Check out this fun video inspired by the onlineschools.org infographic about the latest Facebook stats.
The World Is Obsessed With Facebook from Alex Trimpe on Vimeo.
The World is Obsessed With Facebook – video
February 25, 2011 By 1 Comment
Recommended Reading {2.22.11}
February 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Daily, I come upon great articles and blog postings that I think you should read. I regularly post links to them on my Facebook page, but I thought I would also start to post here my favorite articles weekly that I think you should read.
Here are is the recommended reading for this week:
8 New Facebook Page Changes: What You Need to Know – Social Media Examiner
Real Estate Agent Email Marketing Gone Wrong – GeekEstate Blog
Realtors Should Backup Their Entire Facebook History – AgentGenius
Have You Even Broken Ground - Tech Savvy Agent <<< This presentation is one you MUST WATCH
10 Reasons You Will Never Generate a Lead Through Social Media – Real Estate Tomato
Enjoy the above and happy reading!
Related Posts:
1 in 11 humans Are on Facebook [infographic]
February 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
![media httpsocialcomme gGElv.png.scaled500 1 in 11 humans Are on Facebook [infographic]](http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/megbarberva/tlqsEEnjJEIfsyfnukoBvyzJeiFoxjfeEwyhsihECwuuHqDCBfEvclpBcaxe/media_httpsocialcomme_gGElv.png.scaled1000.png "1 in 11 humans Are on Facebook [infographic]")
I ran across a few great infographics on Social Commerce Today, including the above illustrating the growth of Facebook over 2010, top brands, and demograhpics. Click the image above to read the great post.
Anyone out there still unsure about the importance of building a presence for your business on Facebook?
![1 in 11 humans Are on Facebook [infographic]](http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=ad979a21-5c6a-42f4-b552-5f20332391fa "1 in 11 humans Are on Facebook [infographic]")
Related Posts:
Update on the New Facebook Pages
February 11, 2011 By 1 Comment
Facebook has changed once again, though this time we were expecting it. Facebook pages now have a new look and some awesome new features. In the midday hours yesterday, the much buzzed about preview of the new Facebook Pages was rolled out. The official switch date for all Facebook pages is March 10, 2011, but yesterday Facebook gave many the option to upgrade their pages early (which of course I did).
So what in new with Facebook Pages? Let me give you an overview.
New Look
The new Facebook pages now closely resembles the new Facebook profiles that were rolled out in December 2010. Now they feature the addition of the 5 image banner at the top of the page and tabs have been removed and moved to the section beneath the page’s Avatar. So now any of your custom FBML tabs, or applications you’ve added to your page have been moved to this new spot.
Another change to the look, albeit small, is they’ve added an “Edit Page” button in the upper right hand corner of your page, instead of a link below the page avatar.
New Features
Now here is the best part. Facebook has added a bunch of fantastic new features that make managing your page and your page’s content so much better.
- You can now receive immediate email notifications when people post, comment or interact with your business page. Beforehand it was difficult to track people posting on your page unless you were regularly monitoring it.
- You now have the option to post, comment, update or like, as yourself or as your business page. It is a great opportunity for you to be able to promote your brand/business on other page while commenting or other interactions using your Page.
- You have the ability to change the category your page appears under. So if you want to switch from a Local Business or Place, to a Company or Organization, you can.
- You have the option to change the arrangement of the posts on your wall to be either the order of the most recent postings or order them by the most popular or “relevant” posts on your wall.
- You can feature your self or your business partners as the page owners of your business page. Prior to this, it was difficult to tell who owned or ran a particular page, but now you have that option.
- You can feature up to 5 of your favorite liked pages over on your left hand sidebar. So feature other business pages of yours, or your favorites.
- Just like in the new Facebook profile layout, there is now the banner of 5 images across the top. You can use this area to feature your listings, or you can get creative and carry your branding message across.
What stays the same?
- You still have the ability to designate one of your other tabs as default landing tab. So if you would like your custom welcome tab to be the first thing a user sees, you still can. If you had done this previously on the old version of your page, there is a chance that you will need to redo it after you upgrade, so it is best to double check.
Your custom landing tabs have remained the same width as before at 520 pixels wide. So no need to fear making your costom tabs you worked so hard on even narrower.
What else?
