I heard the quote in the title above recently from a friend of mine over dinner, and it surprised me. As someone who loves this stuff, I was intrigued by this statement, and I asked my friend, “Why is that?” His answer was simple. He said that he didn’t care about keeping up with people from high school on Facebook, or about what’s going on in their lives. He mentioned that it seemed false to him. This response made it abundantly clear that he didn’t understand what social media really encompasses. Sadly, this is a not uncommon reaction to this still-somewhat-fledgling method of marketing and promotion. Is it Facebook? Twitter? Blogging? Posterous? ActiveRain? YouTube? Sure it is. It’s all of these platforms and many more. Here’s a quick definition that I developed for my own use: Social media means using online video, photo, and writing tools (most of which are free) to develop new relationships and strengthen existing ones. This can be used for purely social purposes, or to promote yourself or your brand. As a result, almost anything that you can do in the world of face-to-face networking can now be accomplished online. The operative word there is “almost”. Every business can benefit from the proper use and implementation of social media tools. Yes, EVERY business. Even B2B sales are conducted by….people. If you’re doing things right, you can give your prospects a 3-dimensional view of yourself and/or your business. What sets you apart? What stories can you share? I am amazed at which of my blog posts have brought me real-world dollars over the years. Sometimes, it’s a post about funny things my kids said. Once, it was a post about my church. I’m not so naive that I assume that all consumers want to hear my life story, but those who are active in social media just might. We’ve probably all heard this sage advice at some point: “Go where your customers are.” With over 500 million users on Facebook (1/2 of whom log on daily), and 300 million registered on Twitter now, clearly there are a few customers there, huh? YouTube is the second most popular search engine after Google. You might have known that already, but did you know that more and more people are spending time online watching videos rather than watching actual television sets? I think it’s easy to discount those things we don’t understand. Social media seems to fall into this category pretty often. Traditional thinking would dictate that if a marketing method is free, it probably won’t work. Traditional thinking probably would have kept us from going to the moon in 1969, or from developing vaccines, or starting the internet in the first place. I promise you that you don’t want to be thinking like the crowd if you want to make an impact on the world. The “you get what you pay for” maxim doesn’t apply here. However, you do need to invest your time to make it work. I’m still exploring the world of social media, which is ever-changing. As a word of advice, don’t hate or disparage things that you don’t understand. No progress and few successes were ever accomplished as the result of having a closed mind. I realize that if you’re reading this, you are likely already a “convert” to the social media realm. Either way, I thought this was a topic worth discussing. What are you thoughts? Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/striatic/2191404675/ Originally posted at 210 Consulting blog.
So, what is social media, anyway?
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If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can also visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. If you're interested in social media training, visit 210 Consulting. Thanks!
I agree with your points...for me social media is way to stay in touch with those I know...it surely isn't the only way...
My mom is on social media and our conversations and face to face (which is somewhat rare given our geography) are enhanced because she knows the details of my life from facebook.
I am not a fan of fan pages...lol I am a WYSIWYG kind of person. So I talk business and personal all the time and at my age that is a lot easier than remembering where to post what!
Cindy in Indy
I recently sold a house to a couple in their early twenties who had no use for the Internet in general. I was blown away as most people need high speed anymore. I asked how they managed FB and Twitter and they had no inclination what so ever to check out either. WOW, I am with you Jason.
I liked social media because it was fun and I was able to reconnect with people and it enhanced my "social" life.
I no longer like it very much because it has become more like "commercial media" with so many people trying to use it for commercial purposes. It has become tiresome. People who are jumping on the facebook wagon are no longer "ahead of the curve", they are squarely entrenched in the middle of the pack of lemmings who are quickly making "social" media almost intolerable.
Jason - I like your definition and think it's pretty much a complete explanation in a nice small package (get it down to 140 and I'll be impressed). My favorite anti-social media quote was "why would I want to be on Twitter listening to what some teenagers had for breakfast?" (It's not a direct quote, but that was the gist of it.) It was during a social media presentation and this was an older agent in my area. I could see why she might think that, but I quickly scribbled a thought down that I use to explain the "why" - much like in life, if you choose to hang around those people, that's what you're going to hear. Social media has many social circles.
If I want to find Facebook and Twitter friends who talk about vampires, I can. If I'm more interested in dogs, I can find fellow dog lovers. Here in San Antonio I follow one person who tweets a ton of stuff about NASA. Another spends most of her time insulting Fox News. Yet another tweets nothing but nonsensical weirdness. You can find anything you want, you just have to look for it. If you jump into social media without having an idea of what you're looking for, you're probably going to find exactly what you don't want.
Once people see that there are like minded people out there that they can converse with, I think it becomes easier to expand that audience. When I first started on Twitter, I followed mostly real estate agents. Now I follow so many locals, that they drown out the real estate talk most days.
