Is Facebook A Toad Or A Prince?
Everywhere I go, I hear earfuls of Facebook yadder. It’s a time suck. It’s a tool. It’s the future. It’s a fad. I don’t get it. Who cares. Get a life. I’m an addict. Don’t you work? Etc. You hear it too, right?
Here’s the deal.
In 2010 and beyond, Facebook will be the most important conversation channel, persona differentiator and relationship builder in the history of humans.
Facebook will also render the unimaginative as irrelevant and invisible.
I could be wrong, but I believe Facebook is…
The Most Important Tool Of Our Future
Here’s why:
- Given a choice, people choose to engage/hire an agent they know, like and trust. Studies and experience confirm this.
- People remember the names of people/agents they know, like and trust. Common sense and experience confirm this.
- People recommend, refer and hire agents they remember. Observation and experience confirm this.
If 1, 2, and 3 are true, then creating Top Of Mind Awareness as a person who is liked, known and trusted and happens to be a kick-ass real estate agent, is the Golden Key to success. It has always been so.
How do we create Top Of Mind Awareness you might ask? Creating Top Of Mind Awareness requires 3 R things. Repetition, Relevance and Remarkability. Simple to grasp, harder to do. Yesterday we muscled and monologued our Top Of Mind Awareness with direct mail, door knocking, billboarding, TV commercials, telephone calls, print ads and social butterflying at networked gathering like Chamber Of Commerce, Drunko, PTO, etc.. Most of flexing was rude, crude and demeaning.
Today, pointing Facebook properly engages, entertains, enlightens, informs, attracts and nurtures relationships — with permission.
When we comment and engage with FB friends about what they’re sharing, our relevant comments and conversation can be viewed by all their FB Friends. Exponential amplification is possible. Where else is this relevant and exponential engagement and conversation possible?
Of course if you give bad Facebook, it’ll detonate exponentially and turn your Facebook into a hot-mess Faceplant.
The Three R’s and Facebook
Repetition
In the real world, you can’t be everywhere all the time…duh. In the real world unless you’re physically talking to someone, you have no idea what’s going on in their life (exception = gossip).
On planet Facebook you can be in front of your friends/suspects/prospects wherever they are, at their convenience. We can engage with our Facebook tribe daily. Done properly, with respect and consideration, it’s not spam, awkward, inconvenient, random or demeaning. It’s permission based conversation.
I recommend to my friends that they review the status updates of their FB friends daily – comment, share, encourage, engage and click the “Like” link often. Update your status and share your stuff once or twice daily.
Let’s remember, nobody posts their updates to Facebook hoping that nobody will notice. Human nature screams for attention and an sense of significance. How are we satisfying our friends basic human needs? By commenting, sharing and conversing with others, not focusing on ourselves and sell, sell, selling.
Relevance
By engaging with my FB friends about things that are happening in their lives, everything we say or share is relevant to them specifically. Our engagement isn’t random it’s relevant and memorable.
Remarkability
According to TechCrunch.com, there are over 250,000,000 million active registered users of Facebook. How many of the 250,000,000 are Realtors? The opportunity to create Top Of Mind Awarness is monstrous. Commenting, sharing and engaging others, specifically about what’s going on their lives, will absolutely make you remarkable. Especially if you’re not shouting and foaming at the mouth about you! Instead, focus all your fizz on smartly smiling, liking, winking, laughing, sharing and hugging the most important person on the planet — them. This behavior is remarkable.
But, let’s beware, just like the real world, if you’re a knuckle-head , this digital mojo can backfire.
Avoid Facebook Faceplants
The Universal Law Of Duality demands disaster equal to opportuninty. Here’s a few tips on avoiding Facebook faceplants.
- Don’t close your mind, scoff, make excuses or ignore the buzz. Do embrace and suckface with Facebook.
- Don’t talk about yourself too much, pretend you’re someone you’re not or Sell, Sell, Sell. Do engage and comment on what others are sharing and share what others are sharing. Oddly, when you make it not about you, and all about them, it becomes all about you.
- Don’t update, comment or drive when you’re drunk or high. Do be respectful, polite, funny, candid and real.
- Don’t Facebook focus on your Realtor friends. Do shower civilians with affection and attention.
