Social Media Non-Believers: Please Read This Post

Girl in Glasses with Thought Bubble that Reads: "I Hate Facebook!"

Image courtesy of Flickr user Vivianna_love

Social media believers need not read this post. Today, I’m just talking to the non-believers.

There are 100% valid reasons not to be involved in social media. These reasons might include:

1. You’re a very private person and don’t want to share your life details online with anyone.

2. You don’t want to spend one minute of your precious free time on a computer or smart phone.

3. You know nothing about social media and are not interested in learning at this point in time.

These are good, solid reasons. And I’m sure there are plenty more.

But now I’m going to throw you three reasons why you might reconsider:

1. Deals are being made on Facebook. Agents are finding homes for their buyers and buyers for their listings before the details ever hit the MLS. They are finding them through private Facebook groups (REALTOR®-to-REALTOR® groups, for example, or neighborhood groups).

2. Problems are being solved via Twitter. Consider this recent post (on Facebook,  no less!) from agent Gayle Kendrick: “Twitter saves a deal again! SS file I’ve been working since March 2011. BoA customer service told me the investor said no extension. The auction date is 7/27/12… Negotiator refuses to return emails and ignores me, again. BA and I both start Twitter campaign. We both got called. Auction date is now 9/7/12!”

3. Your clients are there. I’m not saying they expect you to be there. I’m sure that they don’t hold it against you that you don’t wish them a happy birthday on their big day or “like” the picture of their dog/kid/grandchild. But when it comes time for them to make a move or recommend an agent to a friend, will they think of you?

There are plenty of ways to be successful in real estate. You might broker deals at your local home tour meeting, have the inside track with senior folks at the major banks and call everyone in your sphere at regular intervals. Social media is by no means required. Just don’t call it a waste of time.

Tags: , , ,