The location of the tabs has moved to a much less conspicuous place (as noted above). They are small links directly under the page avatar. So this means if you want to draw attention to your custom page tabs that you (or your assistant) have worked so hard to create, then you will need to get creative and perhaps draw attention to them using your page avatar.
Also, rumor has it that Static FBML will also be going away after March 10, 2011. Pages that are currently using custom tabs with FBML, can still remain. But it has been rumored that one will not be able to create new tabs using FBML. What will take it’s place? We shall see.
Overall, I think the changes that Facebook has made to the are pretty great for those using Facebook pages for real estate, or any other industry. It gives many more options on how you can display yourself and your content, and it is a fresh new look.
What are your thoughts about the new Facebook Pages? I would love to hear it, so please leave a comment below to state your thoughts or your questions about the new pages setup.
Coming soon: A full video review for my Getting Down to Basis series displaying layout and giving the lowdown how-to on set up the new Facebook Page.
Related Posts:
Changes in How to Create a Facebook Page – Video
February 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Just a week ago I posted a “How to Create a Facebook Page” video tutorial in my Getting Down to Basics series. Just when I show you one way, Facebook changes the game a little bit.
Facebook has rolled out some changes this week that slightly augments the way you create a Facebook page, as well as a whole new look to Facebook pages. So in my latest videos, More on Facebook Pages, Part 1 below will show you the changes they made to the create a page screen. Check it out!
Stay tuned Part 2 where I cover the new Facebook Pages layout and the cool new features they added!
Have any questions or a request for a tutorial on Facebook or any other tech tool? I would like to hear about it! Please leave me a comment below with your questions or suggestions.
Related Posts:
How To Create a Facebook Page – Video
February 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
In this latest installment in the Getting Down To Basics series, I created a video tutorial for how to create a Facebook Page for your real estate business. In a recent post I went over the differences between a Facebook Profile and Facebook Page, so here I am going one step further.
I have encountered many agents that knew they needed a Facebook page for their business, just didn’t know how to actually make one. So in the following video I made, I show you just exactly where to go to create a new page and some basic page setup. Enjoy!
I want to hear from you! Have anything to add, or a request for future tutorials? Please leave a comment below and let me know what you want to hear.
Related Posts:
Getting Down to Basics: Facebook Profile vs Page
January 28, 2011 By 1 Comment
On this first post on my Getting Down to Basics series, I am going to touch on some fundamentals of Facebook. One of the most common misconceptions I have found among many Realtors that have not fully delved into Facebook, is the difference between a Facebook profile and a Facebook page.
It is easy to confuse the difference between Facebook profiles and pages (often called “business pages” or “fan pages”) because they look very similar. But they couldn’t be more different than one another as they have separate terms of service and serve different purposes.
Different Looks
The Facebook profile has a slightly different look from the official page especially since the dawn of the “new” Facebook profile that came out in December 2010. The most distinct differences would be the personal information listed at the top, and below that, the banner of 5 photos across the top above your wall.
and the lack of “tabs” on the profile page is also a big difference (though with Facebook changing all of the time, who knows how long tabs will still be there in the future).
*Facebook takes your first 5 tagged photos and puts them in that spot above your wall. So be sure that you like and approve of photos you’re tagged in as they’re the first thing people will see on your profile.
Different Verbiage
Facebook uses different terms for those connected to your profile and official page, friends vs. like.
For Facebook profiles you will see the “Add as Friend” button to add the profile of others to connect with your profile, and the term “friends” when referring to your profile connections.
Facebook pages, you will see the “Like” button when stumbling upon a new page, and the
connections to the page are referred to as “People Who Like This”.
Different Terms of Service
In the past few years where Facebook has become a popular business tool, this question has come up from a few of my agents: “I want a Facebook page for their business, so do I have to sign up for a whole separate Facebook account?” The answer is a resounding NO.
In Facebook’s terms of service, they specifically state that you cannot have more than one personal profile, so that is a major no-no. They also say that you may not use your personal profile for your own commercial gain. Your profile is supposed to represent an actual person, not a brand. So it is advisable that as a Realtor, you should not promote your listings or directly solicit business on your Facebook profile. The Facebook official page is your answer to this.
That being said, that does not mean you can’t use your profile to foster relationships with your sphere. You should definitely engage with your friends on Facebook, show your personality, share your activities outside of your business life, just not blatantly promoting your real estate listings all the time. Think of Facebook as a giant online cocktail party. You wouldn’t go from person to person just telling them about your listings all the time would you?