- “Use the tool, don’t be a tool.” ~ Sarah Bonert
- Don’t lurk, watch and wallflower. Do share links, photos and videos. Do give credit to others. Do be cool and kind.
- Don’t spend all your time banging around Facebook. Do get offline, out and about. Do use Facebook as the bridge to face-to-face, the most important engagement of all.
Are You Filling Your Facebook Lake Or A Piddling Puddle?
Tomorrow, prospective employers will use the depth and breadth of our Facebook persona and engagement to help them figure out who to choose, refer and recommend. The days of printed personal brochures and previously traditional forms of personal promotion will be history. With Facebook we can fashion our own personal lake of information, engagement, experience and entertainment. The question is, will our lake be deep, wide and fizzy or a piddling puddle of insignificance and boredom?
I say, let’s get started. Fill your lake with fizz, fun, personality and professionalism. What do you say?
That’s My “Suckface With Facebook Today or You’ll Just Plain Suck Tomorrow” story.
And I’m sticking to it.
Get started. Watch. Learn. Open eyes and open ears. Be curious. Share. Conversate. Engage.
Suckface with Facebook today or ignore and invisible your way to nowhere.
Have comments? Suggestions? Tips? Think it’s all poppy-cock? Let’s hear it.
Cheers.
PS. Wanna keep your finger on the Facebook pulse? Read these: AllFacebook.com and InsideFacebook.com
PS. Derek Overbey shared this cool video titled, “Social Media Revolution”
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Consumerism, Geo-mapping columnist
Marketing columnist
All I can say is ‘Bravo.’ You’ve summarized exactly what can be SO right about facebook, and what so many do SO wrong with facebook.
Thanks for a super post, Ken – one of the most comprehensive I have seen on the current state and potential of Facebook. More and more folks are jumping on the bandwagon. Let’s just hope there is a proportional increase in those who “get” it.
Sometimes “Silence Is Golden” ; )
What I see is a tool for adults and a toy for kids. Really what facebook does for me is a tool for building relationships. They are the backbone of any marketing strategy. Although I still haven’t figured out how to create any ads with success on facebook. The ability to target is really cool, but people just aren’t in the buying mode when they are on facebook.
Facebook | Linked-in | Twitter
FB is all about building a presence and connecting with people on several levels. Since I am somewhat new to the real estate field, FB has by far been the best way for me to let past and present friends know about my career change. I have reconnected with many, many people and I have also picked up a few clients from people who did not yet know that I had changed careers. It has been a great way to put myself out there and in return it is an easy and casual way for people to visit and see what assistance I can offer them. To not actively participate on FB could be a detriment to one’s future potential.
Ken — If you hadn’t been the author, I woulda yawned before even finishing.
I’d love to hear from agents who’ve consistently done significant business via FB.
Damn you to hell — there’s now a hook in my lip.
Ryan – Thanks.
Joe – You know once the Board of Realtors begins to offer Facebook 101 classes, more will snuggle up to FB. But alas, human nature and the Lemmings Law will prevail and the fizzy will rise.
RG – Crickets.
Chris – I haven’t tried ads yet, but I believe you’re right, it’s mostly a connection/relationship deal now.
BawldGuy – You make me laugh and thank you for the compliment. As for direct connections, I’ve heard stories and have experienced the Top Of Mind Awareness phenomena. FB is sorta like ice cubes in the relationship cocktail, it’s not the mixer and it’s not the alcohol, with out ice, the cocktail probably sucks.
Cheers friends, thanks for reading and commenting.
Oh, this is great. Now, I have to change. Crap.
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Hi Ken, I’m in agreement somewhat re FB but am not a big fan. (I know, I’m in the minority!) To me it’s a place I have to have a presence on, and to be around people I KNEW or know now; Twitter (my drug of choice) is a place to meet NEW people and gain knowledge.
But I’m marketing… did you see my new ad? http://buckingtherealestatetre.....tive-rain/
@bestLAliving.com thanks for printing a relevant article that will get some of the 40-50 somethings off the coach and embracing new social media. Oh, wait, selfishly, maybe they won’t…more for me..ha,ha
What a well put together post for any new FB user. Facebooks 3rd commandment, “Don’t update, comment or drive when you’re drunk or high.” Great!
awesome information!
