The buzz over social media is at near deafening proportions in the REnet (and everywhere else) and I contribute to that noisy rabble. We’re excited about it, it’s cool, and it works. But, I think we’re at risk of making social media something more than it really is.
Check out just about any conversation out there on social media and you’ll find the topic in a vacuum. Meaning, folks are talking about social media as a strategy unto itself which is probably why so many agents have hopped on board but found it a waste of time.
Social media is not a marketing strategy for your real estate business. It’s a collection of tools, of tactics. But, a marketing plan for building your business? Hell no.
The Kool-Aid Is Sweet
Many agents who have never had a real marketing plan for their business are buying into the hype that social media is the answer.
“It’s the 2.0 marketing plan. All you gotta do is talk. Oh, and be ‘transparent’.”
Hell, it’s easy to see why so many gravitate to that idea. Realtors are a social bunch to begin with.
“All I have to do is talk and I don’t have to work it? Hell, yeah! Sign me up.”
Sorry, Greg Go-Getter, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The Simple Truth
It’s important to keep in mind what social media really is – a tactic, a tool, to be integrated into your marketing plan.
Social media is not a case of “if you do it business will come.” Nothing in business ever is.
So, if you’ve given social media a shot and have decided that it sucks then just take a look at how you fit it in with your overall marketing plan. I bet you there was a disconnect.
For those of us promoting social media as a business tool, let’s make sure newcomers understand what social media really is and how to fit it into the context of their marketing plan.
