The Social Media for Business class has helped me learn and feel more comfortable using social media platforms for my business. I've been amazed at how many types of social media sites are available.... even to research specific niches.
My use of social media has increased, I feel more confident using it, and amazingly, I view how I could use the various activities, conversations or situations in my daily life to promote my relationships and business through social media.
I have found that due to this being an online class that I am a person who prefers classroom instruction; however, I have learned that if I persistent and not get frustrated that I am able to figure out many things on my own!!!
I have not seen an impact on my business bottom line yet.... it's early days. However, I have seen an increase in my reach and engagement with Facebook.... both personal and business.
I really liked the class - one suggestion is to have some lab time. I appreciate the time Tracy and Claudia gave to help me and answer my questions. Thank you!
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Social Media Marketing Plan for Next 3 Months
This is the time of year that I develop my business plan for the next year... however, I've decided that I'm going to break it down into quarterly plans, including doing this assignment on online marketing strategy, that will allow me to fine tune the plan as needed throughout the year.
1. My blog at SellingProperties.com which I will optimize along with writing more about the community, my thoughts on real estate and answer any questions my clients pose.
2. Facebook for both my personal and business page. I'll be scheduling posts from my blog, more photos of the community, comments on businesses/restaurants, share from other real estate sites.
3. Pinterest/Instagram will allow me to post photographs I've taken along with a resource to use photos and ideas for Facebook posts.
I have scheduled into my work week into one hour segments on Monday, Tuesday and Friday mornings to work on the 3 social media platforms I've chosen. During those times, I will be writing blog posts, scheduling posts for Facebook, viewing Pinterest and Instagram as source to use on my website and for Facebook.
I will also be mailing out a trivia and real estate newsletter on the 1st of the month, a real estate tip postcard on the 15th of the month, and send on the 23rd of the month an e-Newsletter comprised of 3-4 of my blog posts from the previous month.
A. Social Media Tools
In my previous post "Review | My Top 6 Social Media Platforms", I listed six tools I would use; however, I've decided that for the next 3 months I will only learn and use three of them consistently along with my email newsletter.
1. My blog at SellingProperties.com which I will optimize along with writing more about the community, my thoughts on real estate and answer any questions my clients pose.
2. Facebook for both my personal and business page. I'll be scheduling posts from my blog, more photos of the community, comments on businesses/restaurants, share from other real estate sites.
3. Pinterest/Instagram will allow me to post photographs I've taken along with a resource to use photos and ideas for Facebook posts.
B. Time Management for Social Media Plan
I will also be mailing out a trivia and real estate newsletter on the 1st of the month, a real estate tip postcard on the 15th of the month, and send on the 23rd of the month an e-Newsletter comprised of 3-4 of my blog posts from the previous month.
C. Content Plan for Blog, Facebook, and Pinterest/Instagram
1. My Blog
On Fridays I will write blog posts and schedule for the following week based on the topics of Mortage/Lending, 2-4 unit investment properties, green real estate, community and school information.
2. Facebook Business Page
On Tuesdays I will write posts and schedule for the week about houses viewed on caravan, one of my blog posts, house photos and DIY house projects.
3. Facebook Personal
On Mondays I will write posts and schedule for the week about personal activities, sayings or events and community events. Quarterly I will ask for my friends to like my business page.
4. Instagram/Pinterest
I will view and use these tools when time permits or I have a need for something on my blog or Facebook posts. I'd like to start taking my own photos and posting.
5. Review Sites
Regarding the review sites of Yelp, Zillow, Trulia and Google, I will check on Mondays and request reviews when appropriate.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Blog Posts Visited in Week 14
Visit 4 of my fellow student blog posts starting with those listed below mine... and make comments about their post:
David Harris
Jessica Ipina
Sharin Kinsey
Cynthia Ogg
David Harris
Jessica Ipina
Sharin Kinsey
Cynthia Ogg
Review | My Top 6 Social Media Platforms
I reviewed what I covered in class this semester and the work I've done with the various social media platforms and realized how much worked I've done and how much more I could do.....
In my September blog post "Is it Personal or Business?" I listed the social media that I thought I would use for my business after reviewing so many in my research and a few that I'd look into when I had time. I also stated that the list may change after completing this class...
My business purpose for social media is to deepen my relationship with friends, acquaintances,and clients; to freely give real estate information; and to increase my client base. Therefore, I think there are several social media platforms that integrate best with my business.
