Tweet

Social Media Secrets for Home Stagers!

Written by: Diana Hathaway Timmons

Article Overview: Everyone tells you that you need to jump into social media to market your business, but no one can agree on which application you should use, how often you should post, and what you should say. There's so much information out there (maybe too much!) that it's confusing. Don't give up on social media yet! Use these tips to use social media in your own way, for a dynamic online presence.

Social Media Secrets for Home Stagers!

Be picky - You don't have to jump in and try every social media application out there. It's like taking a swimming lesson, and learning every stroke on the first day. You'd drown. Spend time finding out where your target market is online, and include that information in your plan.

Be real- Whatever social media you choose to adopt, make it clear from Day One who you are, and what people can expect from you. People do business with people they like. Period.

Be yourself - AFTER you identify who you'll be. Explanation? We all have different facets to our personality. We can be funny, serious, helpful, snarky, or creative. The most successful social media-ites are consistent in their personality online.

Be open - Don't dismiss comments you receive on your blog or fan page. Your potential customers are trying to tell you something, bad or good. No matter how tempting, always take the high road online -- you never know who's reading, and you'll save yourself much stress later on.

Be accessible - You're trying to build an online presence, but it's not a one-way street. Find ways to get interactive with your visitors and fans. Don't let comments sit without a reply, even if it means being the better person and letting a criticism pass.

Be open - One of the most valuable things about an online presence is making connections with other entrepreneurs and marketers. A connection made through social media could result in a joint venture, a new client, or invitation to participate in an event. I have had so many opportunities from just being visible, and you can too.

Be visible - If you don't have a recent, and vibrant photo of yourself right now, have one taken. Part of building a brand is making connections, and a profile with either no photo or a posed business portrait from 1990 is not going to sell your brand to anyone. Because you're marketing in the real estate industry, and that industry is driven by personal marketing, a photo is crucial.

Be present - Don't start using more social media applications than you can manage at first. Starting a presence and abandoning it, or only posting every month or so, is worse than nothing at all. It would be like leaving a client sitting in your office while you went home for the night. Include social media on your daily to-do list.

Be honest - Don't use other people's comments without giving some props to them. In Twitter, that's the Retweet (RT), in other applications you can use the comment or idea, but give credit and a link if possible.

Be adventurous - Once you get your start with a few social media applications, start watching for other apps that may be in their early stages so you can be an early adopter, and enjoy a less cluttered venue online. Just be sure that the applications you're choosing are reaching the people you need to reach.

Be studious - Read blogs like Mashable, or Rotorblog to stay on top of new applications, trends, and new ways to utilize your favorite social media. There is also an incredible wealth of knowledge on Active Rain that can help you specifically in the real estate industry. Every industry has its own customs, so it's good to know how others market in real estate.

Be zen - Know that using social media will not be perfect. There will be service outages, misunderstandings, and lost passwords. It all works out in the end (and don't use your social media platform to complain about those things, people notice.)

Be smart - Don't leave the important work of creating and maintaining your online image to an employee or student, unless you're certain that they understand what your goals are, the rules of engagement, and the voice of your brand. Unless your business is large enough to have a marketing department, the majority of social media work should be generated by the principals of the firm.

Be out there - Don't leave all of your networking to the internet. Find regional groups for in-person networking, or meet-ups generated through your online social networking. It doesn't matter if your is not region-dependent, if you're a solo entrepreneur, it's good to have a reason to get out of the office once in a while.

Be happy - Enjoy the unique nature of social media communities. Have fun with it, but never forget why you're there.

Related Articles
  Why Home Stagers Don’t Need to Provide Furniture Rentals – Part 2
  Why Home Stagers Don’t Need to Provide Furniture Rentals – Part 1
  No One Needs to Know You’re a Part-Time Home Stager
  Staging Diva Announces Resource To Help Stagers Effortlessly Promote Their Services
  Home Staging Marketing Tactics That Will Put You Out of Business – Pt. 3

Article Tags: Business Tips, Home Stager, Real Estate Staging, Social Media



Related Forum Posts
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - [quote="WebBizIdeas.com":gvtxsu7g]Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff[/quote:gvtxsu7g] Hi Jeff, Thanks for the suggestion. Why don't you start a new post (with a poll) to see if there's enough interest in your idea for a social media section?
Re: UPDATES: New Campaign! New Layout! New Ideas! - GT - thanks for the FYI - I'm not sure if we'll put a link back. Something to consider though! Trent - the new category is "Social Network and Media" which was put in to compliment the Online Businesses category that currently exists. Overall the new categories are: - Looking For, Networking and Events - Review My... - Social Network and Media - Brags and Rants These came as a result of Ringo doing research on other forums and thinking about what could be improved on ours to give a better experience for everyone. I hope you enjoy them! David, I'm looking forward to reading your Brag / Rant!
Re: Marketing 2.0 - What Are Your Thoughts - Hi Shri, Thanks for posting this. I also read it and I believe Social Media is here to stay, until the next best thing comes up. Social media proved to be useful for me many times and I think everyone should use it for their business.
Re: Social Media Marketing Ignorance - [quote="vbn411":7qciluxl]Social Media is space that you have to be in to succeed in our current climate. People are going to be discussing your brand / product whether you like it or not, so you might as well join the conversation and add value. [/quote:7qciluxl] I think that's probably one of the most realistic way to think about it. There's no real textbook way of understanding Social Media, it's the networks of people and their interactions that will exist with or without your input. As for Jennifer, You can always have 2 Facebook pages. Many people do. There is also LinkedIn, which is like a professional networking version of Facebook. The only way to know is to try it.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Here's a great ROI

4 Steps To Hypnotize Your Business Prospects

10 Reasons Your SBA Loan May Be Declined

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.