Did someone say Mojitos?

We’re in a good place my friend.

It took 50 years for radio to reach its target market and 4 years for the internet to…. So, I think with so few practitioners actually using social media to connect with clients, it’s too early to make a final decision on the matter.

It also can’t be applied globally for all agents. In the count in which I live there are close to 30,000 people – not very big. There are 10 that can be found on facebook and 3 that are using twitter and believe me we’ve looked. So, this is not yet a prime market for this venue. However an hour north in DC, there are a number of agents using blogs and other resources to let clients get to know them and it works well.

All real estate and practices are local….

“the “trolling” comment was on a post a month ago on Bloodhound.”

So. What does that have to do with anything? (I could have sworn it was also posted on your site, but could be mistaken). Where it was, or when it was posted matters not one iota. I’m simply saying I don’t cull through the MLS looking up people’s production — for both reasons I stated — that being it’s not a good source for total production and more importantly, it doesn’t matter to me.

Do I have an opinion on the industry? Of course I do. I thought you were looking for facts. The last thing I want to do is throw out an opinion and have that interpreted as fact. I do NOT have facts on anyone’s production but my own (and my agents). You see Barry, whether you’ll admit it or not, you are very adept at turning a conversation into whatever topic (or down whatever rat hole) meets your fancy at the moment. Had I proffered an opinion, it’s likely that would have been met with, “I want facts, not opinion”. I proffer facts, and now you want opinion.

OK. Fine.

My opinion, for what it’s worth, is simple:

Some agents make money from blogging and other aspects of social media. Others do not.

Earth shattering, isn’t it?

My opinion is that not-so-many make much money. And I think that holds true with real estate sales in general. Whether an agent is “Web 1.0″, “Web 2.0″ or “old school”, my opinion is the vast majority of people in the industry don’t make enough money to survive.

That opinion is somewhat supported by the Pareto Principal — the old “80/20″ rule. It’s also somewhat supported by my old C21 office, where someone at the bottom of the annual “Top 10″ list didn’t clear $20K. I can’t say if that holds true for any other office, though I suspect it does.

But I have never asked someone “How much do you make?” For one, it’s none of my business, for two, in any industry people generally tend to over-inflate production numbers, and for three, I really don’t care. So I have no factual idea how many make how much.

Would it be interesting to know how many agents made how much money utilizing “social media”? I guess so. I like facts and stats, so I can see it being of interest in that way. But how would knowing that make me more money? I don’t feel the need to emulate anyone who is “successful” at social media. I do my own thing. It seems to work for me. Though it may sound contrary, social media is pretty much an individual sport. How someone else maximizes it may not work for me. Likewise how I utilize it won’t work for everyone (maybe anyone) else.

It may not be about money..but what about branding!

I’m sure that if you poll each person using social media networking – they’ll give you a different answer to the question of their primary purpose. If you asked me, it would be a different goal in each of the different platforms.

In Twitter, I found and made friends with locals. One mentioned moving a couple of weeks ago. I answered him. I will be listing his home after meeting his family last week and they will be purchasing another through me. I love it! Bonus….. on Twitter I get to chit chat with agents and get to know more of their personality.

On Facebook, my main focus is to meet up with long lost school pals from my journeys around the world.

etc, etc.

I rarely remember to throw links to my stuff on Twitter. I don’t think about money first. Caring about the people and not worrying about the money has actually turned out to be a brilliant career move for me.

The people who network for business, hard core business, probably unfollow me in a heartbeat. I could care less about “measurably increasing my revenue.” I just like the people and the revenue kinda happened. I can live with it.

Now you complain that my comments are about the PERSON answering.

Of course they are.

Here’s the deal. I can’t speak for anyone else Barry. I simply don’t know about anyone else’s income from social media. I can only speak for me, the individual. How else am I supposed to answer? Want me to just make some shit up? Would that satisfy you?

How is it that you expect me, or anyone, to speak for anyone else? I don’t troll the MLS looking up other people’s production for a couple of reasons: 1) the MLS doesn’t tell the whole story; and 2) I really don’t care about anyone else’s numbers.

I can’t speak for the industry. All I can do is tell you that yes, I’ve had success and made money from social media. And to be perfectly honest, I could give a rat’s ass if anyone else has. Can other people make money from real estate social media? Of course they can. I’m nothing special. If I can do it, anyone can. Are others making money? I suspect so, but have neither the tools, nor the desire, to prove it.

YOU asked, “I’d really like to know if those of you who have had the good fortune of putting a face to the keyboard handle have been able to extend beyond the cordialities and actually conduct business amongst your new found friends.”

The answer for ME, is yes. Sorry that answer is about the individual and not the industry, but (again) I can’t speak for the industry.

YOU said, “I was merely asking to gain insight as to what different people are doing to further their business in this realm”

I believe I’ve answered that, from my perspective. How you expect me to answer it for anyone else is beyond me.

YOU said, “I am trying to ascertain what aspects of social media make the most sense.”

