The Power of Response in Social Media
So I wanted to share something that’s been driving me crazy lately and that is the perception of social media as it applies to marketing your business. There are some people who see social media as a stand in for print advertising and this is absolutely absurd. When someone posts on facebook, youtube, or twitter, they’re engaging in a conversation, an interaction with other people. However, that conversation is not nearly as powerful when it’s only one sided and you simply throw out posts, links, tweets and videos without responding to the people who saw those and engaged you. Business relationships are built on trust and likability and when you spend the extra five seconds to reach out to people, you increase both.
I first realized this when I had responded to something @garyvee had said. Now at the time, I had just watched his clip on Conan O’Brien and mentioned him in a tweet and within a few minutes, low and behold he had responded. I was so thrilled! In that moment, there was a strange paradigm shift for me because I realized that by taking the extra two seconds to respond, everything had changed. It made me feel important. It made me recognize how social media removed barriers for connecting with so called ‘unreachable’ people. But most of all, it made me really like this person because they took the time to respond to me.
Responding and taking the time to care is possibly the easiest way to give value to others. And really this is no different than how we socialize in the real world. We gravitate towards people who genuinely care about us, people who are willing to take a few minutes out of their day to listen and engage in what we have to say.
And here’s the kicker; as a byproduct of those conversations and caring, you gain loyal fans, prospects and clients.
So how does this translate into actions? When you post something on facebook and people reply, always respond back! It breaks my heart to see a post where there are 8 comments on a status update and the person who posted it didn’t respond to any of them. That’s 8 people who could give you a referral. That’s eight people who might be looking for a home. That’s eight people who may just be really awesome people who you can share a laugh with. But whatever the case, reach out and allow that likability and trust to develop.
When someone retweets something posted, give them a shout out or thank them. It’s so subtle and easy yet it can make all the difference. When someone mentions you in a tweet, respond. Even when someone is critical of you or something you posted, take the time to address what they had to say by responding. This alone can protect your brand.
So whether it be online or in person, make a point to reach out and respond to others because if you can’t do that, you will always get less than optimal results when marketing your real estate business.
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