No this post is NOT about midget hookers stripping. Sorry if you’re disappointed Just the other day I was watching one of my all time favorite shows and I heard something that really resonated with me.

Watch this video to hear how Howard Stern feels about his audience… you know, the people that listen to him everyday?

Then ask yourself, do you feel this way about your audience on Social Media? (Your audience is all the people on your network that you’re blasting messages to and communicating with daily.)  If not maybe you should rethink your strategy.

What now?
If you don’t know the difference between friends and audience, check out some of the related posts and think about what Howard just said when you’re doing your Social Media Marketing.

Guest post by Chris Brogan

You are probably reasonably good at your job. I know this without knowing you, because you’re reading articles and blog posts that might offer you insight into how to up your game, how to improve your results, and this means that you’re already better than all those people who know what they know. Because of this, I want to offer you some thoughts from someone outside of your game.

You know how to be you in person. Translating that into your digital self is the next step. I don’t mean this in any weird video game way, or maybe I do, but let’s talk about that.

First, accept that everyone is connected

Doug liked Mitch Joel’s book, Six Pixels of Separation. He knew you could take advantage of it. Jonathan and Doug also read my book, Trust Agents, with Julien Smith. We talk about that, too, about how you’re nothing without your network. But now that we accept this, let’s realize that how we conduct ourselves online is every bit a reflection of how we are perceived, and that most people don’t have the first inkling of who you are offline, so they won’t realize your motivations, your nuances, and the like, without a bit of work.

Your digital self has to be human first

You can’t lead with a pitch. You can’t lead with a pounce. Instead, you have to take that step you know so well from the real world: get to know your prospective client. How do you get to know them? First, listen. What do I mean? If you Google the phrase, “grow bigger ears,” I’ve set out the steps for how to build a free listening station.

Listening is at the heart of all things that are worth a damn in the social web

It’s a way to find new prospects. It’s a way to help other people out long before they become prospects. It’s a way to keep your community warm. For instance if you spent 25% of your online time here’s what I’d do: search via Google BlogSearch and find out when people are blogging about starting a new job in that company in your town that’s hiring. If you scan Twitter Search, you’ll hear the chatter of someone scouting out a new neighborhood. It takes a little bit of tweaking, but finding out what people want is the best way in the world to help them. Think about it: you’re not pushing people to check out your listings or even visit your site. You’re listening to their needs and gently/politely responding. Piece of sweet cake.

You could do well to spend about 50% of your time on line connecting

And when I say this, I mean comment on local area blogs, spend time talking with folks on Twitter. Answer questions in LinkedIn that pertain to your locale or your special niche. Use these social web tools to connect and build relationships before you need them. Then, you’re top of mind when people are thinking about making a move. Connecting with people about themselves, on their turf, and not always about you is the “hamburger helper” of social media. It stretches out relationships and makes them more filling.

Finally, spend about 25% of your time on line publishing

By this, I mean consider posting blog posts, photos from Flickr, YouTube videos, and whatever else you think might help people achieve their goals (theirs, not yours). Make sure folks know how to work with you. Make a page about it. Make all your contact information visible. On your blog, make sure your “about” page has a photo of you: not that weird “Glamour Shots” photo they use on your signs and newspaper listings. Take a nice new candid photo. Not used to this? Get used to it. People want to see who they’re doing business with, and even more so on the web. You’re old? Who cares? You’re fat or toothless? No worries. Work with what you’ve got, but do it.

You might not have a decent blog. You might not have the first clue what to do next. You have a few options: look for a REBarCamp in your area. Put up a simple ad in Craigslist requesting help getting a blog set up. Work inside your network to figure out who can help. They don’t often cost much (unless you get all tricky with your design). Why? Because this can be a home base. It’s not always your selling space. But it’s always the place where people will get a better sense of who you are. That’s why you read Jonathan, right? Same thing.
By thinking of all this as an extension of who you are in the day to day, you’ll get closer to the mood and mindset required to do business with people via the social web. We’re not there to be sold to, but we do love when people help us buy. See the difference? To me, that’s the whole opportunity in a nutshell.

What do you think? What other advice would YOU add to this? How can you pitch in and extend the learning process of others in your space so that they can catch up to you?