Again, and only for me, it’s primarily blogging. I have gotten clients, or increased my “web presence” from other aspects of social media such as “social networks” like LinkedIn, Faceboook, and Twitter. But blogging is 95% of it. But (again) I can’t speak for anyone else.

YOU asked, “Are you an agent who blogs or a blogger that sells real estate occasionally?”

I thought it was pretty clear, but I’ll be specific and use your words. I am an agent who blogs.

Sorry for your frustration Barry, but you asked questions, and I answered them — yes, as an individual, not as the industry. The reason for that is simply because I can’t speak for anyone else.

I’m sure I’ve missed your point again, but that’s the best I can do. I’m still not sure exactly what it is you’re looking for. Explain it to me like I’m three years old. Maybe I’ll get it then.

Let’s re-phrase and let’s talk about our business….are real estate agents as a whole, the 2 or 3 % who get this anyway, utlizing social media to actually measurably increase revenue for their BUSINESS or are they mainly utilizing social media for kibitzing? So hopefully we can now have some better discourse instead of making it about individuals.

Let’s talk the industry vs. individuals.

You’re an internet person, right? It’s like a mashup. People come together and socialize to make money or not.

The dynamics of the social network is amazing…we are all here for different reasons and there is no wrong answer. Just as long as you know why you are here. If you came here specifically to run this as a business to make money, then run it that way and make money. If you are not achieving what you expected to do in the RE Social Network then you need to back up and regroup. Everyone needs to understand that coming in…but they don’t. Some people think it’s all about driving traffic to one’s website to get ad money. I prefer to build relationships and make money…in that order.

Maybe the answer is not cut and dried. Why does it have to be EITHER business OR friendship? Can’t it be both?

Real estate is a people business. People looking for an agent “connect” in different ways. Some want the aggressive, take no prisoners style while others want a “friend”, perhaps even a parent. Most are probably somewhere between those two extremes.

I can’t count how many clients, paying clients, have said something along the lines of, “we feel like we’ve known you for a long time from your blog”. People don’t call and say, “I want to talk about listing my home”. They call and say, “bring the paperwork and list my home”. My blog is my “listing presentation”. And it markets and prospects for me 24 x 7 x 365.

I routinely inject “random musings” into my blog. That I do that is no surprise — it’s right there in the header graphic. It is often (very often) that those very random musings are what clients “connect” with.

Do I piss people off by going off-topic? Almost certainly. Do I “lose” potential clients? Almost certainly. And I don’t care. If someone doesn’t like the way I am, that’s fine. I’d rather find out up front than after dragging them all over town looking at homes. No single agent is the right agent for everyone. I’m sure plenty have read my blog and said, “I could never use that guy for an agent”. And you know what? That’s *great*! Saves them and me both a lot of time and stress.

Hell yes I blog for business. That’s the primary reason. But it’s not the only reason. I also blog to learn, to share, to meet people and for fun. Commenting on this thread isn’t going to get me any direct business. But with every comment and response, I learn a little bit more about human nature. And THAT may just in the long run wind up getting me business.

My question, which somehow gets clouded into a web of disdain, is that is this a business forum or a freindship platform. It’s hard sometimes to get straight answers. Now gotbob speaks about one stressing about money…this discussion sometimes gets comical.

Of course money isn’t the only thing. I have my family and many friends. I am speaking from purely a BUSINESS perspective. It’s 1:15 Eastern, which means this is smack dab in the middle of the business day.

That being said are most here considering themselves as conducting business or hanging out with friends. Since I doubt very seriously any of the bloggers herein are buying from each other then it appears to be the latter.

We are getting ready to do our broadcast and we are in preproduction and as such this research provides us with fodder for on air discussion. So it allows me to conduct business activity while discussing matters with each of you.

Teresa’s response answered plenty. She does business with her real estate blog…which in turn presumably tells me this is the country club side of things if you will. Works for me..just wonder about the others.

See what happens when you bring my name into a conversation? Bad Teresa…

I know one thing…social networking is work…so in a sense that makes it a business. If in fact you have to have a business plan. Search “Social Network Business Plan” and you will see I do have one. We are all in the the business of making money otherwise we would be out of business. The value I place on friendships are much higher than I place on money, because when they bury me…Lincoln, Washington and all the other dead presidents aren’t going to mean anything to me or anyone else for all that matter.

Now, will I hopefully benefit financially from these friendships??? Directly and indirectly, by either sending me referrals directly or making me a better Real Estate Agent and gaining indirect business. Not only are these people inside my computer but fortunately they are in front of me. I meet more clients on line than I do any other marketing effort.

If you can’t figure this out, then you have been looking in the wrong place. I realized a long time ago the more you stress about trying to make money…the more you stress about making money. The more you go out and meet people (on and off line) the more money you make… Opportunity presents itself whenever you create opportunity.

I fortunately had the opportunity to meet Teresa Boardman and Kim Wood on this last venture.