Years ago, social networking meant attending business events at places like the Rotary Club, Lions Club or even the Business Network International (BNI). We attended these events to network face-to-face. What was really great about it was that everyone seemed to know everyone. If you needed a car you would speak to Steve, if you needed insurance you would speak to Heather, if you were looking for a new house then you would speak to Ken. Even though these individuals were in different careers you knew them by speaking with other people. That was social networking. Or at least it used to be.
Today social networking is done through mediums like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the list goes on. Social networking hasn’t really changed, but the means in which we network has considerably altered.  We’re networking on our computers, our tablets, and on our smartphones. The purpose and intended result hasn’t changed, but the way in which we network certainly has.
So here’s the question I have for you: why are you hiring a third party company to network for you?
Let me clarify this: you can certainly hire a business to market yourself through social media (ad campaigns, promoted posts, target a specific audience, etc.). The question I’m asking you is: why would you hire a business to network for you?
Regardless of the resources available to these social media businesses, there is no way they’re going to be able to understand the ins and outs of your real estate career. The person who should post what’s going on in your business, the market, neighborhoods, to post about your life and connect with the individuals that you’ve worked with– that person needs to be you.
Years ago could you imagine hiring somebody you don’t know to attend an event at the Rotary Club, the BNI club or any event on your behalf? Absolutely not! You would have shown up in person!  So why are you paying a business to do this for you today?
Social media is a great way for you to stay connected with people in your own market. With a social media strategy you shouldn’t be connecting with everybody, but you do need to connect with people in your sphere of influence. You should be connecting with individuals in your social circle. That’s what social networking is all about. You need to be connecting with people in your backyard, in your market and surrounding markets and grow your social circle that way. These are the individuals that you need to be communicating with in order to build relationships.
And if you’re still on the fence and think that social media is a fad and you shouldn’t put any time into it, consider those early social networking events at the Rotary Club and the Lions Club. Think about the types of people who didn’t attend.  Either you had never heard of them, or they were so well known they didn’t have to.
Ken  Goodfellow is one of the top real estate coaches in North America. He is well known for taking high producing agents and real estate companies to the next level.
For more information, visit www.goodfellowcoaching.com.