@KenBrand GR8 article on Suckface With Facebook Today or Tomorrow. Well done!
Russell – I see your tongue is poking your right cheek out. Change is the only sure thin and as you’ve shared, the fail faster succeed mantra is fast track to kicking butt. thanks for reading.
Susie – Too funny. I don’t have any ass neighbors, but believe me, I know plenty and sometimes I are one too. Cheers.
Renee – Not to worry, you can cram sweet stuff down someone’s throat and they’d spit it out like sour milk, thankfully, fizz always rises to the the top. thanks.
Paul – Some of the most outrageous stories start with….”Well I’d been drinking….then….” FB, Twitter, Texting etc. same thing;-) Thanks.
Rachel – Thanks.
Jim S. Thank you.
Thank you for the comments, compliments and reading my stuff. I appreciate it. Clink-Cheers.
Ken this was great! People so often talk about what a waste of time FB and Twitter are, but I like you see it as a gem. Keep up the great posts. I learn so much from you!
Ha ha isn’t that the truth!
Well, I’m on FaceBook.. I come across as who I am.. Not much in real estate talking..
Got a couple of inquiries, nothing hot though…
Ken,
This post pretty much answered several questions I had about Facebook – and in particular – your use of it.
I must confess to the sincerest form of Ken flattery – I’ve been repeating my posts too – after watching yours pop back up through the day. I’m working on the “Remarkability” but thanks to FB friends like you, I’ve just about got the relevance and repetition thing down pat.
Navy Chief, Navy Pride
Ken,
I am a recent college graduate and have decided to pursue real estate. I have “grown up” so to speak using facebook for connecting personally with people in college, but now am looking to it, and other social media sights to connect professionally. My question for you is should I create a new FB page, or a FB fan page for real estate, or should I continue to use my page that I have used throughout college?
Jason
Adriana – Thanks – Correct, gems it is, all we have to do is polish up and stick’m in our crown, or magic wand.
Jim – Keep on keeping on, FB is a positioning/amplification/awareness/ tool and toy. Cheers.
Joe – Amen. Thanks, I track my little broadcast tweets with Su.pr.com no doubt at different times of day, different folks are viewing. Twitter like a river, when we throw our bottle in, it drifts down stream out of site. So I keep chucking bottles. Thanks Joe.
Jason – Good question. I’m no expert, but, I also have a Business/Fan Page. Hate the word “FAN”, it’s so freaking pretentious, unless you’re a bona-fide rock star, anyway, I would create a business page. With that page, you can advertise and promote your listings and business stuff more aggressively. You wanna go slow on the biz stuff with your FB profile page and WFO on the biz page. The people who sign up for you biz page know it’s biz page and will accept more aggressive marketing. Hope that helps.
Thanks everyone:-)
One of the things I’m most fascinated by is the frequency of interaction that I have with past clients and friends. It’s very social, very comfortable, and requires a minimal amount of time. Such an easy way to create the Top of Mind Awareness you are referring to.
As for business results, one of my recent listings came from a past client that contacted me via Facebook. That is fascinating to me. Not by phone, not by email, but Facebook?! It speaks to the importance of being where the eyeballs are. A lot of my clients are on Facebook. Would she have contacted me otherwise? Maybe. Glad I don’t have to find out.
Linsey – Exactly and even better, it’s just the beginning. Cheers. By the way, I was out in San Diego last week, your weather is freaking awesome!
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I <3 Facebook and I don't care who hears me say it
I have a profile, 2 Pages, and a handful of Groups that I administer and/or like to stay up with…and I'm having a blast. A few nibbles for real business but I have no doubt that the seeds are being sown. Everywhere I go anymore I hear 'I saw your ____ on Facebook' or some such conversations ensue. Connections are being made!
I sure wish I knew how to get those Facebook/Twitter/Flickr/LinkedIn icons on my blog, website, email signature. Am I just plain stupid? Can you give me any pointers?
Great article on facebook – I’m a fan, but I admit to spurts of great activity, and then a long hiatus.
BRAVO!!! WELL PUT!!! Love it!!!!