So, I've changed my "Top Ten Social Media List" to the following "Top 6":
For now, the platforms I may explore in the future are Google+, Active Rain, Bigger Pockets, Ning.... or not explore!
I've enjoyed using Facebook with Pinterest as a resource for posts! I've enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing an increase in reach and engagement, setting up many of the new social media sites that I will be able to use in the future, and the review sites that my clients have used in giving me 5 star reviews! Learning about Instagram and how I can use it to post on my Facebook business page was a great moment.
Facebook is probably the only one that I may use daily.... unless I really get involved in Twitter. The others will be used throughout the month... based on my social media marketing plan that I am setting up.
In my September blog post "Is it Personal or Business?" I listed the social media that I thought I would use for my business after reviewing so many in my research and a few that I'd look into when I had time. I also stated that the list may change after completing this class...
My business purpose for social media is to deepen my relationship with friends, acquaintances,and clients; to freely give real estate information; and to increase my client base. Therefore, I think there are several social media platforms that integrate best with my business.
So, I've changed my "Top Ten Social Media List" to the following "Top 6":
- My blog on SellingProperties.com
- Facebook.com/SellingProperties.DeeMarieFisher
- Pinterest and Instagram for photos and post ideas.
- YouTube ( still not comfortable with video)
- Yelp
- Zillow
- Trulia
- Google Business Places
For now, the platforms I may explore in the future are Google+, Active Rain, Bigger Pockets, Ning.... or not explore!
I've enjoyed using Facebook with Pinterest as a resource for posts! I've enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing an increase in reach and engagement, setting up many of the new social media sites that I will be able to use in the future, and the review sites that my clients have used in giving me 5 star reviews! Learning about Instagram and how I can use it to post on my Facebook business page was a great moment.
Facebook is probably the only one that I may use daily.... unless I really get involved in Twitter. The others will be used throughout the month... based on my social media marketing plan that I am setting up.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Facebook Insights
Learning about Facebook Reach and Engagement in Week 5 of our class helped me understand what purpose Facebook pages have for a business.
In viewing my Insights, I'm learning what type of content is reaching and engaging more people.... and it's not information that I'm sharing about real estate, even though I am reaching more people than I have prior to this class.
It's sharing photos of homes and personal comments that seem to generate the most interest. I like knowing this.... and will continue to reach out with something that is related to real estate but is fun to do for me and obviously of interest to others.
Insights is easier for me to understand than the Google Analytics that I have for my blog website. I couldn't figure out how to use Google on my Facebook business page. Sometimes all of this is overwhelming and I wonder how much I will truly use once out of this class..... so decision not to do Google was made to save time.
In viewing my Insights, I'm learning what type of content is reaching and engaging more people.... and it's not information that I'm sharing about real estate, even though I am reaching more people than I have prior to this class.
It's sharing photos of homes and personal comments that seem to generate the most interest. I like knowing this.... and will continue to reach out with something that is related to real estate but is fun to do for me and obviously of interest to others.
Insights is easier for me to understand than the Google Analytics that I have for my blog website. I couldn't figure out how to use Google on my Facebook business page. Sometimes all of this is overwhelming and I wonder how much I will truly use once out of this class..... so decision not to do Google was made to save time.
Google Analytics
Over the years having a website and then a blog,
people have shown me Google Analytics. They have explain the statistics
would show me how to make my website/blog better in order to increase
my business.
It never made sense to me.... I found it difficult to relate the statistics to the blog posts I wrote or how to change my writing or topics to obtain better statistics.
One person talked about how I needed stickiness... to keep the people on my website or how to write an article with lots of keywords. It was very difficult for me to be focused on keywords rather than just writing what I wanted to say.
I'm very glad to be taking this class. I now understand some of what I've heard in the past about analytics and what I need to focus on to reach and engage potential clients. Actually, I must admit that some of it is still confusing but I'm seeing a glimmer at the end of the tunnel.
I want to check on my blog Google Analytics to learn which posts are popular and what keywords bring them to my website.
It never made sense to me.... I found it difficult to relate the statistics to the blog posts I wrote or how to change my writing or topics to obtain better statistics.
One person talked about how I needed stickiness... to keep the people on my website or how to write an article with lots of keywords. It was very difficult for me to be focused on keywords rather than just writing what I wanted to say.
