I just caught this in a search while pondering the whole “human brand” conversation. I love what you said and agree 100%. Look forward to future reads. And maybe see you at a REBarCamp soon.

TF

Well of course you can use it Stacey!

Some great points in here that need to be championed out to agents everywhere. When I discuss social media with agents, I use the coffee shop analogy. I ask them if they were to spend an hour in the same coffee shop everyday for a month would they walk away with some real estate leads? I have yet to meet a Realtor who says no. You reminded me that, just like Facebook, people don’t go to coffee shops to look for property either. And the agent that walks into Starbucks, stands at the door, and annouces his new listing and starts handing out flyers, will have about as much success as he will doing the same thing on Twitter.

It seems so clear to me. Maybe when explained in that way, a few Realtors will see the light too.

I also love Jay’s comment: Use this medium for what it does best — allowing you to be you, allowing you to reach people, to engage with them, to get your message — your brand promise — out.

So well stated. With his permission, I’d like to work that quote him in my teachings as well. Jay?

Using twitter and blogging to provide good information and let our personality and ideals through is what it is all about. It’s also about being free with the information, rather than trying to hold to the old gatekeeper ideals of days long gone.

Rob, like Jay said, give us a break and write a bad blog post once in a while, LOL. Happy 4th

Love this post. I found it interesting that you mentioned BMW a couple of times. As the proud owner of a brand new (to me, as it is actually very gently used) BMW, I find this particularly interesting.

I can not recite any specific television, newsprint, magazine, whatever ad for BMW. I am, of course, familiar with the “The Ultimate Driving Machine” tag line. (How is it that I know that, but can’t recall any specific marketing for it?)

And you know what? BMW backs that tag line up. That car is bad ass and WAY fun to drive.

I’ve owned a BMW for all of one week. And I’m already an advocate for them. My neighbor today asked me if I liked it and I sounded like a freaking BMW poster boy.

Now had I slipped behind the wheel and my first impression had been “Meh. What’s the big deal?”, things would be completely different. Instead, BMW delivered. My initial reaction was, “Holy shit this really IS the Ultimate Driving Machine!”

They deliver on their promise. That is effective beyond comprehension.

As for social media bieng a poor tool for lead generation, I couldn’t agree more. Yes, I can say I’ve “gotten clients” from Twitter. But it wasn’t via “lead generation” tactics. It was just me being me and for whatever reason people choosing to utilize my services. Every single day I see agents on twitter shouting out (into a relative vacuum) “Call me! I can sell your house! I’m a top producer!” and no one knows a flipping thing about them. WHY would someone call you? Just because you ask them to?

Use this medium for what it does best — allowing you to be you, allowing you to reach people, to engage with them, to get your message — your brand promise — out.

Just be sure you deliver.

-rsh