Speaking from strictly a business point of view. Social media brings in dollars. I have sold from blogging. I have sold from Facebook. The greatest thing, it is FREE. Remember those days of costly mailings, cold calling, handing out flyers. Things of the past. Social Media is it. My greatest challenge is keeping up with the many changes and advances.
Like anything else there are pros and cons. For many folks it becomes overwhelming trying to learn new technologies and put them to use plus try to earn a living at the same time. There are only so many hours in the day.
Perhaps moderation and learn one thing at a time really well before moving on to another.
Fine Post and explanation of Social Media.
Sue of Robin and Sue
Jason, I think lots of people just don't want to take the time
Jason, you have put into words what I can never effectively explain to people when they question the value of social media. :o)
Jason , people will always discredit what they don't understand it is a coping mechanism, if something doesn't come easy don't do it. When others succeed in the use of a new medium - call it a fad.
Everyone has to find their groove. For me, since I am not a social person by nature, social media has enabled me to actually become more social and it has translated in more face to face meetings for me. My blog enables me to get information out to more people than I would ever meet in my daily life...for free. Facebook enables me to connect with and meet more people than I would ever meet in my daily life...for free. And twitter enables me to get more exposure for my blog posts and keep up on local happenings...for free. Did I mention that it is free?
Social media can be the great equalizer. Small businesses, with a little time and effort, can compete with those who have much larger marketing budgets. It can get overwhelming and it has taken me time to focus and settle in, but the benefits can be great.
Jason, there are so many corporations that truly grasp the meaning of social networking. Especially when every add they put out has an invitation to follow them on Facebook or twitter
Jason, I think that the social media phenom strikes people differently. For example, I am 53 years old and very connected, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare etc...I read my books on a Kindle (which by the way took me some time to get used to), yet my wife is not interested in social media one bit. I am the one in the family (including my adult kids) who has really bit into it hard. With my new Evo 4g I am getting further into "it". My son doesn't even have a cell phone, that is his choice, it doesn't adversely affect his life, and to be honest there are times when I envy his "unconnected" lifestyle.
I think it depends on the person, and there are always going to be some that jump in and those that prefer to stay on the shore. Great thought provoking post
I love what social media has done for my business. My only complaint is that it is highly addictive. Like video games or something. It's easy to sink waaaay too much time in to it than you need to.
Jason..I like the way you have put this together ..Great job..The problem is as i see it ..is that some folks use just one platform instead of using multimedi ..I enjoy your Youtube videos
helpfulhannah
Social media is a useful tool..in the right hands. The right hands - one with a purpose.
Well said, Jason! I like your definition. I heard an agent last weekend saying she is sick of all this "social media crap" and how she is sick of people telliing her she "should have a blog" and she doesn't want a blog. She is not an older agent set in her ways...she has only been selling for about six years. I felt bad for her...her loss really. If she doesn't stay with the times, she is going to get left behind.
Yes, likely you are preaching to the choir. I think I would have had to dig a little deeper if I'd been having a converstation with your friend...
"what seems false about it?"
"where they ever really your "friends"?"
I love finding old friends on facebook and of course I do let them know I am in real estate. :)
Very worthy of discussion.
Cindy - I just wanted to comment about your WYSIWYG comment. I agree, I talk both all the time and find little reason to "hide" me from the real estate crowd. I'm sure you've heard, but I had to say it - be careful. If Facebook decides you're a business, they will delete you. Gone, just like that. It's the only reason I started to work on my business pages lately. I'd rather I had one page, where I could put everything - it would be a lot easier. I got deleted on Flickr for similar reasons. No warning, no indication, no corrective action to take before they did it - just *poof* I couldn't log in one day because I no longer existed. It was a pro account as well - I had GBs of photos up there that I worked hard on filing, mapping, tagging, captioning - all of them gone forever and with it my username "rerockstar" which I will never be able to reclaim (they don't re-release the names according to support). This of course made a mess for links I had used to photos and I'm still finding them to this day and trying to correct them. I'd hate to see it happen to you (or anyone else).
Jason - PS I love striatic's photostream - I've used quite a few of his photos.
Thanks Matt...I will keep that in mind. I am about 80/20 (20% business) and never post a listing so hopefully I am okay.
Social Media is the new age thinking and marketing. I can tell you I have loan officers who have been in the business 30 years, falling behing the younger ones because they do not want to reinvent themselves.. the days of mailing postcards, recipe cards and calenders are gone...Great Post!
Those of us that do use social media for whatever reasons we use it cannot understand how someone could be totally the opposite. And they wonder why we do keep up with it...so it goes both ways.
