sense of satisfaction that makes my job an absolute pleasure.

As I prepare to embark on what probably won’t be a very relaxing vacation, I’m looking forward to spending time with my family, but will be happy to get back to work because of the relationships I have there as well.

See y’all in a couple of weeks!

Rob

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

On his blog, WebInkNow, David Meerman Scott wrote about the U.S. Department of Defense’s social media strategy, engaging in heavy-duty SM activities, from blogging and Facebook, to videos and photo sharing. Essentially, the DoD’s putting a human face on the military.

Numerous methods are being implemented in a multi-channel effort, each with their own focus on the different areas of the military. From The Pentagon Channel’s website, Facebook and Twitter streams, the U.S. Army’s ArmyLive blog and You Tube channel, to the U.S. Air Force’s “Counter-Blog” strategy.

What can you take away from the U.S. military’s strategy for developing a simple social media campaign for your business, and become a “social media rockstar” in your own right? Take a look:

This just gives you an idea of the potential. As you can see, it’s pretty simple, and you can tailor your strategy to fit your life, making it as complex as you like. Start small to get your feet wet, and work from there.

The main thing is that you open yourself to new ways of communicating with clients and colleagues, for both outgoing and incoming messages, and use these tools to your advantage.

Lisa-May Huby, Director of Marketing

Something for nothing is a term we’re all familiar with, and most of us realize that you really can’t get something for nothing. However you can get something of value for almost nothing.

Let me be more specific with my analogy of the term: you own and operate a vehicle. You expect that, for a certain amount of dollars each month, you can have your vehicle of choice. This comes with a hefty price tag, often in the form of monthly payments of several hundred dollars, plus the cost of insurance, gas and maintenance. In the case of realtors – who absolutely need a vehicle to conduct their business – it’s considered part of the cost of doing business. Not exactly something for nothing.

By comparison, today’s Real Estate professional is well aware that close to 90% of their clientele is beginning and ending their search for a home on the internet. They’re looking at Realtors’ websites and other online resources. So why is it that many Agents have such a hard time accepting and adapting to internet technology? Shouldn’t a decent website be considered the cost of doing business as well?

We already know that it’s crucial to have a website because that’s where your buyers and sellers are going to find you. More importantly, you want to create a positive experience for your online consumer in order to create a “sticky” environment that will captivate them and keep them returning to your site so you can incubate them and convert them into clients. Why is it that agents recognize how significant a website is to their business, just as a car is, yet they aren’t willing to spend the dollars required to have a product that conveys a positive image while at the same time providing a great online experience to the consumer?

Most products out there are available for a low monthly fee, and in the case of RealtySites PLUS™, you get a ‘million-dollar product’ that costs less than $50 per month. Compare that to my car scenario which costs several hundred dollars per month to own or lease: which do you think is a better value?

A car is essential for your lifestyle; I present the argument that a website is just as essential for your real estate business in order to create an enticing online experience for consumers and to generate leads.

When you look at a website with the tools and features to captivate your consumer like RealtySites PLUS™, remember that you’re behind the wheel of a Maserati – for the price of a Honda Civic.

You can have a beater car, but when you’ve got the best at a low cost, which would you rather drive?

Rob Matton, Director of Sales