I'm very glad to be taking this class. I now understand some of what I've heard in the past about analytics and what I need to focus on to reach and engage potential clients. Actually, I must admit that some of it is still confusing but I'm seeing a glimmer at the end of the tunnel.
I want to check on my blog Google Analytics to learn which posts are popular and what keywords bring them to my website.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Coupon Deal
Developing a coupon deal for my business is an interesting idea....
I guess I could say "buy two houses from me and I'll give you a free house cleaning on your third home"!
Okay, I'm being facetious... I do remember that some agents many years ago would have coupons that said "buy a home from me and I'll pay for your home inspection or appraisal".
Groupon and livingsocial do not appear to be appropriate venue for a real estate business.
I guess I could say "buy two houses from me and I'll give you a free house cleaning on your third home"!
Okay, I'm being facetious... I do remember that some agents many years ago would have coupons that said "buy a home from me and I'll pay for your home inspection or appraisal".
Groupon and livingsocial do not appear to be appropriate venue for a real estate business.
Additional Online Marketing Tools
The assignment this week is to answer the questions - What four additional online marketing tools do you believe could be important to the growth of your business? How could you integrate them into your current strategy?
In my blog "Is it Personal or Business?", I listed my top 10 social media sites I would use for my real estate business plus some that I would explore in the future. There were 3 marketing sites in this week's lecture that I hadn't considered... Groupon, livingsocial, and Google Maps.... and have decided that they would not be beneficial for my business.
In a Forbes article "The Top 7 Social Media Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2014" indicates that Google+ will gain on Facebook and may be a marketing tool I need to explore sooner than I had planned or even want to do.
As to how I could integrate Google+ into my marketing strategy, I'm not sure. I feel overwhelmed in learning the social media sites I have selected to concentrate on.... my blog at SellingProperties.com, Facebook, Zillow, Trulia, LinkedIn and Pinterest and possibly Twitter.
In my blog "Is it Personal or Business?", I listed my top 10 social media sites I would use for my real estate business plus some that I would explore in the future. There were 3 marketing sites in this week's lecture that I hadn't considered... Groupon, livingsocial, and Google Maps.... and have decided that they would not be beneficial for my business.
In a Forbes article "The Top 7 Social Media Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2014" indicates that Google+ will gain on Facebook and may be a marketing tool I need to explore sooner than I had planned or even want to do.
As to how I could integrate Google+ into my marketing strategy, I'm not sure. I feel overwhelmed in learning the social media sites I have selected to concentrate on.... my blog at SellingProperties.com, Facebook, Zillow, Trulia, LinkedIn and Pinterest and possibly Twitter.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
No Money Social Media Advertising
Free marketing/promoting my business through social media makes sense to me.... just tweet, post and share through the various social media sites with a call to action. Then hope someone takes action.
All of this type of marketing/promoting/advertising is basically passive - waiting for someone to come to you. It is much easier than getting out there face-to-face and asking for business.
Facebook posts on my business page that include a call to action to encourages people to visit my website would be a brief summary of one of the blogs I wrote and have them click through if interested.
I would use my personal page every 3-4 months to ask people to Like my business page and could offer a free market analysis of their home value or by using what Lenah Parente had mentioned on her blog - "Have a real estate question... let me find that answer for you!" or Becky's question: "Need Info on real estate?"
All of this type of marketing/promoting/advertising is basically passive - waiting for someone to come to you. It is much easier than getting out there face-to-face and asking for business.
Facebook posts on my business page that include a call to action to encourages people to visit my website would be a brief summary of one of the blogs I wrote and have them click through if interested.
I would use my personal page every 3-4 months to ask people to Like my business page and could offer a free market analysis of their home value or by using what Lenah Parente had mentioned on her blog - "Have a real estate question... let me find that answer for you!" or Becky's question: "Need Info on real estate?"
Blogs Viewed Online Advertising
http://cameronsufficool.blogspot.com/
http://look-whos-sharing.blogspot.com/
http://mindblogglingblog.blogspot.com/
http://look-whos-sharing.blogspot.com/
http://mindblogglingblog.blogspot.com/
Advertising on Social Media Sites
Facebook advertising just got my money twice... without me knowing how. I've come to the conclusion that online courses are not for me. I've learned a lot since I've been required to take time to read and do my homework in this class.... however, hands-on lab time would be more beneficial for me.
I've put off doing this week's homework because it is very confusing for me. Obviously, if I want to do any advertising in the future, I need to do lots of research or find someone to walk me through the steps.