Crouch - I like your definition and especially the inclusion of "almost":) While I can understand your friend's initial response, there's also a huge upside to social media ... whether in business, politics, friendships, dating, or on forums discussing one's precious hummell collection.
Jason, facebook might be miles away from some... I was looking up some statistics, and went through 64 different brokerages in a certain area. Lookd at maybe 400 agent profiles on mls . Guess what: 40% didn't have a picture uploaded, and about 60% didn't have a website. Now, I didn't have time to look if they don't have it a website all, or if they didn't uploaded that info to mls. Offices did have websites, but that was often a "common" website for 20 agents or so. And nobody's name was mentioned on the site. And you are talking about business through facebook, it's like selling houses on the Moon!
Social media can be a great tool, and it can be a great TIME suck. I have learned to home my skimming skills, and I have to really try not to get to engrossed in a thread of comments. I can "waste" an hour just reading the featured AR blogs I get in my email. However, the time I "waste" on AR can also be seen as a great learning session. I learn something new here everyday!
To me, social media is much bigger than marketing. It is the product of a global revolution. I think the innovation which has impacted our culture the most, has been the ipod / iphone. It is basically a small personal computer, that keeps us connected. Our world is shrinking. We can now have face to face conversations on our cell phones. We are technological nomads. We can cross boarders in ways that previous generations never dreamed up. And from a global business perspective, it makes an international network possible and tangible. Social media will continue to evolve and you're either on board, or it passes you by.
Dude. I LOVE the feel of your new blog site. I hope all is going well with you. Facebook was something that I avoided for quite awhile. Once I started using it I saw the value pretty quickly. Now I do my best to get all of my customers and clients to "friend me". having them friend me on FB is so much easier for me than needing to send them cards and letters to stay in touch.
I have to admit though that I'm still not a twitterer.
The best thing about social media for me is that it's fun!!!
Hi Jason -- I would much rather learn from an experienced person who has in-depth social media experience (such as yourself) rather than someone looking from the outside in. A very eloquently written post Jason!
A year or two ago, we might have been able to dismiss social media as a passing fad. But today, to deny it's here to stay, and a VERY useful tool for a multitude of purposes, is akin to denying that the world is round.
Yeah...I hear this a lot too and as with anything that is hated or feared it usually comes from an ignorance of the subject. I am not making a value judgment here just an observation and your point are spot on> Nice work and maybe something that will help others understand even just a little!
Took me a while to catch on too. But, it works!
You definitely get what you pay for... time wise. The investment is more 'time' than it is money. I think you are either 'all in' (like poker) or you are not in the game. That's my 2 cents anyway.
Jason,
I met a neighbor 4 doors down on Twitter. I now also have a local insurance expert to refer business to.
Just one more practical illustration that proves your point,
Steve
Jason,
Good to see you back on AR a little more. I used to hate social media, too. I can't imagine all people liking social media unless they stand an opportunity to benefit in one way or another, especially financially.
Jason,
I like that you mention the fact that many people tend to knock down what they don't understand. Whether it's social media, someone's line of business, lifestyle, etc., there are always people who could care less simply because they don't understand and have no interest!
Paul
Please bring back your thumbs up profile picture. No more thumbs down. :(
Great post. I want to share it with the agents in my office and will reblog it.
Wishing you continued success.
Minds are like parachutes if they are not open they dont work. I am somewhat knew to being agent after being an apprasiser for 16 years. I feel like I have a lot to say and I am a bit dizzy with all of the social media options but every day I am a bit less overwhelmed. I have not success story yet but I know it is out there!
Thanks
You helped open my mind a little about SM Jason - thank you!
The more I use Facebook, the more I appreciate it. I've actually re-connected with a few people from grade school, as well as more recent acquaintances, and I've found a few blog topics there from other people's posts. I even got a buyer referral through Facebook. I'm a believer, although I still have much to learn.
I like Steve's comment #10. People comment on FB users wasting time yet I can tell you that used wisely, it works FOR ME. Maybe it won't work for you but it works FOR ME.
I have gotten listings, and buyers, from my fan page and also from my wide group of friends. Staying top of mind works. Again, it works FOR ME. Not for everyone.
Hi Jason, I love social Media is has given me the platform to generate more business and to make friends at the same time. I has also given me the option to connect with people on an international level... It's awesome. Thanks for this post
Hello Jason, Thank you for this informative post. I plan to re-blog and use in the future.
Patricia/Seacoast NH & ME
Jason - It took me a while to embrace social media but now that I'm using it, I like the way it helps me with my business. Although I don't particularly like to know what some members "eat for breakfast".
I love your definition, spot on and well said. Thanks for being so succint and clear.
