SOCIAL MEDIA
Q: But there are so many social media sites – Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Mumsnet, for goodness sake, it will take all my time, how do I choose the best ones?
Chris Haines, Evolvin
Posting property alerts on your LinkedIn account, for example, would
be rather futile.’ Elliot Rowland Webdadi
It was a method of connecting family and friends, now it is far more complex, with vast opportunities for business. Many household brands now use
Facebook to attract fans. In TV adverts, companies ask viewers to find their Facebook page, and post links to their social networking sites rather than their website. Companies are promoting their social networking pages above their website; a huge shift in behaviour. This is because word of mouth
advertising has always been a powerful tool; an opinion from a trusted source is worth infinitely more than an advertisement. Generating a ‘like’ on Facebook will instantly communicate this action to all of that person’s friends and family online who could further recommend your brand. The exponential growth nature of social media can mean a recommendation is soon communicated to thousands of people, any of whom could be a potential client. A person visiting your website is a single,
independent act, which, whilst useful, will not generate the same level of recommendation as social media sites can. Ian Laverty, Intelligent Mobile
Social Media is not the answer. It is, however, a part of it. As I mentioned before, the more places where people can find relevant content that links to you and your services the better your website will perform. It’s about social media, it’s about mobile web, it’s about portal sites – it’s all of them together not a pick and mix. If you only use some of the services available to you, you will only get some of the traffic.
Your strategy will identify the best social sites for your target audiences, although the solution will likely encompass publishing content to several social sites on a regular basis; you will get out what you put in. You can save some of your time by
outsourcing your online marketing to an agency, or try using some of the tools like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite, which allow you to publish to more than one site at the same time. Mike Day, Integra
Study the demographics and develop a strategy based on what you want to achieve. 50 per cent plus of the UK population is on Facebook which is the largest B2C platform. Twitter and LinkedIn are more B32B orientated. All are valuable but, like not being a bore at a party – it is about two way dialogue, not about being on ‘transmit only’. Elliot Rowland Webdadi
Updating your social media networks needn’t take up so much time. Websites such as
www.hootsuite.com allow you to control all your sites from one source, as well as pre loading tweets and other content that will be posted for you at a later date. It is important to remember the context
of each social media network, recognising how people interact and use them, and tailor your activity accordingly. LinkedIn is a more professional, business community. Posting property alerts on your LinkedIn account would be rather futile. Similarly, Mumsnet appeals,
unsurprisingly, to mothers. To appeal to this audience, post useful information about good local schools and amenities. This will give you a reputation as an expert within your local area. Facebook and Twitter are by far the most
popular of the social networking sites and should be the main focus. A well managed Facebook profile will eventually give you lots of additional contact information in the form of Friends and ‘likes’. Twitter is more of a soup of information
and opinions, which each user filters by deciding who to ‘follow’. Having a large number of followers here is a good sign you are reaching a lot of people beyond your own customer base.
You can use new tools like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite to publish to several
sites at once.’ Chris Haines, Evolvin
PROPERTYdrum FEBRUARY 2012 33
Ian Laverty, Intelligent Mobile
This is the hottest debate in social media. Google + would be my recommendation for improving internet search performance in 2012 – Google uses Google + in its search results more than it does the other social networks. Facebook and Twitter are a must if you can – the sheer number of users means they’re too big to ignore. Start with those three if you’re new but make sure it’s relevant content and that it links to your own website – that’s what drives your traffic.
Q: Who will it bring to my site? Weirdos, timewasters or real clients?
Chris Haines, Evolvin
If devised and implemented in the correct way you will be engaging, monitoring and building relationships with your targeted niche communities, therefore potential and real clients. Certainly our experience is that you will generate more traffic to your website, and build a separate online community on the social sites, all of which are interested in engaging with you. Mike Day, Integra
Maybe all of those but who walks in your office or phones now – weirdos, timewasters or real clients? Through engagement with social media you will help identify prospects from suspects and deal accordingly. Better to have that opportunity than to be ignored. Elliot Rowland Webdadi
Fans and followers will actively choose to engage with you. Twitter followers only
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