Social Media

What I Learned About Success Thanks To Contrast

Contrast is needed in life because it brings clarity to what we want. If we are ill we want health. If we are lonely we want friends/relationships. If we are struggling with debt we want freedom through more money or a higher income. My contrast was with regard to business success and as you can guess I was not succeeding and my business was slipping through my fingers.

What happened was recently I had offered people a deal of $150 a month to become their social media manager. My business had more clients than I knew what to do with and, unfortunately, not enough time with my family or even enough time in the day to keep up with the work. I had 15 clients and some would say 15 clients at $150 a month is $2,250 – WOW! Wow is right because it boiled down to the following:

15 clients x $150 a month = $2250

$2250 – $675 (30 percent taxes) = $1575

$1575 divided by 4 (weeks) = $393.75/week

$393.75 divided by 72 hours (# of hours a week I was working) = $5.46/hr

I was making $5.46 an hour as I was working at least 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. This doesn’t even calculate my expenses and so it was under $5.46 an hour actually.

I was paying my Assistant from the Philippines $7.50 an hour. Another company called MyOutdesk charges $8.60 an hour and $9.60 an hour. These virtual assistants are also from the Philippines.

Not only was I making much less than I would like, but I had much less time with my family and much less time to spend on each client’s work individually. My mission statement was being compromised in a big way.

Mission Statement –

Something had to give because I couldn’t manage 15 clients’ Google+, Facebook Business Pages, Twitter and Pinterest Accounts and LinkedIn profiles and come up with individual content. I don’t mean that I created the content, but what I shared was not supposed to be the same for all my clients. That’s what separates me from the $49.99 companies. I am supposed to pay attention to my clients’ personalities, voices, locations, their audience (luxury, move up, vacation or first-time homebuyers), their brokerages and NONE of this was being done. I didn’t have time.

It Was Time To Redirect Back To The Original Mission And Define Success –

What success means to me is being able to over-deliver on my promises to my clients. Offer more content, engage more, boosts a few Facebook posts, add spur of the moment posts they send me and get out in front of people in real-time on their behalf. Success also means having a balance with work, family and personal time. Now it is time to start picking up the fallen balls.

Time To Attract And Retain Ideal Clients –

What I need to do now is begin attracting AND retain the clients I have who value the importance of online social media marketing. People who realize this job is about representing them online and not only is their business on the line, but their reputation is at stake. The content and strategy go hand in hand and the client realizes this. Clients who trust me as their social media advisor and seek out my knowledge just as they are sought out for their real estate knowledge. Also, clients who know that my value is worth more than $5.46 an hour.

If you are someone who falls into the category of my ideal client and you need social media assistance, please contact me. My service packages are on my website. I look forward to getting to know you AND your voice, so I can properly manage your social media on your behalf when you are too busy to do so.

Sarah A. Cole
Sarah Cole VA On Demand
Providing Social Media Assistance and Training
To The Busy Real Estate Professional
(315)399-6773 mobile (text only)
(315)238-7068 voice
Services Nationwide
sarahcolevaondemand@gmail.com Email

Facebook – Twitter – Google+ – Pinterest – Instagram – LinkedIn – Website – Blog

Social Media Classes

Social Media Online Classes For The Real Estate Community.

Sarah Cole VA on Demand

Classes designed and created for the real estate industry. Is there a particular platform that you are not familiar with and you lack the time to go out on the internet to find sources of information? That’s what these courses are for. I have been in social media for 6 years. Change is coming to social media this year. I have to keep on top of these changes and so I attend webinars and schedule one day every week for research and learning. I’ve been doing this for the entire 6 years I’ve been in business. This is why I feel qualified to offer these courses. If I don’t know something then I take the time to learn it. Why not pass that knowledge on to the people who are the most important to my business.

I don’t think you have time to do the research yourself. I do think…

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Social Media Online Classes For The Real Estate Community.

Classes designed and created for the real estate industry. Is there a particular platform that you are not familiar with and lack the time to find sources of information? That’s what these courses are for. I have been in social media for 6 years. Change is coming to social media this year. I have to keep on top of these changes and so I attend webinars. I schedule one day every week for research and learning. I’ve been doing this for the entire 6 years I’ve been in business. This is why I feel qualified to offer these courses. If I don’t know something then I take the time to learn it. Why not pass that knowledge on to the people who are the most important to my business.

I doubt you have time to do the research yourself. I do think, however, you have time to do your own social media management or at least should have the knowledge to do so, if needed. Maybe during your busy season you hire someone to assist you. I agree with that and I do so for many Realtors myself.