–

Chris Brogan is the New York Times bestselling author of Social Media 101, available at bookstores everywhere. He is president of New Marketing Labs, LLC, and writes daily at Chrisbrogan.com

After an interesting day at the Stompernet conference Doug and I got together to chat about some of the things we heard throughout the day, in particular two things from the Social Media presentation.  The first  minute is our general chit chat, but after that we hit you with the Two things You Need to know about Social Media.

Watch this video now to learn what they are.

Has this new fangled New Media “thing” got you so confused you don’t know whether you’re coming or going?  Don’t worry, you’re not the only one.

This week Doug and I have planned a very special session where we’ll answer your most burning questions about using New Media marketing in your real estate business.  Whether you don’t have the time for this stuff or you can’t figure out which tools are most effective, we’ve got your back.

Some of the biggest questions about using New Media so far

OK, so when’s the big show?

We’ve planned a great Radio program for you on Thursday March 18th, 2010 at 1pm EST.  In this show we’ll answer some of the most common questions from above as well as some new questions from our live audience.  Click on the box below to join in.

Listen to Real-techguy on Blog Talk Radio

Join the conversation

If you’re question isn’t on this list, then you should leave it in the comments section.  We will do our best to answer every question completely on the show, but if we don’t get to it (and it’s original) I will email you a response.  <—-That’s like free consulting.

I don’t blame you for wondering whether or not you can really sell a house using Social Media.

If you were to rewind the clock 100 years I bet people back then were thinking, can you really sell a house using a Newspaper?  The answer to both questions is yes, but today one is more effective than the other.

Case Study: Using Social Media to Sell a house

It’s easy to dismiss the power of New Media marketing in the Real Estate business, mostly because it’s so new.  We don’t have enough social proof that it really works.  That’s the reason I’m writing this post today, I found a case study that’ll knock your socks off.

My friend Tim Moore wrote about how he used Social Media to sell his house in just 50 hours.  I ran across his post this weekend and was amazed with his results.  I highly recommend you read his Case Study: How I Sold My Home in 50 hours.

Takeaways from the Case Study

Tim’s success was largely due to the fact that he already had a well developed network.  He also did all the work to make it easy for people to get and share information about his house.

I don’t want you to run out and start streaming your listings down your social profiles, instead I want you to think about HOW you can build up a highly responsive network without all the usual sales B.S.  Selling online is totally different than selling offline, you have to learn how to create buzz & generate interest.

If you’re just starting out you should focus on building a high quality network by sharing good useful info (that’s what Tim does.) Then and only then can you garner enough attention when the time is right.

The reason I shared this is to show you that it’s possible to use Social Media to sell houses.  This doesn’t happen over night though, you have to be committed to using the platforms to build real connections.  If you’re not sure how to do it, I recommend you get help.  Either get some training, or hire a consultant to shortcut the time it takes to build a powerful social network.

A Bonus for You

I’m pretty sure this all sounds interesting to you, buy you probably want some more.  Good news, I’ll be interviewing Mr. Tim Moore on Real-TechGuy Radio.  We’re going to dig in and get some REAL tips on how you can use social media to improve your Real Estate business.  You can listen to the interview by clicking the big blue button below.

A few weeks back I wrote about the importance of Surveying Your Audience. Since then I’ve done another survey and I’d like to get your opinion on the results.

Just a warning, some of these results are contradictory, so if you can help me understand what the hell these people (or you if you took the survey) are talking about, please chime in anytime in the comments section below.

So let me set this up for you…

I started using Social Media (mostly Facebook in the beginning) over 2 years ago. In January 2009 I started this blog to share what I had learned out there in the trenches. After a year of writing I realized that I need to monetize this blog or I was just wasting my time.

After trying a few different approaches I thought the smartest thing to do was survey you (my readers) to figure out what kind of stuff would help get you ahead in the world of Social media marketing for your real estate business. The following is a look at the surveys that we’ve done in an effort to create the right product for you.

Survey #1 Says…

The first survey we did was to get a better idea of the delivery of the product, so here are the results:

Clearly list building was very important to these folks

Classroom style training pulls a narrow victory

Looks like most folks prefer video training

What do the results of this First Survey Say to me?