Facebook ads allow for page promotion, post promotion and I think you can design an ad, but wasn't able to find where to do it.
As for Twitter, I have no interest in using it or advertising on it.
I've put off doing this week's homework because it is very confusing for me. Obviously, if I want to do any advertising in the future, I need to do lots of research or find someone to walk me through the steps.
Facebook ads allow for page promotion, post promotion and I think you can design an ad, but wasn't able to find where to do it.
As for Twitter, I have no interest in using it or advertising on it.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Fellow Students' eMarketing Ideas
I found it very interesting and educational to learn what ideas my fellow students have regarding eMarketing. I looked at many of the blogs and commented on the following blogs:
1. Jessica Ipina blog "Ideas for Our Newsletter"
2. Paul King blog "Functionality of Newsletters"
3. Kyle Donnelly blog "Newsletter"
4. Cameron Sufficool blog "EMarketing"
5. Steve Dominguez blog "Newsletter"
Thanks to all who commented on my blog post "EMarketing" and the great ideas that I plan to implement in new sections in my eNewsletter....
1. Statistics of an target area for that month
2. Special listing for that target area
3. Highlight a business, store, restaurant for that target area
4. School Information
1. Jessica Ipina blog "Ideas for Our Newsletter"
2. Paul King blog "Functionality of Newsletters"
3. Kyle Donnelly blog "Newsletter"
4. Cameron Sufficool blog "EMarketing"
5. Steve Dominguez blog "Newsletter"
Thanks to all who commented on my blog post "EMarketing" and the great ideas that I plan to implement in new sections in my eNewsletter....
1. Statistics of an target area for that month
2. Special listing for that target area
3. Highlight a business, store, restaurant for that target area
4. School Information
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Email Marketing
Email Marketing has been a part of my business plan for years. I use Constant Contact to send the eNewsletter that has articles from my real estate blog at www.SellingProperties.com
I send my eNewsletter once a month with articles regarding the various aspects of real estate: financing, green real estate, inventory issues, sales statistics of various areas, special properties on the market and current market information.... and normally have some community event listed.
I send my eNewsletter once a month with articles regarding the various aspects of real estate: financing, green real estate, inventory issues, sales statistics of various areas, special properties on the market and current market information.... and normally have some community event listed.
Categories on my Blog
Categories on my blog at www.SellingProperties.com are as follows:
I set these categories up when I first started my blog in 2007.... and have never thought of them again until now. I believe I need to re-address how I'm organizing my blog categories and have keywords in the category title.
Maybe that is the answer to the question - How do these categories help my business grow?
The fellow student blogs I looked at were:
1. Robert Smith's - I had no idea of where to go on his site and what to comment on.... very confusing.
2. John Sjursen
3. Lenah Parente
4. Ashley Olsson
5. Sharin Kinsey
- Community Information
- Cardiff by the Sea
- Del Mar
- Encinitas
- La Costa
- Solana Beach
- Financing
- General
- Green Real Estate Information
- Home Buying Tips
- Home Selling Tips
- Leisure Activities
- Real Estate Information
- Real Estate Pricing Tips
I set these categories up when I first started my blog in 2007.... and have never thought of them again until now. I believe I need to re-address how I'm organizing my blog categories and have keywords in the category title.
Maybe that is the answer to the question - How do these categories help my business grow?
The fellow student blogs I looked at were:
1. Robert Smith's - I had no idea of where to go on his site and what to comment on.... very confusing.
2. John Sjursen
3. Lenah Parente
4. Ashley Olsson
5. Sharin Kinsey
Being personal on my blog
I have had a real estate blog since December 2007 at www.SellingProperties.com and have stated my opinion on occasion. However, I do not share personal information on my blog. I believe Facebook and Pinterest are more appropriate for personal informationn.
In this class I'm revising my social media/marketing business plan and plan to write my blog with more of my opinions/thoughts on real estate and be more personal about the amenities, events, business people, etc. in my marketing areas along the coast.
In this class I'm revising my social media/marketing business plan and plan to write my blog with more of my opinions/thoughts on real estate and be more personal about the amenities, events, business people, etc. in my marketing areas along the coast.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Twitter Advanced Search
Thanks for giving the tip on where to find Twitter advance search because I couldn't find it anywhere.
