Social media relationships are all about comfort level… after all you haven’t even met yet.
The new world of social media allows people to connect initially online, and then hopefully in real life at a conference, event or an arranged meeting. Simply put, the face to face meeting cements the relationship on a tangible emotional level. The operative word is emotion. The social media conversation that leads to a business relationship is conducted primarily through chat, email and a perusal through blogs, Facebook profiles and Tweets. Since there may be no tangible face to face feedback, the emotional criteria for gauging a virtual relationship based on a batch of text-based interchanges is not “what are they saying, what is the content?”, but “how do I feel about this virtual relationship?”. It’s about comfort level.
The art behind social media relationships is to make people feel happy.
If you’re providing valuable content, your readers thank you. If you’re a great joker, your readers laugh. It’s all about good will, and your online presence should mirror this message.
Most people on the social media don’t give a second thought about how they present themselves to the world, living by the “this is how I am, so take or leave it” credo. That’s ok. Just be considerate of the fact that comfort levels can deflate if you’re lauding Glenn Beck in San Francisco, or supporting socially liberal causes in Utah. Labeling is easy to do on the social media because it’s a text-based media; everybody has seen examples of rants that devolve into labeling and context twisting.
If you’re in the business to work with as many people as possible, it’s not hard to make good will a social media objective. Unless of course, you are inclined to work with people who also share your life philosophies… I have heard many stories by folks who have built businesses by being ardent and outspoken in their beliefs, and it seems to work for them.
Pat Kitano will be speaking at HomeGain Nation on Monday, March 1, 2010, about social networking trends and advice for real estate professionals.
Very interesting article. I totally agree with you that the actual human element of communication is extremely distant if there at all in social networking. It is a realm in which individuals can express themselves in ways they never could before. I use social networking more from a business aspect for Realty in Boulder, CO. So I try to keep mine as professional and credible as possible.
February 25th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
I totally agree with your point that you can have tons and tons of friends via social networks. But you may actually have nothing in common with any of them or know anything substantial about them. It is interesting how the ability to create alternate personalities online is growing more and more each year.
February 26th, 2010 at 11:14 am
We’re keen on a social media strategy to have multiple Twitter accounts – one for your personal use, and one based on local real estate where you discuss the market. Only those who are really interested in real estate will follow the latter. If you’re familiar with our Breaking News Network, you can also provide real time community news as a community engagement strategy. The key is to provide value to your readership that enhances business opportunities. Make them happy…
February 28th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
I believe social media gives clients a comfort level with you before they even meet you. They often feel they know you just from all of the social media outlets. I participate on facebook, linkedin and my daily blog. Prospective clients have a very good idea of who I am and how I operate before they even meet me. I will often have clients call me who say they have been following me for months and are now ready to buy. It is a great feeling to know someone is out there reading all of my posts.
March 1st, 2010 at 10:36 am
Most real estate agents have no clue what to do with social media. They are told that they “must” be on FB, Twitter, etc, so set up pages and announce listings. Like most things agents do, this will fail. If they could not succeed in previous marketing endeavors, why should we expect them to suddenly jump to new heights?
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:25 am