Jason - great definition for social media. I am amazed at the number of people who FIGHT social media like it's some kind of disease, but I think you're right - they just don't understand how to use it for their individual goal.
Believe it or not my wife got me started on Farmville, a year ago. After a couple months of that, Cafe World etc. I had to redirect my addiction. Welcome ActiveRain. Something productive and sociable. A new outlook that was much needed. Opened up a whole new world. Pretty wild.
I use social media in business and for personal use. I love catching up with old and new friends. I also love blogging and seeing where my posts end up! It's a great tool - and should be used as part of a larger balanced plan.
Jason--to some extent, social media is what each individual makes it. It can be purely social, purely business or a mixture. It can eat up all of your time or only what you give it. This was a really great post and the comments have been really good too!!
It seems to me I get the social media resistance from people that don't understand it and don't care to learn. Maybe a little fear of the unknown. I would say I was in that boat only 1 year ago.
Nothing better than getting a call from a potential client who found you from a free blog.
"You get what you pay for" DOES apply. Time is money -- the hours we spend learning about and maintaining social media are hours we'll never have to take listings or write contracts.
Social media is what you make of it, and it isn't for everyone... Just like people, different platforms suit different personalities... and there are some hermits that want to stay completely away, too.
I've learned a lot, and still have quite a way to go though it's made a huge difference in my business, and the cost is great.
Jason,
Excellent content. So just out of curiosity what business was your friend in??
Jason, I also hate social media... I love meeting with people... and I miss the simpler times when all we had was email and phone...
I remember when it was a busy email day in the office when I had 20 emails in my inbox... :O)
Does this person not care about people and relationships in general? That's why he made this comment?
Well said...innovation is the name of the 21st Century, and this is just an example of same. Good post!
Nicely said. I think it is also a great way to let people know they are real to us not just a number, that you are interested in them after the sale is made.
Jason - First off, your posts are always so aesthetically appealing! As far as social media is concerned, I do believe its important in our business, but I don't think I would use it quite so much if I didn't need it for our business. Just my preference.
Even though it is "free", it takes time and effort like anything else. You are right that people are skeptical of things that they do not understand. But I know that I can walk away from it all for a week and then jump right back in and catch up, all without feeling like I lost any money.
Great post Jason. Social Media allows for low (to no) cost advertising of yourself and your work. Not to mention, it is great for keeping up with relatives that don't live right around the block!
Jason,
A bunch of folks don't quite get it. It reminds me of the book - Who moved my cheese? Some will come back day after day to look for cheese (business) where it used to be, a few others are willing to venture out to look for new cheese.
Everyone can figure out what works for them, but more and more social media won't be a separate characteristic of your business, it will be a part of your business whether you have to go kicking or screaming.
All the best, Michelle
If it wasn't for social media, I'd have nothing to pass the time on a sleepless night (thank you farmville), I'd have a collection of videos my kids would no longer watch (thank you YouTube), I'd never knew that 3 of my friends share the same birthday (thank you Facebook), and I'd never would have had the opportunity to read great stories and learn so much from the likes of Jason (Crouch and Sardi), Jennifer, Loreena, Katerina, and countless others that I don't have the time to name (thank you ActiveRain). I love Social Media. Plus it helps that I got my first loan from Facebook just a week ago. Great post Jason (as always)!
Great post - it sums it all up pretty well - and while you are right on with the numbers "technically" - I have learned from experience the "social" experience must be nurtured if it is to be effective. Just the other day I logged onto one of my accounts (I manage several for several ppl) I was amiss about being "social" - but rather just posted quotes, retweets, etc... and after about 3 months decided to be "social" and it took a good 45 minutes to get a response from any of my followers! So - beware - don't just show up and post.... be sure to interact.
This is such a great post, Jason! You really summed up Social Media so succinctly. And so much more food for thought and ideas with these great commetns. I could make 15 commentson the comments. Hmm-I guess we are being social here, too.
I'm still a belly to belly person. The problem I have is this: Everyone is glued to a glowing rectangle somewhere somehow. Now when I have a belly to belly lunch or something, we're constantly interupted by their cell phone. Then I sit there most of the time looking at someone talking to someone else. Oh and I just love passing someone doing 45 in a 65 zone and seeing them texting at the wheel. Driving is a full time job!
- Bob, the non social, non cell phone owner, and last non FBer on the planet.
PS. You are looking svelte dude! Good job!
Thanks Bob! You might appreciate my latest post, which I'm guessing might be more to your liking. :)
Oh, please get over yourself. Not everyone sees the value in FB, Twitter, or the like. Your article, you acted surprised by your friend's comment, but why should you be? Ten years ago the "social media revolution" was a mere idea. Now I can't go a day in class without hearing some twit's phone go off with a FB or Tweet update.