I thought it would be interesting to see if I could find any buyers or sellers in Encinitas that were on Twitter. So I tried the following exact phrases:
Time to move away from the idea of finding home buyers or sellers through twitter.
So what could I use Twitter for.... finding what other Realtors are doing, find possible strategic partners or not bother with Twitter?
Next search went to finding realtors in the area. I tried to different searches:
Next I decided to see what I would find for a lender by using the following phrases:
Obviously, I am not using the search function to obtain useful information.
I thought it would be interesting to see if I could find any buyers or sellers in Encinitas that were on Twitter. So I tried the following exact phrases:
- buying a home in Encinitas
- selling a home in Encinitas
- homeowner looking for Realtor
- homeowner looking for real estate agent
Time to move away from the idea of finding home buyers or sellers through twitter.
So what could I use Twitter for.... finding what other Realtors are doing, find possible strategic partners or not bother with Twitter?
Next search went to finding realtors in the area. I tried to different searches:
- "Real estate agent"and used location of Encinitas, CA and didn't have the best results.
- "Encinitas Realtor" gave me some agents that I knew and chose to follow.
Next I decided to see what I would find for a lender by using the following phrases:
- Encinitas lender
- lenders in Encinitas
Obviously, I am not using the search function to obtain useful information.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Other Realtors Visual Social Media Examples
It is amazing how much time I can spend on the social media sites while doing my homework. I start on one task.... find two or three competitors and see how they are using visual social media and end up going from one site to the next!
I have found some great examples of what I would like to implement in the next 12 months.
1. Using video on my blog and YouTube for community information and properties I'm selling or viewing. Jim Klinge's blog shows the amateur and inexpensive way to do this that I like.
2. Using video on YouTube to give information and explanations in the buying and selling process for my clients. Diane Cardano is an expert using video for everything in her business... including a site for her Raving Fans.
3. Until I saw Cardano Realtors on Pinterest, I couldn't see any value in using it for my business. Now I will.
What is interesting is how many real estate agents have used video on YouTube but not consistently.... and how a few have many videos, yet they haven't been successful. Maybe spending too much time on social media?
I have found some great examples of what I would like to implement in the next 12 months.
1. Using video on my blog and YouTube for community information and properties I'm selling or viewing. Jim Klinge's blog shows the amateur and inexpensive way to do this that I like.
2. Using video on YouTube to give information and explanations in the buying and selling process for my clients. Diane Cardano is an expert using video for everything in her business... including a site for her Raving Fans.
3. Until I saw Cardano Realtors on Pinterest, I couldn't see any value in using it for my business. Now I will.
What is interesting is how many real estate agents have used video on YouTube but not consistently.... and how a few have many videos, yet they haven't been successful. Maybe spending too much time on social media?
Real Estate and Visual Social Media
I read the lecture "Get Visual - Let a Picture Tell the Story" and viewed the 4 blog posts on YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest and probably learned the most from the lecture with regards to how I will use visual social media in my real estate business.
In the lecture, I found several great tips to use when I implement visual social media:
As for the 4 blog posts on each visual social media website, I did learn more about what each has to offer and realized that YouTube would be the one I would use to show properties I'm selling, to give real estate information and tips for my clients.
Pinterest is fun and I used some of the photos in my blogs or Facebook; however, it is not the best use of my time. The other two are not of interest for the same reason.
Again, I am enjoying this class because I'm required to learn about the various aspects of social media and determine which are best for my business. I'm becoming less overwhelmed each week!
In the lecture, I found several great tips to use when I implement visual social media:
- Add a call to action at the end of each video... the url to drive traffic to your website.
- They have to show their service being used, or find a visual that the viewer can easily connect to the service.
- YouTube is a great place to showcase behind-the-scenes information.
- Create short videos to share tips for your clients.
As for the 4 blog posts on each visual social media website, I did learn more about what each has to offer and realized that YouTube would be the one I would use to show properties I'm selling, to give real estate information and tips for my clients.
Pinterest is fun and I used some of the photos in my blogs or Facebook; however, it is not the best use of my time. The other two are not of interest for the same reason.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Scheduled Facebook Posts
Okay, I scheduled a few posts for this coming week and want to analyze what will increase the reach and engagement on my business page.
Last week I posted a photo of unusual architectural design for a condominium complex and received 65 views and 3 engagement. Time to continue the experiment.
Last week I posted a photo of unusual architectural design for a condominium complex and received 65 views and 3 engagement. Time to continue the experiment.
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