Yes Another Blog On The Importance Of Facebook & Real Estate!

I constantly stress the importance of social media in real estate. I have been stressing the importance of Facebook to fellow agents for over a year.  I know they are sick of hearing me talk about it, but I can't understand why they would not take advantage of such a powerful tool.  Some agents have caught on while others shy away. It is free and really not time consuming at all!  So for those of you that  are still not utilizing Facebook to its highest capacity, here are some stats for you...

12 Ways to Rock Your Facebook Marketing


Facebook is taking over the world! But is it really a marketing gold mine? Or is it just a black hole, sucking up all your time? Well, let’s look at a few facts:


•Facebook is now the most visited website in the U.S. surpassing Google for the 1st time in March 2010


•1 year ago Facebook had 250 Million users


•Today Facebook has almost 550 Million users


•The largest demographic age on Facebook is 35-45


•Coincidentally, the largest demographic age of home buyers is 35-45 (Bingo!)


•People that you friend on Facebook, are more likely to interact with you online than people in real life


•Studies have shown that engaging and interacting on line works better than advertising.


And a couple more amazing stats that indicate how the next generation of home buyers interact on-line:


•48% of 18-34 year olds check Facebook right when the get up – 28% check FB on their Smart Phone before getting out of bed.


•48% of Young Americans said they find out about News through FB


Hopefully you are convinced that Facebook is an important part of your Real Estate marketing. So, here are a some tips to follow, that will help you get the most out of your Facebook marketing:



1.Make and organize your Friend Lists One of the coolest features Facebook has ever added is the ability to create Friend Lists. This feature allows you to categorize your friends. Facebook has a great Help Center that will show you how to create and manage your lists.

2.Set Security Features based on Friend Lists Now that you have each Facebook friend in a list, you can set security features based on your lists. You want to share personal family photos with your close friends, but you might now want your clients to see these. Use the Facebook Help Center to learn about setting up your Security Settings.

3.Connect! Hopefully you have a database of email addresses that you’ve been using in your email campaigns or in Top Producer. You can upload your data file and send each one an invite to connect. Here’s the Facebook Help Center page for uploading data files.

4.Be Consistent Ideally, you should post everyday, 2-3 times a day. This isn’t as hard as it sounds. If you have any type of smart phone, you can post right from your phone. Upload photos with a caption or simply change your status.

5.Control who sees each post! By using friend lists, you can control which friends see each post you make. When you make a post, simply click on the “padlock” icon to choose who can see the post. If posting about the Real Estate Industry, exclude you family and friends. If posting photos of your best friends bachelorette party, exclude your clients and colleagues.

6.Mix it up! Use a variety of medias like, photos, video, songs, and links.

7.Do it Yourself That’s right. Social Media is all about making “emotional” connections. Your assistant can’t do that for you. In order to be authentic and believable, you have to do it yourself.

8.Interact with Others There’s more to Facebook Marketing than creating posts. You need to interact. Visit your Facebook News Feed every day and interact with your friends.

9.Engage your Readers Ask questions, tell jokes, be mysterious. Network on Facebook like it was a big party! Make it professional, but not boring.

10.Automate There are some terrific automation tools available, to make your Social Media work a bit easier. Obeo is of course one of the best! Obeo will automatically post your listings to Facebook (Twitter & YouTube, too!). It’s very simple to set up. Hootsuite is another great tool that allows you to schedule your posts ahead of Time. You can take one day of the week and schedule a majority of your posts!

I am one of the 48% that go on to Facebook to read my news feeds. I love organization and I have everything that I am interested in on one site.  My Facebook is customized to me and that is what I love about it.   Some of my favorites are News 12 for local news, Mashable for my social media news, tech savvy agent for MLS, CNN money, and WSJ. 


ReBlogging From Obeo

On This Day January 6th In History

Here are some interesting events that happened on this day -January 6th in our History:



1789 The first U.S. presidential election was held. Americans voted for electors who, a month later, chose George Washington to be the nation's first president.

1996 A major blizzard paralyzed the eastern United States, claiming more than 100 lives.


1999 President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial began in the Senate.

2005 Actor Brad Pitt and actress Jennifer Aniston announced they were separating after four years of marriage.

• We are getting snow today, but nothing like our Blizzard last week. 
•  The most devastating news to hit the celebrity world was the break up of Brad and Jennifer! 
•  Bill Clinton...well that's a separate blog that can go on forever!!
• One of the most historical events took place on this date leading to the election of our first President George Washington.  Now that's History!

2011 Top 5 New Years Resolutions

Top 5 New Years Resolution

Every New Years Eve we all try to make our annual resolutions. It seems like they are always the same as last year! This means is that we never follow through with our resolutions. So I think my first resolution would be to actually follow through with them! I wanted to list the Top Five resolutions for fun. I bet we can all guess what they will be!



1. Loose weight/Join a Gym

2. Quit Smoking.

3. Get a better job.

4. Reduce stress.

5. Get out of Debt/Save money.



I was told years ago that if you want to set goals and you want to accomplish them there is a great way to do this. Every year  I set my New Years goals. I write them on a piece of paper and post them in a place where I will see them each morning. Each morning I am reminded that these are my goals and get to it!

Now do not try to accomplish unrealistic goals. Keep them within reach and you will accomplish them. For an example I write down my business goals. Each morning I look at this and it inspires me and motivates me.

It certainly will keep you on the right track!