I’m no genius, so judging by these results I’d say that most of the people who replied to this survey are interested in learning how to use Social Media to build a list of buyers and sellers.  They prefer classroom style training which is also supported by videos.

What would you say? (reply in the comments section below)

Survey #2 Says…

After the first survey I went into development phase of the product which would help agents build a list of buyers and sellers using social media (just like the survey said they wanted.)  Once I put together a rough draft I hosted another training call where I pitched the product and made some sales, but not nearly enough to make it worth my while.

I figured it was time to do another survey to get a clearer idea on what they wanted and how much they would pay for it, here are the results:

Looks like Facebook is pretty important

Hmmm..this is where things get a little confusing for me

Seriously??? Building your brand is worth less than 10 bucks???

WTF do these results mean?

After the results of the second survey I’m scratching my head trying to figure out what these results mean.  In the first survey list building was the most important, but in the second survey it was brand building???

Looking at the results of this second survey I see that building your brand using Facebook is the most important thing and you’re willing to dedicate 2 hours per week to do it.

The part that throws me for a loop is the $10.  If building your brand is so important why would it only be wroth $10?  Is that $10 per week?  $10 per 2 hour session?  or $10 total?  (help me out, share your thoughts in the comments section below.)

This is where I could really use your help understanding the results, leave your thoughts, comments, advice, or ramblings in the comments section below, Thanks!

We’ve been talking a lot about Using Facebook Pages to Build Communities and today we’re going to show you how to do it.

On Today’s training call you’ll learn:

• How to change your approach to online marketing
• How to simplify your process to get results
• How to identify your Target market (future community members)
• How to generate community interest
• What kind of content gets attention
• Questions to ask to get the discussion started
• How to get more fans virally

The training will be TODAY- Thursday February 18th at 1 pm EST online.

We’re packing all that information and a lil more in today’s one hour training call.  Before you ask, because I know you will…the cost to attend is ZERO dollars.  Yep, you heard that right, there’s no charge to register for the event, so what are you waiting for?  Click the button below to register NOW, seating is limited.

PS- Just in case you need a bribe, I’ve got just the thing…  I will give the next 50 people who register a sneak peak at the “Social Media Blueprint” ($97 value) a new book I’m working on.  Now what are you waiting for?  It’s almost like I’m paying you to register

How many times have you heard some “expert” talk about building communities and getting into the conversation using Social Media.  It seems like everyone is reading the same book and regurgitating the same nonsense.

To those so called “Experts” and “Guru’s” I say, “Show me the money!.”

Talk is cheap, so rather than tell you how great it is to build communities using Facebook Pages I thought it would be infinitely more interesting (not to mention believable) to SHOW you.  In this post I’m going to take you through a little sample of what a working community looks like on Facebook.

This case study started last Sunday February 14th (Yep, Valentine’s Day.)

Love was in the air and I was taking my best girl (aka my wife) out to see Valentine’s Day (how cliche’) and then to dinner.  As the lights dimmed in the theatre the announcement to turn off our phones was played.  I reached into my pocket, grabbed my iPhone and I was just about to turn it off when I thought, “Let’s just take a quick look at Facebook before I disconnect.”  To my surprise here’s what I saw:

How strange, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Referral Alert garner so much attention.  My wife was threatening to kill me if I didn’t put away my iPhone, so solving this little mystery would have to wait until later.

A few hours passed before I was finally back at my computer ready to figure out what was going on.  I signed into Facebook, opened my page and expanded the conversation to see this:

Yep, she really said that and it caused quite the little discussion amongst the people in our community.  What was interesting was so many people banned together to let our friend MTL know this was not appropriate (the majority of the 42 comments at least.)

I’d like to tell you this is where the story ends, but this is just the beginning.

On Monday we posted out normal Referral Alerts and before we knew it MTL was back and causing quite a stir in the community.  This time some of my friends were emailing me about the situation asking me what I was going to do about it.

