Just Released – Social Media Guide for Real Estate
I am happy to announce that my new book is here! The Social Media Guide For Real Estate will feel good in your hands and make you look smart sitting on your bookshelf. Your colleagues will be envious and say, “Wow, what I would give to be on the cutting edge…” You can check out the details below or order here.
So here’s the deal, I want to give a lot of these away!
In fact, I will give out one copy every day for the rest of this month. Want to win one? All you need to do is:
Send out a tweet. Just copy and paste the following: Hey @mikelyon I want a free copy of your new book Social Media Guide for Real Estate http://bit.ly/smguide4re
and/or
Head over to Facebook and share this blog post on your profile or page. You need to let me know by tagging me here or my page here. Don’t know how to tag, no big deal – just post on my wall that you shared it, or on the DoYouConvert page.
(you can post until you win or your friends get annoyed)
Of course, if you don’t want to go through all that trouble and wait around to win – you could always just pick up a copy now.
Thanks to everyone who helped get this book out and I look forward to your feedback!
Why You Need This Book
Are you looking for answers in this brave new Web 2.0 world? The opportunities to connect with potential buyers abound, but navigating these uncharted waters have left many real estate professionals with a bad case of “analysis paralysis”. The Social Media Guide for Real Estate will help you establish a clear strategy for your business that will produce a steady stream of qualified clients while helping to position you as the undisputed expert in your field.
In This Book You Will Learn:
- What “social media” is and how it works for the Real Estate business
- What social networking sites will work best for your business model
- Ideas for producing high quality content that gets attention
- Useful tools to help you efficiently manage all these sources (and not waste valuable time)
- The proper etiquette for utilizing the social networking sites, like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
- How to create a strategy to avoid overload
- And much, much more…
What industry leaders are saying
“Mike has a unique blend of real estate common sense and social media savvy. As our social media coach, he provides timely and effective strategies to help our agents grow their business. His powerful impact has moved Facebook into the top 10 referring sites for ReeceAndNichols.com”
Jerry Reece, CEO, Reece and Nichols
"When it comes to understanding how social media can be used to grow a real estate business, Mike Lyon is the expert. His no-nonsense approach is not only practical, it is very doable. This guide is THE GUIDE to understanding the ‘Why’ and the ‘How’ to make it happen."
Bryan Sheppard, CEO, Coldwell Banker Select
Video Interview – Building a House and a Blog at the Same Time
Building a home is an experience, not a transaction. Alaina Money, Sales Manager at Garman Homes, has taken this reality to the masses with her blog, buildlikeagirl.biz. Having sold many homes, Alaina decided she needed to get the perspective of her buyers. Convinced it would make her a better sales manager, she went into the trenches with the construction crew and got an insider’s view into the process—and has been blogging about it.
Recently I had the chance to visit with Alaina —aka “A Money”—and Jim Garman via Skype about the experiences.
Alaina Money Interview
Jim Garman Interview
Lively, witty, fun, and informative, Alaina uses the blogging medium to give the outside world an inside look, not just at the home-building process, but of the people of Garman Homes. “Our best asset is our people and we want people to get to know us better. Then they know we’ll do the right thing,” Alaina told me. “The blog brings people into the experience—the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
Jim Garman, owner of Garman Homes, supports Alaina’s transparency because her openness is building trust. He says, “The generation that is going to be buying homes the next 10 years is all about transparency. They want to see the people behind the company. Alaina makes people feel like they are part of the adventure so they’re okay with a mistake here and there. Alaina has blogged about a few tough issues. At a larger company that blog might have been censored.”
In addition to transparency, Alaina infuses passion into her posts, which currently number 40, and counting. Jim says Alaina’s engaging blog “is not about selling homes. Being memorable is the most important thing. Marketing is about being memorable, which means taking a few risks.”
A few key points that Alaina feels are important to having a successful blog is to
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1) Write in the style that you enjoy reading;
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2) Make your blog honest and don’t be afraid to put it all out there; and
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3) Pick a reliable partner who will provide productive feedback.