Some additional points about your Facebook profile:
- Facebook profile has a maximum friend limit of 5,000
- Only those that you have mutually chosen to become friends with can see our full profile (unless you changed your privacy settings)
Facebook Pages on the other hand are specifically meant for commercial use. So your Facebook page or “Business Page” as I usually call it, is the appropriate place to post your listings, promote your real estate business, etc. Some additional info on Facebook official pages:
- Facebook pages are indexed by Google
- There are no limits to how many people can choose to like your page
- You can track visitor stats via Insights
- You can have as many Facebook pages as you wish
So that’s your basic overview of the difference between Facebook profiles and official pages. Here are some other great places to check out that explain this really well.
- Pixel Coaching – Facebook Foundations: Profile vs. Official Pages (check out their awesome comparison chart at the bottom)
- iClick Solutions – Difference between Facebook Profile and Facebook Fan Page
If you have any questions about some basics in Facebook , or any other social media or tech tool out there, we would love to hear about them, so please leave a comment below!
Next up in Getting Down to Basics, a video tutorial on how to create a Facebook page for your business.
Related Posts:
Best Uses of QR Codes on Your Yard Signs
December 10, 2010 By 7 Comments
Clickbrix Screenshot
QR codes are a very cool little piece of tech that agents are starting to use all over the place. I’ve previously gone over what exactly QR codes are and how to use QR codes to market your listings. Today I want to touch on the best uses of QR codes on your real estate yard signs.
- Mobile Enabled Single Property Site - The QR code on the yard sign can take mobile users to a comprehensive listing info site that is formatted just for mobile phones. Super simple way to deliver all the property info to prospective buyers right in there hands.
- Video or Video Tour - Put a QR code on your sign that sends them right the the YouTube video of the virtual tour. Prospective buyers can scan the code from the sign and instantly see the home tour video. YouTube is already mobile friendly, so it can be a great fit.
- Contact Form - Send prospective buyers to a place that not only gives them some home info, but send them to a contact form you to capture their contact info for them to request more info or personal contact with you.
A few recommended resources:
I mentioned in my previous post about listing marketing that vyoo.it is a great source for creating mobile enabled single property sites. Sign riders from them are also in the works (as of this date they’re “coming soon”).
A company called Clickbrix is taking the real estate QR code world by storm and they have solution that creates fantastic looking mobile property sites that include pictures, maps and more. They also provide great looking mobile agent profile sites. I think the best feature is that they provide realtime tracking and reporting for your QR code traffic, which is awesome. Agent plans run $25/month.
If you need stickers or yard signs printed with your QR codes, you should try a company called StickerScan.com. They give you the ability to print 3″x4″ stickers for several of your you listings at once with them. You can take a code you generated from elsewhere or have them generate it for you. Their pricing starts at $19 for 20 stickers (2 for each sign).
The BVAS Connection, Megan Barber and Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions are in no way affiliated with the above companies and have not received any compensation for recommending them. We just simply like their product/services.
Related Posts:
Technology Fun for Real Estate – QR Codes
November 17, 2010 By 6 Comments
Image by clevercupcakes via Flickr
Have you seen these fantastic little things called QR codes everyone seems to be raving about in the social media and real estate worlds? You may have seen these curious little square images while browsing print advertisements, signs on windows, stickers, business cards, etc. They seem to be popping up everywhere for smartphone users find information on the go. So today I’m going to go over what they are, how to get them, and lightly go over how you can use them in your real estate business.
What are QR codes? From those who are not aware, this Wikipedia entry explains them well:
A QR Code is a matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with a camera, and smartphones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.
Common in Japan, where it was created by Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave in 1994, the QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. QR is the acronym for Quick Response, as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.
Quite simply, they are barcodes that you can use to direct mobile/smartphone users to links, websites, text information, a youtube video, a virtual business card, or a ready-to-send text message. And they are being put on everything from print advertising, to store displays, to billboards, and t-shirts. All phone users have to do is simply scan the code with their barcode reader (more on that below) and they are then taken to the link or information encoded in the QR code image.
How do You Read QR Codes?
In order to read these codes, must have a smartphone, such as a Droid, iPhone, or Blackberry, that has a reader or barcode scanner app that can decode them for you. Many Android phones already have a QR code reader built into them. The Droid Market and iPhone Apps Store also has many free apps for scanning and decoding QR codes. And Those with Blackberry phones with BBM also have the ability to scan QR codes.
