Comments on: Do Realtors Really Need A Social Media Manager?

By: RE Online Marketing

RE Online Marketing — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 23:27:47 +0000

Who's got a Social Media Manager? http://fb.me/K2gH5oRA

By: Greg Fleischaker

Greg Fleischaker — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:52:18 +0000

I find that I must agree with the last few comments. No one single rule is good for everybody, and while some Realtors will abhor the idea of using a social media manager, others might greatly benefit from handing off some responsibilities to other people. I don’t see social media as being much different than other aspects of running a successful business, and most people don’t perform every single job that needs to happen, in real estate, or any other business.

By: Bruno Andrews

Bruno Andrews — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:00:44 +0000

As a Social Media Manager myself, I feel inclined to chime in. A good Social Media Manager will not necessarily tweet, blog or update for you. The right SMM will find what is important to you, and work from there. With some of my clients I only do basics such as respond to urgent messages and requests (alerting my client to the problem), cleaning out social media in-boxes, deleting spam and spammers, and posting blog updates. This allows my client to focus on nothing but building relationships and using the social network efficiently.

This may not be the case for a full time SMM but as a freelance I can adjust to your needs and offer my clients the services they need. It’s much cheaper than a full time manager, easier to work with, less intrusive and more intuitive than a full time member on staff. A freelance SMM can work with any size business down to individual entrepreneurs.

Just my two cents.

By: CashFlow Queen

CashFlow Queen — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:51:33 +0000

Reading through the comments were great feedback for my research. I happen to own a Social Media Management company and for the most part what our company does is manage our clients presence across the various social media platforms.

We will initially go in and create profiles, fanpages and blogs for our clients insuring that proper keywords are put in place so they may be found in search engines and we do some graphics for those that may need it.

Initially we will have a social media strategy session with our clients to understand what type of time commitment that want from us and what are they willing to put in.

Yes social networking is all about cultivating relationships and expanding your network however there is not anything wrong with having a dedicated team to help manage the various platforms for you…especially your blog.

I have seen some RE blogs that could definitely use some help as they haven’t been updated in ages. Your blog is the central point of any successful social media strategy as it allows the interaction and connect all the other platforms and is constantly crawled by search engines because f the regularity in fresh new content.

But if you don’t update your blog or just use it as a static website then it does you no good

My suggestion is if you do hire a SMM company to have regular meetings at least weekly to stay up to date and get metrics on the various sites. Also have all the usernames/password for each platform so that you too can go in and network and also monitor your brand.

Just so you know SMM don’t pretend to be their clients. That’s now what we do.

At the end of the day the decision to hire or not to hire will depend on the individual themselves and how far they wish to take social media marketing. If you have more time than money then your best bet would be to set it up yourself and carve out time each week to socially network and put out educational content that your network will value.

Lastly if hiring a SMM company make sure that they also understand “online marketing, metrics and SEO” as well to further your brand and exposure the correct way.

By: Las Casas Realty Inc

Las Casas Realty Inc — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:58:20 +0000

good post. Thank u 4 sharing! RT @AgentGenius http://bit.ly/dska59 #agnow #Real #estate #LA #marketing #SM

By: AgentGenius

AgentGenius — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:53:23 +0000

#agnow Jeff thanks and I agree with what you said. I believe in total transparent and authentic relationships which... http://bit.ly/dska59

By: Eric Mieles

Eric Mieles — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:53:22 +0000

Jeff thanks and I agree with what you said. I believe in total transparent and authentic relationships which lead to trust and credibility. However that being said I do still see a way that Social Media strategists could play a huge role in our profession.
First the strategy and leadership role they create for the Realtor would have to be authentic. It couldn’t be faked and added-on the personal brand and message would have to be cultivated from within. Also if they were hired to create content that content would have to be informational and relevant to their target market.
It couldn’t be fake or created and passed on as their creation. For example as a buyer who found your site online. You had tons of content in the form of text. From blog posts, to articles on how to buy, finance etc. I would consume that content and find it very valuable to me. My first thought wouldn’t be “Ohhh wait this guy is a fraud”. However if your my friend on FB and Twitter and your pretending to interact with me and communicate and I later find out it wasn’t you. I’m DONE!! I lose trust and I start to wonder about you. So all in all I believe it has its place and I believe you must be very conscientious about how you go about it.

By: AgentGenius

AgentGenius — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:18:05 +0000

#agnow ps.. In just read Erics comment above me... he is spot on. These forms of social media is to form and cult... http://bit.ly/dska59

By: AgentGenius

AgentGenius — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:16:13 +0000

#agnow Ken... what I think it comes down to from the perspective of a realtor, loan officer, escrow person, etc... ... http://bit.ly/dska59

By: Jeff Belonger

Jeff Belonger — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:18:04 +0000

ps.. In just read Erics comment above me… he is spot on. These forms of social media is to form and cultivate real elationships. which is part of the point that I was trying to make, but I lost sight on… and wandering all over in my comment.. lol thanks

By: Jeff Belonger

Jeff Belonger — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:16:12 +0000

Ken… what I think it comes down to from the perspective of a realtor, loan officer, escrow person, etc… is that you are either a marketing guru… that you want to be well known, in the spot light… to teach people how to become successful, and sell secrets that you have collected over the years… while making a living doing this… VS.. the true professional.. that is blogging, on facebook, twitter… etc, etc.. all in the name of networking, but for the consumer.. for the most part.’