Currently I have the following classes, which can be purchased in a bundle for $19 a month or separately for $10/mth each. They will have regular updates as new tools, tips and strategies become avialable:

19 videos in “Tools, Tips & Strategies for Facebook.”

11 videos in “Tools, Tips & Strategies for Twitter.”

16 videos in “Tools, Tips & Strategies for LinkedIn.”

8 videos in “Tools, Tips & Strategies for Instagram.”

12 videos in “Tools, Tips & Strategies for Pinterest.”

10 videos in “Tools, Tips & Strategies for Google+”

95 videos in the “A Complete Build Of An Online Presence For Real Estate Professionals” I will answer any questions students have and expand on any platform needed. (Single pymt of $49.)

My intention is not to get wealthy from these classes, but rather provide a service at an affordable rate for everyone.

The classes can be found here – http://socialmediafortherealestatecommunity.usefedora.com/courses

Know Thy Customer

I have the Luxury News delivered to my inbox daily. Why? It is simply because a few of my clients’ market to luxury clientele. I have to know who we are speaking to when we market. Here’s an example I’ll give you from an article I received today called, “Chinese Consumers Plan to Spend the Same or More Next Year: Report”

At first glance this appears to speak to the Luxury retail industry and so what does this have to do with real estate? It has a lot to do with the Luxury Chinese Consumer and it can be applied to your real estate marketing.

Let’s get started so I can show you the points that I take from the article in getting to know this audience better.

“Luxury brands should be looking at addressing the top complaints about retail services, which revolve around limited product selection and unknowledgeable staff. The local talent pool in the luxury industry is one contributing factor, however brands are taking more initiatives to train and motivate boutique staff.

“Regarding product selection complaints, this is a sign of the growing sophistication of the Chinese luxury consumer. Nowadays it is not about having the same product as everyone else, but rather having something that is unique. This also drives them to buy overseas.”

So what I’ve highlighted are my key takeaways. Make sure your team is EXTREMELY knowledgeable in ALL aspects: the listing, the neighborhood, the local market.the schools and every detail. Think and be EXPERT.

They want something unique and not like everyone else, which mean showcasing the differences and what makes this listing so special should be a top priority. Making sure your online presence is not like everyone else is important too.

Hong Kong luxury consumers continue to pursue innovative products and design . . . ready to embrace new offers that incorporate strong CREATIVE and EMPATHETIC services.

Again, your marketing should reflect these qualities.

1900 consumers came from across mainland China and Hong Kong. Mainland consumers came from first, second and third tier cities.

Of course knowing the geographical component is helpful in knowing how to target when doing paid, online advertising.

Average annual household income was about $125,000 in the mainland, and HKD $126,900 in Hong Kong.

Another descriptive used when engaging in paid, online marketing. Household income is definitely a segment included when targeting the audience.

Consumers are looking more for experiences and unique products. (Speaking to why they travel.) Travel has become a luxury in itself but more importantly, it is an opportunity to sample various luxuries abroad.

They’re travelers. What does that have to do with real estate? Nothing. Stop thinking about real estate and start thinking about “Who are my potential clients? What interests them?” So travel is of interest. Make some of your online content about travel. On weekends put up some exotic travel locations. If you are in an area of the Country, which people travel to then emphasize that quality.

When shopping abroad, these consumers expect a HIGH LEVEL OF SERVICE and a wider merchandise offering than they would have in China.

There’s that reference to “high level of service” again. I guess you better find out how you can represent a high level of service.

53 percent of mainland Chinese consumers shopped at duty free stores in the past year. (Prime location for these stores are at AIRPORTS.)

What possible interest do I have in that statement? I highlighted it. Where they shop is interesting because you should be advertising there. Find out what magazines are most popularly bought by them. Think of doing a banner in the airport. . . Be creative.

Concerns when shopping online are SERVICE, TRUST andCREDIBILITY of the ecommerce sites.

I don’t think I need to expand on that. The interesting words are in bold.

The Hong Konger is typically WELL EDUCATED and FLUENT in bothCANTONESE and ENGLISH. GOOGLE and FACEBOOK is the top search engine and social media platform within the region.

Website should be international with Cantonese translation included. Google and Facebook advertising should be a part of your strategy.

Many global brands have Web sites in China that take up to 20 seconds to load, a wait time that inevitably impacts consumer interaction.”

Simple fix! Make sure your website is a fast load.

. . . striking the right balance between online product offering,CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, and CUSTOMER SERVICE, bothONLINE AND OFFLINE.”