Try it and let me know if it works for you :)

Small Business Outlook

While it may have been an unfriendly economic climate over the past few years, small business owners are hopeful heading into 2011. Sixty percent of small business owners polled said they expect their business to swell over the next 12 months, signaling not only good spirits, but a 6 percent increase over December 2008. That’s according to a recent Intuit, Inc. poll of 1,000 small business owners from across the United States. And what do SMB owners plan to do with the increased cash flow their businesses attract?


According to the survey:
•56 percent will focus on retaining and growing current customers.

•41 percent will look to expand marketing and attract new customers.

•30 percent will look to reduce costs and save money.

It’s not surprising to see that many small business owners will be looking to use the surge of cash to try and attract new customers. One of the largest pain points for small business owners is often trying to keep a steady flow of customers. In fact, Intuit’s survey found that 54 percent of SMB owners experienced a declining customer base over the past year, with another 32 percent naming delayed payments as their sore spot.

Just because they’re having a hard time finding customers, though, doesn’t mean SMBs are necessarily being proactive about seeking them out. The survey gave some startling numbers about small business owners’ usage of social media–or should I say, their lack of usage.

While 71 percent of small business agreed that social media is an effective way to keep customers engaged, they don’t seem to actually be using it.


The survey found:

•46 percent of respondents do not have a website.

•91 percent do not have a blog.

•67 percent of people do not use Twitter, Facebook or FourSquare.

Ouch.

So how are they promoting their businesses? Most continue to rely on word of mouth to get that job done. I guess we’ll just have to hope those surveyed are among the 75 percent of SMB owners warming up to social media in 2011.




Where will you be getting your new business from??   Social Media or Word of Mouth

Not Sure How Much To Tip This Holiday Season??

I know I always have a hard time figuring out how much to tip during the Holidays.  Read on for some suggestions!
Baby Sitter
One to two nights' pay is about right for a baby sitter you’ve used frequently throughout the year or for last-minute emergencies, says Ramsey. For a nanny or au pair, consider giving one week’s pay and a small gift from the child. A day-care provider might deserve $25 to $70.
Cleaning Person
The cost of one visit is considered fitting if he or she visits weekly or biweekly, says protocol adviser Rosanne Thomas. Increase the amount for someone who works more often. If you use a cleaning service that works as a team, a box of candy for the team is customary.
Dog Walker
Tip your regular dog walker up to a week's pay. Or you can substitute a gift for a cash tip, according to the Emily Post Institute. If you bring your pet to the same person year-round for grooming, you might consider tipping half the cost of a session or giving a gift, says Ramsey.
Hairstylist
The normal cost of a visit would be a nice tip for a stylist you see regularly. If you don’t require as much attention from your stylist or barber, you may prefer to give about $20 as a tip during your December visit.
Letter Carrier
The U.S. Postal Service forbids mail carriers from accepting cash, and says gifts must be under $20 in value. A gift card or a basket of fruit, nuts or chocolates that could serve as an off-duty snack is acceptable. A glowing letter to a supervisor praising a carrier who was undeterred by snow, rain, heat or gloom of night may mean even more than a gift, says Peggy Post, author of Excuse Me, but I Was Next.
Newspaper Delivery Person
Consider giving $10 to $30, unless you tip regularly throughout the year. Then, you can give a smaller gift of a few dollars.
 Personal Trainer
If you have an ongoing relationship with the professional and feel you have received above-average service, a tip of $50 or up to the cost of a session would be a nice thank-you around the holidays.
Teacher
For your child's teacher, consider giving a small gift, accompanied by a note or drawing by your child but check first with your school on its policy. If gifts are forbidden, a note of appreciation is always appropriate.
Trash Collectors
You should tip each of your trash or recycling collectors $10 to $30. You can hand them the envelope directly when they make their rounds during holiday season. But first check on the rules for your municipality. Some jurisdictions forbid workers from accepting cash.


Article Can Be Found On Kiplinger

Top 5 Most Wanted Holiday Gifts For 2010

Top 5 Most Wanted Holiday Gifts For 2010

Which ones are on your list?

Apple iPod Touch Newest Model


The newest release of the Apple iPod Touch will be one of the most popular gift items this Christmas season. It allows you take digital pictures and record HD quality video. It offers even higher quality for awesome game playing. The newest Apple iPod touch now offers video calling.


Apple iPad Tablet

The Apple iPad Tablet is probably one of the coolest gifts you can buy this Christmas season. It is an exciting to use new piece of technology. There are so many apps available for the Apple iPad such as fun games and interesting ways to access information on the internet.

Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect


This long awaited addition to the Xbox 360 system is one of the most asked for gift this holiday season. The Kinect console for Xbox 360 enables voice activation for your Xbox 360 system. You can tell the Xbox to play or pause and the Kinect allows it to recognize voice commands. The Kinect also offers remote free operation of Xbox 360 video games.


Playstation Move

The Playstation Move is the newest component for the Playstation 3. It enables game players to really get into their game play.

PlayStation Move brings motion gaming exclusively to your PS3 system. In addition to the PS3 system, PlayStation Move requires both the PlayStation Move motion controller and the PlayStation Eye camera to track your every move and put you in the game. PS3 game players will definitely have this item on their Christmas list this year.

Amazon Kindle Wireless Reading Device

The Kindle is an electronic reading device for downloading, storing, and reading electronic books, which are also known as e-books. It was developed by Amazon and is now Amazon's Number One best selling product.

I never would have guessed...Its all electronics!  I know I have the Ipad on my Holiday List!

East Northport December Newsletter