So… my point? It takes time to learn all of this and you can be personal with your sphere of influence, your past clients, and new clients… if I hired a social media manager to touch facebook, to tweet for me, to touch my fan page and such… people might see this… knowing me and my personality, might pick up that it’s not me… and especially from those borrowers that I actually closed already, who know me.. and I might know that they just had a new baby, new house… well, if I am answering them, my manager wouldn’t know this part and wouldn’t be able to reconnect with them.

Yes, it takes times… but I know successful people that do it all themselves, and are good at it… it takes pride, time, and dedication.

Now.. I nknow this one loan officer… that blogs a lot… is all over facebook.. twitter, just published a book… has been mentioned in a mortgage magazine as one of the top 25 most recognized loan officers in regards to social media and such… well, sorry, but this person is a fake. He is the marketing guru… he use to follow my posts, comment, and tell me what excellent info that I would put out there. Just last month, I came across one of his blog posts and recognized it as someone else’s… so I read some more of his… another one that looked the same.. and another.. so I decided to e-mail him… and all he said was, he has paid for the rights… don’t worry about it. lol This just told me that he doesn’t write his own stuff… yet he acts as an expert… he even told me that I do a good job, but that he doesn’t have the time… Sorry… BS… I know someone that ran a mortgage company, has 3 blog sites of his own… runs a radio show… and writes on 4 other sites… and on top of that, is a ghost writer… and he is good with facebook and twitter… it takes time. This other guy.. just a poor excuse… he comes across as a rock star, but with false credentials. I even read one comment on his facebook, when he was mentioned in a paper… the person said… hey Mr so-called loan officer guru… you have credibility now, because you are being recognized… LOL Yea, with someone else’s work… again, I just call him a great marketer. My problem, that he passes himself off as someone else, as an expert… yet there is no proof out there… and just excuses…

Okay…. I am babbling… but I have so much to say in regards to those that want to be seen every where, but to have someone do it for them… I guess I am a straight shooter that believes in another form of transparency… good post.

By: AgentGenius

AgentGenius — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:05:08 +0000

#agnow Here are a few success stories for you: Twitter: youtube.com/watch?v=uyb2XzNlcc0 Facebook: youtube.com/watch... http://bit.ly/dska59

By: AgentGenius

AgentGenius — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:04:43 +0000

#agnow I believe most are missing the point of what social media can do. Most tend to think in terms of the "What" ... http://bit.ly/dska59

By: Liz Downey

Liz Downey — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:11:51 +0000

RT @dkdrealestate Interesting post... http://ht.ly/2wS2f Social Media and Realtors. They should def have a presence, but hiring a SMM? Ehhh

By: AgentGenius

AgentGenius — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:00:39 +0000

#agnow It is definitely advisable to find someone who "gets" real estate... it will help them define a strategy muc... http://bit.ly/dska59

By: Diane K. Danielson

Diane K. Danielson — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:44:21 +0000

As a realtor do you need a social media manager? good debate: http://ht.ly/2wS2f // Social media=yes, Social media manager=depends.

By: Eric Mieles

Eric Mieles — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:36:00 +0000

I believe most are missing the point of what social media can do. Most tend to think in terms of the “What” rather than the “Why”. Social media is a chance to form real relationships just like you would in real life. You don’t walk up to someone at a party and say “My name is Eric. I have this listing for sale…Buy it now”. You begin to get to know someone, you ask those questions, you form a bond and create trust and credibility. Social media allows for the tools to do this more effectively and with a wider audience.
Rather than social media managers there should be social media strategist like someone mentioned earlier. You MUST have a strategy and you MUST be able to consistently create, develop, and optimize CONTENT toward that strategy. Social Media allows us to have a UNIQUE voice. We now have the tools to have a megaphone directed right at our target market and talk to them directly about our unique message. The problem is our profession continuously wants to be all things to all people. We end up being nothing to nobody!

By: RiaEnjolie, Inc.

RiaEnjolie, Inc. — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:35:45 +0000

Do Realtors Really Need A Social Media Manager? http://bit.ly/cO4k81

By: Michael Calienes

Michael Calienes — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:57:03 +0000

Do Realtors Really Need A Social Media Manager? http://ht.ly/2wQcU

By: Tassia Bezdeka

Tassia Bezdeka — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:00:37 +0000

It is definitely advisable to find someone who “gets” real estate… it will help them define a strategy much more effectively.

You might consider hiring a new licensee as an assistant… they will probably be younger (which means they will likely have an inherent grasp of SM), you will mentor them, and they can manage many aspects of your business (such as managing schedules and appointments, open houses, TC work, showing houses, etc) besides the social media presence.