Using blogging and social media as a building block to making a good impression is an important aspect of marketing in our Web 2.0 world. A blog can be used for many years and implemented in marketing campaigns for unlimited use. A blog itself is free, but you have to invest your time and your passion. Build on a story that people want to follow. Your blog can be your blueprint to success!
Guest Post: Sarah Yaussi From Big Builder – How To Shoot Good Video (And Not Yourself)
Such a great post from Sarah, I thought I would post it again here. Great stuff!
Sarah Yaussi
Executive Editor – Big Builder
when I ran across this factoid on page 15:
Google and YouTube are serving 10 billion videos a month
The take-away, as this sales and marketing trio so expertly pointed out, was that people online would rather watch than read.
So, I’ve been taking this insight to heart of late, even purchasing a FlipCam pocket video recorder and shooting some video on my own with the intent to integrate more of it into my news stories and blogs. (You can check out an example from IBS by clicking here.)
The tools may be cheap, as Monte Hewett’s Dina Gunderson told Builder magazine, and when you’re an expert, maybe posting video is a great way to blog when you don’t have time to blog (see #10 on the list), but there is definitely a learning curve no matter how easy the FlipCam software may appear to be.
So, here are a few “lessons learned,” if you will, from my experience with video.
Don’t try this on deadline. Looking to do something cool online in conjunction with a big event but a little cramped on time? My advice is for as easy as it looks, you’re better off playing around with the technology at home first.
For me, for example, I had no problem just plugging the FlipCam into my computer and accessing the files for preview. However, from there, I ran into a few snags. First, it took me downloading about seven batches of videos before I realized that the FlipCam software hadn’t been launching. Now, the software makes it super easy to share videos online–think post to YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, etc.–but I hadn’t realized what I was missing, so I was making things harder on myself.
Second, I was renaming the files so that I would better be able to recognize what they were. “VID0001,” for example, meant nothing to me. However, somehow in doing so, my FlipCam no longer has its full memory capacity even though the device says it’s empty of videos. (I’m still working on figuring that one out.)
Needless to say, running into these problems with limited time on your hands is something you truly want to avoid.
Keep it simple, stupid. Don’t try–at least at first–to string a bunch of clips together unless you’ve got some decent computer programs and equipment. Every time I try to create a more produced piece with multiple clips, Windows MovieMaker crashes my computer. And I probably don’t have to tell you how frustrating that can be. So, think of shooting a one-subject, one-shot video until you graduate from cameraman (or woman) to the producer level.
Short and sweet. You’ve heard it before, but let me just say it again. Keep the videos under three minutes–preferably two. To help keep it short, I suggest writing out your clip intro or interview question in advance so you not only have it engrained in your head but also so you can simplify it and make it more concise. This will also help your interview subject narrow down his/her answer.
And if you happen to be on the other side of the equation–as the main star–take a minute to put a simple, bullet-point outline together so you can sound like you’re as smart as you really are. I like the number three, but if you’re a fast talker you might be able to get through five major points in two minutes or less.
Smile, you’re on not-so-candid camera. Bust out the Vaseline or whatever other beauty tip you’ve got in your back pocket to make sure your (or your guests’) lips stay peeled from the fronts of your teeth during your video clip. It feels totally unnatural, but I promise you, you’ll be happier with the results.
Ask the experts. There are tons of people in our industry who do a seriously impressive job of using a ton of video online. (All you need to do is check out http://www.doyouconvert.com/ to get an idea of just how much you can use video online; Mike Lyon’s coverage from IBS was pretty much incredible.) So, don’t be afraid to ask.
For example, if I hadn’t been talking with Mike about some of my video troubles, I wouldn’t have found out that I’m probably better off uploading my videos to YouTube rather than Flickr because YouTube has a mobile application and when you’re in media, you want be to be able to access your info anywhere, any time. (I don’t think I would’ve ever figured that out on my own, to be honest.)
People are correct when they say amateur video is not hard. But there are definitely some tips and tactics to make shooting and posting video a much smoother experience. So, these are just some of the simple things I’ve learned as I’ve done more experimenting with video. Hope they help you in your next on-camera project.
