Social Media Success — Selecting Your Network
I was recently invited to speak at an event in Portugal attended by representatives from the property industry across the Algarve region of the country. The hot topic of the day was social media and how estate agents, rental companies and property developers could use the various networks to generate interest in their properties and ultimately drive sales and rental income.
While nearly everyone who attended the event claimed to be “on” social media, very few were actually using it to its full (or anywhere near its full) potential. Most simply had a Facebook account where they listed properties. Some attendees were on Twitter but did little to build engagement, and while there was a smattering of interest in Instagram and Pinterest, few could see a business case for building an audience via these channels.
It has to be said that there was a degree of skepticism in the room about the value of social media. This was despite the fact that the event would not have taken place if it were not for a series of social engagements via LinkedIn earlier in the year. In this respect, I could argue that social media marketing works so well, the people it actively engages might not even realize they are being marketed to. In an age where people increasingly hate the hard sell, this is not a bad thing.
