Social Media...
Marketing Tool
or Myth?
I have a love-hate relationship with social media.
I love it because I have met so many people through the various social channels. I hate it because it is such a distraction. I feel as though I spend too much time looking at computer screens and the little screens on mobile devices.
My real estate blog has a strong local readership that includes members of the local media. It has more than 2,900 posts and brings in enough business to keep me motivated to continue publishing it — even after being told that blogging doesn’t work, or that I am doing it all wrong.
Blogs are what I love about social media. I am a publisher and can publish my own content, my own way.
There are people who follow me on Twitter who have told me that I seem to be everywhere, and that I seem to know everyone. I am not everywhere, but I do manage to make it to events that are important to the community, like our Local Art Crawl and the Saint Paul Winter Carnival.
I also go places that I would call “iconic,” like parks, lakes, rivers, museums, historic buildings, ballparks, arenas and popular eateries.
I make sure I tweet anytime I am doing anything remotely interesting, and I make sure that I don’t tweet when I am doing something that isn’t fun. I make sure that I make at least one business-related public comment every day.
There are people who have a lot of friends inside their computer, and those relationships are very real. In some ways they are better than our relationships outside of cyberspace.
It’s wonderful to be able to choose what to share about myself and what not to share, and I have watched others do the same. A newly-licensed real estate agent with no business can give the impression of being a top producer selling houses right and left. We all know that our clients are attracted to successful agents.
When I attend an event, I can make it look like I am having fun or learning new things even if I am not enjoying it. In fact, I am an expert at appearing to have a good time. I can turn it on and off at will.
If I am having a bad day I can use social media to give the impression that I am having a great day. When I am out goofing off, I can share pictures of buildings and parks on Instagram and it looks like I am busy working.
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