And if you need more tips–or even more important–a really great example of how to use some of these strategies to leverage video for home builder sales and marketing purposes, I recommend checking out this video interview from Builder magazine with Dina Gunderson of Monte Hewett Homes in Atlanta. The video of Dina demo-ing her walk-in closet and upstairs laundry room really shows how a DIY video can turn into a powerful selling tool online.
All Day Internet & Social Media Workshop: Home Builders Association of Northern California
I am excited to be presenting a Internet Marketing & Social Media Full Day Workshop at the Home Builders Association of Northern California on March 25th. We would love to have you join us!
Morning Session
Social Media Success: Creating Powerful Communities Online TO Boost Traffic and Sales
Date: Thursday, March 25
Time: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Location: HBANC Conference Room
101 Ygnacio Valley Road, 4th Floor Conference Room
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Description:
Are you searching for answers on how to use social media such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn to increase sales? It can seem overwhelming, but have no fear—we can get through this together!
Take control of your own digital network, and use these tools to reach out to more people, connect with more Realtors, and engage current and past customers—without spending any more of your marketing dollars.
Learning Outcomes:
- Learn how to touch your sphere of influence through Social Media
- Discover ways to quickly implement Social Media into your business plan
- Maximize your impact by interacting on sites such as twitter and facebook
- Engage and grow your online community
- Utilize free tools and tricks to increase your business without busting the marketing budget
Afternoon Session
Converting Browsers to Buyers: Proven Strategies for Selling Homes Online
Date: Thursday, March 25
Time: 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Location: HBANC Conference Room
101 Ygnacio Valley Road, 4th Floor Conference Room
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Description:
We all know buyers are starting their search on the web and know of our communities before ever walking in the door. Whether you have a commanding internet presence or you are stuck in the digital dark ages, this intensive half day seminar, Browsers to Buyers, will deliver the proven methods necessary to develop and dramatically improve your online new home sales. This essential hands-on workshop provides an easy-to-follow roadmap leading to a successful Online Sales Program that will help you attract and capture more qualified buyers and explode your sales goals.
Learning Outcomes:
- Learn about the online sales process
- Discover ways to engage leads quickly and effectively online
- Maximize your lead capture rate by setting appointments from your website
- Attract and capture qualified traffic
- Implement a plan to meet and beat your sales goals
Think like Nike – Why hyper-local marketing is important
I recently listened to an interview where experts discussed the shoe industry and how the economy has taken its toll on the apparel market. But unlike clothing, the shoe industry is still selling. But there are challenges. One of the biggest challenges that companies are now facing is the inability to market the way they used to. They no longer have the marketing budgets to handle large, national media buys. They know the importance of advertising, especially now, because in a recession consumers become even harder to reach.
To solve the problem, some shoe companies are employing hyper-local marketing to reach their core markets. Take Nike, for example. They recently released 300 shoes at $250 a pair and had customers lining up outside their local stores in eager anticipation. They were marketing to fans that Nike calls, “sneaker heads” and knew that this hyper-local market would be excited about Nike’s message and brand. The sneaker heads would help spread the message about these new Nikes.
We can do this in the home building industry, too. National home builders are doing whatever it takes to maintain profits, like taking advantage of the current $8,000 incentive for first time buyers. But without a marketing budget, they’re falling short. They are being forced to look at different alternatives for builder marketing. What about these hyper-local markets? Do national builders even know how to market locally?
What are the big boys doing to customize their marketing to the localized economies? How much power are they giving to their local divisions? These are the people who will spread the marketing message and brand. In real estate, referrals are one of the largest sources of sales, so what can home builders do? They need to shift their marketing power to their local teams who understand the local culture — the people on the ground who can energize the local market (that might mean your sales team)
Hyper-local marketing. It’s working for Nike, and it can work for any builder in multiple markets. And social media and the Internet has become an integral part of the marketing mix. Marketing guru Seth Godin talks about building communities in his book “Tribes.” He says you only need a tribe of a 1,000 to be successful. I would say in a local market, you only need a few hundred people buying homes, getting excited, and telling their friends, to be successful.
So what are you doing for builder marketing on the local level? How are you becoming hyper-local in your thinking. What are you doing to change your culture?
