The days of one-way advertising with a controlled message were in many ways easier for those in the business of attracting customers, but nowadays, consumers want to be conversed with, rather than at. (My grade school nuns would be rapping my knuckles over those dangling prepositions!).

With social networking platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, consumers are talking about us publicly, whether we choose to be part of the conversation or not, on venues that are not just for salespeople or geeks. So our view of marketing and business development has to change, with the understanding that some of these activities cannot be delegated to marketing departments.

CEOs who jump into the social networking fray have a huge opportunity to build loyalty for their brands by being approachable, consumer-focused, and yes, cool! In fact, the higher-ranking the executive, the more impressive it is to see such an individual conversing with “regular people.” It demonstrates a genuine desire to know what consumers think about your brand, your product and your people, and is very likely something your top brokerage competitor is not doing….at least for now. This is no different than what successful brokers have done for years….just using a different medium.

I was at an awards trip dinner here in Chicago last night for a LeadingRE member company, and the broker wished an agent in the audience Happy Birthday, because he had written her a birthday card a few days before…a practice he still follows for every associate, even though he now has over 2,000 agents. An associate sitting next to me leaned over and whispered, “That’s why I’m at this company.”

So along the same lines, this is your chance as the company leader to not only instill pride in your own team but to engage consumers as well. if you are running a brokerage, or some major division of one, and think social networking is for “other people,” think again. But don’t think that having someone ghostwrite on your behalf will work. It has to be you.

This new kind of marketing costs you time, but the investment provides a wonderful opportunity to weave your philosophy, company culture, and BHAG (big, hairy, audacious goals) into your messaging. While social networking as a marketing strategy is still relatively new, it is already gaining traction.

In addition to authenticity (being real), we hear a lot about transparency. But maybe what we really need is translucency. You don’t necessarily have to share every detail or information you think of as proprietary. Data and statistics are good, and it’s OK to emphasize your strengths, but be sure you are being honest and not omitting pertinent information for spin purposes. For example, if you sell more in a certain price point, don’t show your company as #1 versus competitors unless you are clear that you are not talking about the entire market or all price ranges.

There are some basic rules of engagement for social networking. Here is a humorous one about Facebook, and presentations at the recent LeadingRE conference by Matthew Ferrara and Gerry Bourgeois also offer great tips as well.

In this troubled market, we’ve seen examples of brokers and associates who use video and blogging on their websites and intranets and, in a non-salesy way, on social networking sites to share market updates and analysis. What better way to showcase the ‘trusted expert’ persona of the real estate professional? We complain about being underestimated by the public in terms of the value we provide. Now we have the platform to educate them on what we do and what we know. Let’s use it!


Posted By: Pam O’Connor