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‘Social media’ – Only for the young
‘Social media’ – Only
for the young?
As REALTORS®, we may
find certain perceptions we have about home buyers are wrong. For example,
if we think only young professionals want to live downtown, we might miss
the opportunity to share the convenience and lifestyle with other potential
buyers.
The same applies to the
new “social” media. If our idea of social media
involves only e-mailing friends and watching teenagers read Facebook or texting,
then it’s time to expand our perception.
Social media’s continually evolving tools – whether video, audio, image
or text – are all directed toward online (and sometimes offline) sharing,
talking, networking, broadcasting, giving and receiving feedback, and strengthening
our communities.
This Internet communication
seems like a natural fit for REALTORS® professionally
and personally because we’re usually very involved in our communities. Getting
started and staying focused on this new form of communication, however, may
seem overwhelming at first.
According to Lisa Creech Bledsoe, director of Calvert Creative in Cary,
we could focus our social media time toward our business goals if we use
social media to:
- Keep
up with industry standards
- Check
out the blogs and online forums of colleagues, mentors and industry sources
- Share
and receive information and opinions with others.
Can we really make meaningful connections through social media?
“The same rules apply in social media that apply elsewhere,”
Bledsoe says. “You will get out of it what you put in. The important thing
to remember is that there is already an online conversation within your industry.
Smart business people are figuring out not only how to be a part of that
conversation, but how to lead it.”
Wouldn’t that change
our clients’ perceptions of us?
Learn more about how
the social media can benefit us by attending the Women’s
Council of REALTORS® meeting at 8:45 a.m. on June 4 at 111 Realtors Way,
where Bledsoe will speak more about the subject. 
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