To tell you the truth, I thought MTL was great.  Her outlandish comments brought our community together and got more eyes on our page (Thanks MTL.)  Alas, I knew they wanted me to do something, so I decided I’d shoot a video response to MTL’s comments. (To watch the video just click on the image below)

Now it’s easy to see the community was quite taken with this story when you look at the 78 *LIKES* and the 65 Comments.  While most of the comments were humorous, take a look at this one:

What’s this have to do with building communities?

Looking at Wikipedia, a community is traditionally defined as a group of interacting people living in a common location. The word is often used to refer to a group that is organized around common values and social cohesion…

Judging by what we’ve just seen I’d say the Real Estate Referral Group meets the criteria to be called a community.

With that in mind I want you to take a step back and look at your Facebook Page.  Does it meet the criteria to be considered a community?  If not I urge you to rethink your strategy, because the power in Facebook is not the page or the platform, it’s the community.

Want to learn more about Facebook Pages?

I’ll be writing more about how to use Facebook pages in your online marketing efforts. Anyone can tell you how to put together a Facebook page, but how many of them can tell you what works…from experience? Make sure you subscribe to my feed so you don’t miss a thing.

Sometimes mistakes turn out to be the best discoveries.

Last week I was working frantically to finish the first draft of a new product. I had only two days to whip out the recordings, videos, mindmaps, and transcripts before my wife and I were leaving for our first ever snowboarding trip.

The morning of our flight I remembered what I forgot to do…

I hadn’t asked my VA to moderate my Facebook page while I was away. “Holy CRAP!” I thought, then how’s everyone gonna get their referrals???

As I boarded the plane I quickly forgot about it and enjoyed my five hour internet free flight to Salt Lake City, Utah. When we landed we hurried off to get our equipment and hit the slopes.

***Did you know that Park City Chamber offers you a free lift pass on the day you fly in? You just take your boarding pass to the Park City ticket office and they give you a lift ticket***

Needless to say I forgot about my page and all my “responsibilities” as we began to enjoy our adventure swooshing down the powdery white slopes. The next morning I woke up and posted the regular morning referrals. Shortly after I realized that I had to get my page taken care of or I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my trip. I quickly emailed my VA with instructions for moderation while I was away. That was February 5th.

Normally I post the referrals around 4 or 5 am EST. I didn’t expect my VA to do that, so I just asked him to post them daily at any time. He started posting the referrals on Feb 6th. Watching the video below you’ll see that we added 910 new fans between Sunday February 7th and Monday February 9th.

Can you guess what led to this growth? Here’s what some of the top minds (in my sphere) thought:

(In order of their replies)

Peter Liu: Kaiscapes Internet Consulting

Drew Burks: Web Real Estate Tools

Tim Moore: @TimMoore

Scott Bradley: @ScottBradley

This is how we did it…

By changing the times we were posting the referral alerts, new people saw them. They either commented or joined the group and then the viral newsfeed effect took over (as mentioned by our pros above.) This shows that something as simple as posting time can have a dramatic effect on how you connect with your network.

Want to learn more about Facebook Pages?

I’ll be writing more about how to use Facebook pages in your online marketing efforts.  Anyone can tell you how to put together a Facebook page, but how many of them can tell you what works…from experience? Make sure you  subscribe to my feed so you don’t miss a thing.

Got a happy mistake? Why not share it in the comments section below?

With all this HYPE about how great social media is, are you still wondering how it can help your real estate business?  Wouldn’t it be great to have some clear instructions on how these social networks fit together to help you find more buyers and sellers?

The Social Media Blue Print was created to teach you how to use the Social Networks and online marketing to turn internet traffic into qualified real estate leads to help you close more deals.

At the end of the day I think we can agree that we both want to close more deals, right?

To tell you the truth, I’d need WAY more room than I have on this blog to show you the Social Media Blueprint, so you’ll need to give me your name an email address so I can deliver the Social Media Blueprint right to your inbox.

How do I get my copy of the Social Media Blueprint?

I figured if you’ve read down this far you’re interested in knowing how to get your copy of the Blueprint.  So here’s how it works, you give me your name and email address and I’ll give you directions to the secret location where I’ve stored the first part of the Social Media Blueprint for Real Estate.

To get the first part of the Blueprint all you have to do is enter your name and email address in the form below.