Amy Out Loud

Archive for the 'Social Media' Category

Top 10 Facebook Tips

1. Be genuine- Just be you….whatever that “you” is!! Sarcastic, witty, dry, drama-filled, quirky,silly … I want to know that when I meet you IRL, that you are the same person.

2. Don’t sell your business until I know you- the beautiful idea behind Facebook is to create an unlimited network of people. (up to 5000 friends on a profile page) Now, keep in mind, it is about getting to know people…Not touting about what you sell. Life today is more about relationship selling, so give me a chance to get to know you and if I’m interested in your business, then I know how to find you!

3. Know how people can find you on Facebook- An idea to build your friends on FB is to start asking people you meet, “Are you on Facebook?”  You will be suprised about how many people are on the site. I ask them to find me on Facebook and give them my vanity name- http://www.facebook.com/amysmytheharris . I use to always hand out my business card when meeting someone for the first time…it was the way you did things in real estate industry.  Now, I only pass them out if they want to remember my name to add me on FB. It has been a great way for me to build my Sphere of Influence.  A quick tip-if you have a common name, you may want to have a nickname next to it so it will make you easier to find on Facebook. Example, Jim Cronin with http://realestatetomato.com/ told me to find him by looking for his nickname(tomato) next to Jim Cronin when I was searching for him.

4. Don’t update your status too often- Most people I know do not like a blow-by-blow account of your day…Don’t post too much on other’s peoples walls or in groups…Guy Kawaski got kicked off Facebook for this. See 13 ways to get kicked off Facebook.  http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=26991062444&topic=5553

5. Remember people’s birthdays- My friend, Lorene Perrin, an El Paso Realtor® http://www.prudentialbkb.com/agent/lorene-perrin or http://www.facebook.com/LORENE.PERRIN reminds us that Facebook is about connecting with people. The best way to remember is to wish them Happy Birthday! Use the Birthday Calendar app to grab their birthdays. If you have an Iphone, you can download Birthday Calendar app so you have one quick easy way to see the birthdays of your FB friends.  You can say “Happy Birthday” to their wall or use the Birthday card app or use tokbox.com for a video message to them.

6. Be positive- Don’t say anything that you would not want your Grandmother to see. If you post negative comments on someone’s wall, be prepared for the backlash. Many a times I have had my friends text me about the person that post negative comment on my wall to see how good a friend I was with that person or could they something back. Remember, it is hard to get your point across through words, so double check how it could be interpreted. When in doubt, put a with it!

7. Pay attention to your privacy settings- How private do you want to be it totally up to the individual person. To set your privacy settings in FB, go to the top right hand side where the heading is blue. Click on Settings, Privacy. Under the Profile Information look at who can comment on your wall, who can see photos, who can see personal information. Once you have selected, click on the right hand side to Preview. This way you will know what an outsider sees. Under Contact Information, pay attention to current address, & mobile phone. I would suggest you keep Send me a message for eveyone. This is a personal take but I use FB as a database to contact someone even if they are not my friend.  http://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy#/amysmytheharris?viewas=499458919

8. Send a message- when adding a friend, of course. Please don’t assume that everyone will remember your face or name from “back in the day”!!!!

9. Time management is key – In real estate the old adage was that we are suppose to be prospecting for business 60-70% of our time. If you are integrating Social Media into your existing prospecting/marketing plan, set aside the time needed to get familiar with your “platform” of speaking/engaging. I try to spend only an hour a day on FB/Twitter, but I can time manage much better with my IPhone.

10. Content is king- Do good posts!!!!! “Going to the bathroom”=Bad Post!!! ” Had toilet paper stuck to my shoe and no one told me! Would you?” = Good Post. If you can come up with cutesy things to say, then post a picture or a youtube video or a link from your favorite website saying why you love this site!

Disclaimer*** These were done in no particular order and they are must my opinion! See you on FB or Twitter @amyoutloud

The beauty of Social Media-Amy’s story

I’ve been using Social Media for about a year & a half.  I was the original skeptic!!! “ No way do I want my information out there! I don’t want my information out there for everyone to see!”  After getting on myspace.com, I quickly realized that this site for me was a lot of work to maintain. As an active REALTOR®, as well as a Trainer for Houston Association of Realtors www.har.com, my time was very valuable to me. So in my mind, I did not have time to spend on social web sites that were not going to show me a return on my investment.  But myspace.com opened my eyes to the potential of social media with the awareness of my friends that I was an agent.  My sister turned me on to Facebook.com and said it was much easier and less maintenance! “I’m in!!!” was my thought! So off to Facebook.com I go….

 I loved Facebook  because it was easy to work with and I was reconnecting with all these friends from the past! Facebook has allowed me to take my networking that I was physically doing in person and add another element to that -virtually! It has turned into a database for me…I can refer prospects to other clients through Facebook, as well as receive referrals from my other FB friends (past clients, Sphere of Influence and other real estate agents). If I need information quickly, I can FB asking my friends for a good sheetrock person, trash removal company, etc… Before FB, I would have to take the time to google the information or research, which was very time consuming. Now, within minutes I can get my questions answered and be able to help out my clients or friends….Being part of a community larger than my local sphere and utilitizing the talents of my FB friends, is an awesome experience! Now, I feel that I am more connected with people than I have ever been able to be before!

The biggest question that most people ask me, is it worth my time? My answer is “How can building relationships not help you?” Has it been worth my time? Yes it has! Personally and professionally! Professionally, approximately 70% of leads that I receive right now are through my FB contacts. Does that mean they all pan out into deals, NO! Personally, I have loved starting new friendships or developing current friendships using Facebook.

If you start using Social Media thinking relationships first, then the return will come later. It’s all about the relationships for me!

That’s the beauty of Social Media from Amy’s persepective!

Watch for more blog posts for tips/tricks/oops on using Social Media! http://www.mycoachamy.com

Tags: facebook, Social Media