Make sure you leave them with an unbelievable customer experience with plenty of above and beyond customer service. Take that relationship offline as soon as possible, while engaging with them through their platforms of choice.

The moral of the story is read everything you can about the target audience of interest. You just don’t know what you can pull from it. You are trying to learn what sparks their interest. What would they enjoy learning more about? What type of service can you offer to them? What are their details so you can directly speak to them with your paid advertising?

Sarah A. Cole
Sarah Cole VA On Demand
Providing Social Media Assistance and Training
To The Busy Real Estate Professional
(315)399-6773 mobile (text)
(315)238-7068 voice
Services Nationwide
sarahcolevaondemand@gmail.com Email

Facebook – Twitter – Google+ – Pinterest – Instagram – LinkedIn – Website – Blog

Facebook – Business Pages, Personal Profiles & More

I’d like to address some issues I know some are having with regard to Facebook lately and they are the following:

1. Facebook business pages are a waste of time and no one pays any attention to them. What can we do to change this?

Content – Look at your audience and find out what information would be of interest to them. If you are a Real Estate Professional then what type of Buyers or Sellers do you represent? If they are first time home buyers then how about providing useful information that they would need when first owning a home. You might want to include content like how to decorate a home, maintain a home, or prepare and stick with a budget.
Paid Boosting – Look into boosting a post or two each week. Now that you can demographically focus your boosts and it costs $5 or $10 to do so, what’s there to lose?
Getting The Word Out – Start advertising your page on all materials that leave your office such as business cards, newsletters, flyers . . .
Build Your Fan Base Organically – Start with inviting your friends and family from your personal profile. If they don’t come then they aren’t interested and that’s good to know. Don’t pay for fans. They won’t help your page or your business.

2. Why can’t I dump my business page and run things off my personal profile. Whenever I post on my personal profile people respond, but not when I post on my business page.

Stating the Obvious – They respond to your personal posts vs. your business posts because they view they are being sold to when it comes from the business page. Rethink your approach AND your content on your page.
Rule Breaker – If you dump your business page and run your business off your personal page then you are breaking Facebook terms and conditions. We know Facebook knows more about us then we give them credit for, right? So you dump your business page and they check to see what’s going on and find you are now posting business on your personal profile. ALERT! ALERT! ALERT! Someone’s breaking the terms and conditions. Shut them down. It has happened. Nasty!
Connecting Rules – You connect your personal profile via your website and everywhere else. People cannot friend you unless they know you. Yep. Another rule of Facebook’s. So those “potential” buyers and sellers will not be able to make a Facebook connection with you.
No More Facebook – Again, obvious, but needs to be said. If all business pages shut down then there would be no Facebook. No revenue equals no Facebook.

3. I’m not getting any business from my paid Facebook advertising or boosts.

Where Did The Business Come From – How do you know that? Well, I survey my buyers and sellers and they haven’t come to me through Facebook. Are you sure? Here’s an example of what I mean – “How were you referred to me Mary?” “Well, Liz referred me to you and she used your services 5 years ago.” “Oh really. Well, that’s great.” So your brain stops there and you say to yourself, that’s where she came from, BUT did you converse with Liz on Facebook regularly? Is that how you kept in touch? Hmmm. . .
Plant Those Seeds – Remember the saying about planting seeds? How many seeds have you planted with your business posts? Example, Mark and Jen have a daughter who is moving to Florida and Jen remembers this morning reading about your relocation program on your business page. She decides to call you to find out if you can assist their daughter with this relocation.

So in the end what is Facebook and what is Facebook not –

Facebook is –

1. A means of connecting you to friends and family.

2. A business tool to connect you with prospective buyers and sellers through demographically targeting your posts for a low-cost.

3. A way to grow your business through keeping yourself top of mind.

Facebook is not –

1. A miracle solution to providing instant business.

2. A get rich scheme.

3. An instant hard lead generator. It takes work, time and money, but what doesn’t?

5 Reasons Why Social Media Marketing Is Not Over-Rated

I just read “5 Reasons Why Social Media Marketing is Over-Rated,” by Kimanzi Constable. I decided I would take his points one by one and add my opinion, as he has given us his opinion. Oh and one more thing is on Kimanzi’s website you will notice he is connected with a presence on Facebook among other places. Facebook is really the only platform he is referencing and so the title is a tad confusing. I think it should have been “Why We Should Jump Off The Facebook Bandwagon,” but he did get my attention with the title he chose

1. “The organic reach is close to zero.” So while I agree with this statement, you have to look at what you get for the paid advertising and for the amount of money you are spending.

