by Brian Brady
Commercial Real Estate Finance Expert
Structured Debt and Equity
Licensed Real Estate Broker in AL, CA, and FL
I’m pleased that we received a hearty endorsement from Benn Rosales, at Agent Genius, for the BloodhoundBlog Unchained Social Media Marketing Conference, brought to you by Zillow. I’m pleased but I’m not surprised. I’m not surprised because I’ve gotten to know Benn these past six months. He’s a marketer and a fine one at that.
Some bloggers doubt the utility of the content we’re discussing; I completely understand that doubt. While UNCHAINED will talk a lot about the power of the web log, it is not JUST a bloggers’ conference. UNCHAINED is a marketing conference; a social media marketing conference. Not all bloggers are marketers; they are accidental beneficiaries of the explosion of the Web 2.0 evolution.
Web 2.0 is not “new”. Social Media Marketing started about 10-15 years ago. Interactive marketing is about engaging the consumer, using the far reach of the internet.
I remember starting a Yahoo Chat room, called “Phoenix Real Estate”, in the late 90’s. It was a destination spot I hosted for consumers and professionals to share information, each night, from 9PM-10PM; I often sat alone in that “chat room”. Some nights, a real estate agent or consumer would show up to ask questions; those were the best nights. I found that Sunday nights became the best time for consumers to interact with me and limited the chat room to a scheduled weekly event.
Hosted forums were another great way to engage consumers before LinkedIn broke onto the scene. When LinkedIn hit the net, it gave us a chance to engage the consumer on our terms. Rather than wait for an anonymous person to hit a forum or chat room, we were able to use demographic data to target certain “prospective customers”. If you’re a long-term player in this industry, LinkedIn represents a great chance to engage people in an interactive community.
Myspace offered a completely new paradigm to SMM. Here, users post personal profiles, robust with demographic data, to be “searched”. Through groups and “friend lists” a site-specific address book can be created and engaging discourse takes place. While critics write off the “feel” or “culture” of Myspace, marketers understand that the robust data and stickiness of the community provide an excellent chance for pull marketers to demonstrate expertise, to a targeted group of people, and make valuable contacts from within that group.
Blogging succeeds because it tore down the walls of contained communities, like forums, chat rooms, and social networks, and advanced the conversation to Google search. No longer did a marketer have to pass through a wall to connect with consumers. A marketer can now practice true pull marketing by “putting it out there” in hopes that Google picks it up and dispenses the relevant information to the interested searcher. In some ways, blogging is like an online dating site, promoting your best qualities in hopes that the right mate will recognize your “beauty” and connect with you.
Twitter advances the conversation to a short burst. It is much like the “old” chat rooms, where “handled” users carry on conversations, without specific rules . The difference? Twitter is not constrained by the “walls” of the old chat rooms; it’s open to Google search. So blogging and twittering aren’t new; they are open access platforms to old technologies. In fact, social media marketing pre-dated Google.
UNCHAINED will certainly recognize the power of the web log as a marketing tool. Our commitment to bringing Laurie Manny and Mary McKnight to the conference shows we intend to discuss this medium extensively.
Now, why’d Benn have to go and endorse Bloodhound Unchained?
…cuz UNCHAINED is a marketing conference, above all; a social media marketing conference. Effective marketing practices, in this space, were established long before there was an Active Rain or RealTown. I think you’ll find this conference is worthy of your consideration. Benn did.
Benn says:
“Not all bloggers are marketers;”
This is a great point that should be expanded – Not all Realtors are marketers or even understand the fundamentals of advertising. We’ve been spoonfed as I pointed out here – http://agentgenius.com/?p=1161
March 1, 2008 — 10:33 am
Brian Brady says:
“This is a great point that should be expanded”
Good point, Benn.
How can we promote a bloggers’ message to consumers without compromising the integrity of pull marketing?
March 1, 2008 — 3:04 pm
Benn says:
I like 1.0 approaches using the neighborhood practice of the 2.0 concept.
Your blog should be on every mailer or door hanger, business cards made up with simply your neighborhood blog address on it. I also really like the idea of buying space on table mats, table tents, at the local donut shop. Timing a Starbucks get together with your local moms day out and hosting it with free coffee and pastries. Doing this at the same time promoting twitter, and other such social venues brings you in on a personal level- thus the marketing is sincere, you’re advertising yourself in a modest way- pull marketing.
I actually have a post in draft on another unique idea I’ll throw up in the next day or so.
March 1, 2008 — 5:15 pm
Barry Cunningham says:
I spoke with Teresa Boardman the other day and posed the question…Are you a blogger that sells real estate or a real estate agent that blogs. Her reply was stunning.
She said blogging IS her business. This is the kind of thinking that will re-shape the industry. Unfortunately it will be a long, slow process.
However events like UNCHAINED will be looked at as inducing said change.
Social marketing is here, it needs to be utilized and everyday there is so much more to learn and do.
See you in Phoenix!
March 1, 2008 — 5:26 pm
JTB Summit says:
Blogging is very nice, I can trace at least 3 deals to my blogging over the past 8 months. One of them was reading everything I wrote about Morristown, and is now buying a very nice Morristown Home.
Have not tried Twitter yet but looking at it.
March 2, 2008 — 9:47 pm