How do you Create a QR Code?
You can Google “QR code Generator” and come up with numerous sites out there that can make you QR codes for simple url’s, or more in-depth information like virtual business cards. But here are some great QR code generators to get you started.
- Goo.gl – This is Google’s url shortener that not only creates a short url, but a QR code to direct to it. This is great if you are simply going to direct people to a landing page of your creation (or link to a single property site). You can also track stats.
- The 2 Code – This is a great QR code generator that creates codes for anything you need, plus you can designate the size you want the image to be.
- QR Stuff - Not only can you create QR codes for anything you may need, you may also print or email them, download a high-res version (for a fee), and have them printed on t-shirts, mugs, etc.
- Likify – With Likify, you can generate Facebook Page likes with the use of their QR codes. It creates a mobile landing page with the Facebook like button for you to acquire new fans that you can then take and print on anything.
Make sure your url you use for your code is short, or use a url shortener (bit.ly, tinyurl, etc) for long links. This makes your QR code more simple and a cleaner image.
How can you use these QR codes?
There are many ways you can use these QR codes to enhance your marketing and make a splash. Create QR codes that lead to your website, single property sites, a special landing page, a virtual business card, or your Facebook and Twitter profiles. You can take your codes and put them on your property flyers , brochures, business cards, Facebook pages, car magnets, and yard signs. There are so many possibilities for using these in your marketing.
There is a key to utilizing QR codes the right way. For example, it doesn’t make sense to put a QR code on your business card that leads to a webpage with your same contact info on it. Instead direct it to one of your social media profiles or a landing page in your site offering a special report or coupon.
So there you have it. In future postings here on the BVAS Connection, I’ll be breaking down the various ways to use this fun technology to enhance your real estate marketing and some pointers on the best ways to use it. In the meantime, let me know what you think about these QR codes in the comments section below. If you have some of your own creative ideas on how to use them, I would love to hear it.
Related Posts:
Choose Your Social Media Friends Carefully
August 13, 2010 By 1 Comment
So there’s enough talk about Social Media being the latest and greatest marketing tool and why it’s necessary to have in your marketing arsenal. It’s starting to be overkill, so I’m sure by now you are getting the idea. I want to dig in a little deeper and to talk about adding “friends” and connections that can be beneficial to your overall marketing strategy.
So you’ve set up your social media profiles, Facebook Pages, Twitter accounts. Now what? Now it’s time to add your “friends”. You can accomplish very little in social media without friends, or connections. Who is going to see your posts, videos, or updates if you are not connected to anyone? It’s like shouting out to an empty room.
The great place to start out is by adding your own family, your friends, current and past clients that you regularly keep in touch with. But it is a good idea to be strategic about the kinds of friends and connections you make on your social networks. You want to make connections with people that will bring you business or have the potential to bring you business. And though this may be controversial to some, I am of the opinion that agents should not be spending too much of their social media time connecting with just a bunch of other real estate agents.
When some agents just start out in their social networks, they get caught in the trap of spending a lot of time adding, and friending only other agents, and ignoring the potential client base they can find from their sphere of influence and local area. Networking primarily with other agents may be fun, may generate an occasional referral, but other agents are not the people that a majority of your business will come from. In some cases, they are your direct competition (but not always). You want to connect with real potential sellers and buyers in your area, people that would want to use your services.
Say you opened a new business selling widgets. You wouldn’t necessarily want to connect primarily with other makers of the same widgets. You want to connect with people that are interested in buying your widgets. You want to get front of mind awareness with THOSE people because they are the meat and potatoes of your business.
Now I am not saying that you should ignore and not connect and network other agents on social media completely. You should spend some of your time networking with other agents. You can find some great agents out there to inspire you, to learn from, to joke with, commiserate with. Heck, in my own business, I network with a ton of other Virtual Assistants on Facebook, Twitter, etc. But it is a good idea to balance it out and strategically build your friends lists with clients and those potential buyers and sellers.
So choose your friends and connections on your social networks carefully. Be sure to spend your time networking with a good mix of potential business and other agents. And don’t forget to provide that great content! Entice people to network with you. Provide them great information in a friendly way. Do that, and you will eventually have people clamoring to be connected to YOU.
Recent Comments