Here’s an example: If I have a post I would like the majority of my fans to see and maybe even some of their friends then I can “boost” that post or I can target the audience by demographics and their locality. I can pay anywhere from:

Highest level: $200.00 to reach 7,200 to 19,000 people (depending upon my targeting)

Lowest level: $5.00 to reach 650 to 1,700.

So I ask you, where in your advertising efforts can you reach this many people with such a direct focus for such a small amount of money? Look up Katie Lance to see how to create a post for an open house, a just sold or a new listing without sounding or rather shouting and becoming part of the noise. It is possible.

2. “Anyone can buy social media followers.” Here, he and I agree 100 percent. You want to have followers who are interested in what you have to share. Notice I said share and not sell? We all know what selling does on social media and if you want to attract people then you have to listen to them. Find out who you want to attract and figure out what they’re interested in.

3. “People are tired of being sold to on social media.” Again, we agree 100 percent with each other. Read #2.

4. “Social media platforms are theirs, not yours.” So the argument is that Facebook “owns” the audience on Facebook. I do agree they have more of the audience’s information, but it is our job to drive traffic to our client’s website and it is the client’s job to offer an interesting website with an email catch. That way you will build an audience you can then contact outside of Facebook.

5. “Email marketing beats social media marketing any day of the week.” I am not following this one at all. My emails are specifically filtered where the emails that are selling me something will go into spam. If they don’t get caught by the spam filter then I click it when I see them. Either way they are not read. So saying that email marketing is better than social media I’m not sure. Only if you are broadcasting and selling on social media than yes.

Point 5 was what he wanted to leave you with. I want to leave you with this and that is when you approach social media please list your intentions. Is it about attracting sellers and buyers? If it is then how about focusing on building the relationships and centering yourself as THE go to person for your area. Become the person who knows the area like you know the back of your hand.

Is it about getting your inventory noticed? Then let’s be creative about the way it is presented with respect to the people asked to view it.

Social media is much harder than it was when I began 5 years ago, but my determination is much more solid as well. I think we’ve become a match.

By the way, no attack on Kimanzi. His website is http://kimanziconstable.com/. He’s a contributing writer to the Huffington Post, the Good Men Project, Entrepreneur Magazine and Mind Body Green. A good man. We just simply disagree on this is all.

How Social Media Works

Setting: Sarah’s just finished roasting and grinding her beans for her first cup of coffee of the day when she hears the phone ring. She looks all round for the phone, not being fully awake and finds it sitting right where it should be in its charger.

Sarah: “Hello.”

Caller: “Hi Sarah. This is Jen, and Marc, the kids and I just got notice that we are going to be relocating to New Jersey. I was calling because I thought you had mentioned a New Jersey Realtor you knew on Facebook. Was I right? I don’t want to hire just anybody.”

Sarah: “Yes you are absolutely right! Where about in New Jersey?”

Caller: “We are told somewhere in the Bergen County area. Marc’s job is opening a branch there, and he’s been assigned to it. It’s a big step up in his career. I can say the kids aren’t thrilled to be leaving their friends behind and so I’m hoping we can find a kid friendly neighborhood. Does that person on your Facebook friends list know Bergen County or know anyone who knows that area?”

Sarah: “Well you picked the perfect place to move because the person I have in mind for you KNOWS all there is to know about Bergen County as she is marketed as ‘The Bergen County Expert’ and I just saw a post this morning from her. Her name is Paula Clark. Let me find her and send her a message. Can I give her your phone number and email?”

Caller: “Please do! The sooner the better as we have to be down there in 3 months and so we have very little time. Thanks so much!!”

I get a lot of people telling me that their social media isn’t bringing them any leads and I say it works in exactly the same way as their other soft marketing works. You send a newsletter via email, a postcard via US Mail, you take out an advertising spot on the side of a City Bus or a Billboard or the front page of the Homes section in the news paper, BUT it does it on a daily and constant basis. Do the other ways bring you leads? I would suspect so, but at a large cost and not as regularly as being on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Pinterest. You are on there every day or your social media team is and so your brand has exposure to all the traffic that comes through there on a daily basis.

If the money is tight then have a social media specialist train you to do it yourself, but make a commitment and stick with it. Google Social Media stats to find out how much of a priority it should be. I would assume if your audience is visiting these platforms daily and you could find out that Mary, your client from 5 years ago, just had a birthday that you might want to do something special. What is the average time someone stays in a home these days? That’s your speciality. Build those relationships and be active.