Activity Based Marketing – Do Your Activities Define You?

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Jeff

Activity Based Marketing. What is it?

Activity Based Marketing is a style of marketing, where the activities you’re involved in on a daily basis becomes the content of your actual marketing activities.

How’s that for a confusing definition? Yeah. Let me explain…

Say I’m a Real Estate agent who goes out every single week and previews all the new listings in the neighborhood I’m focusing on. That’s my activity set.

When I’m out previewing homes, I see things that are interesting to me. Things in the neighborhood, things in the homes I’m previewing, etc. I may take a picture of some of these things. That’s my content.

As I’m finding these interesting things, I decide I want to share them with members of my “community”. My “community” could be friends on Facebook, Twitter, or visitors to my blog. Basically your community is your sphere of influence. So, I may use the Facebook app on my iPhone and upload the image to my profile (or fan page) and add a quick little note explaining why it’s interesting to me. That becomes my marketing.

Put those three things together, and you have Activity Based Marketing, where the smallest little activities become a large part of conveying your message (in this case it would be “I’m a Real Estate agent) to a specific group of people. Here’s a great example from @Garrons on the Portland Real Estate site.

For a glimpse of how we’ve been using Activity Based Marketing, check out (Activity Based Marketing at M Realty) on the M Realty site.

So, what activities are you using to market yourself?

Random Thought

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Jeff

Focus, consistency and a clean message. Rinse and repeat.

If you struggle with marketing, try sticking to this simple mantra. You’ll be amazed at how these simple words, once mastered, can make a huge difference.

Bern out!

I’m Done with Social Media

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Jeff

Social Media is such a beat up term these days. It’s tired. Weak. In fact, I’m done with it.

I’m going antisocial!

Seriously though, I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit lately. Making some changes in the way I interact online. Creating some controversy around the “proper” way to follow and unfollow people, if there is such a thing. I was told I was being antisocial, an elitist, acting like a 9 year old and that my life was in ruin because I had done a mass-unfollow to clean up my Twitter account. Whatever…

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn… All these social media (yuck, there’s that term again) platforms are based around one thing. Community. A community that I build. One that I have control over. If I want to unfollow people, I can. There’s no rule saying if you follow me, I have to follow you back. But, if you engage me, chances are really good that I will bring you into my community. Call that line of thinking whatever you want, it is what it is.

So, what IS it?

To me, these platforms (mostly Twitter and Facebook), have become more collaboration tools than anything. Community based collaboration tools where I can reach out to my friends and followers to get questions answered, find new things to do, cool people to do them with, etc. Google used to be my answer for pretty much any question or problem I was having. Now, I turn to those I know and trust for opinions, answers and input. THAT is worth it’s weight in gold to me, whether I’m antisocial or not.

So, there it is… Community Based Collaboration Tools. The end of social media (for me at least).

Enter The Matrix of Facebook’s Algorithms

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Jeff

I was chatting with Dustin Luther the other day about his newly coined phrase “Networking Engine Optimization“, or NEO, which is basically the understanding of how to optimize your content to best take advantage of the algorithms built into the social networking platforms (Facebook’s post quality score, Twitter’s trending topics, etc.).

In case you’re not familiar with how it works, Facebook has a built in rating system for pretty much everything these days. Things like the ads it shows you, recommended friends, recommended fan pages or groups, and even your content quality and where it places that content. NEO is similar to search engine optimization, or SEO, in that you’re “optimizing” content to get better results. In SEO you’re after better placement in the search engines. In the case of NEO, you’re after better visibility for your content.

So how do you go about optimizing your content for Facebook? Well, that’s a good question… Like the Google algorithm, the Facebook algorithm is somewhat of an unknown. Let’s take a look at what we do know.

There are a couple of variables to the equation that Facebook gives us:

Active fans – The number of fans that have written on your wall, or somehow interacted with your posts (likes, comments or shares) over a 7 day rolling window.

Interactions – A total of all the interactions (likes, comments, or shares) from your active fans in that same 7 day window.

Post quality – A 5 star scoring system based on the percentage of your fans that engage when you post content. The number of stars is meant to compare the quality of your page to pages that are similar (roughly the same number of fans).

Now, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out how to get a better post quality score. You just have to create better content, right? Well, that’s part of the battle. Which part, we’re not really sure just yet. See, Facebook also recently implemented a new way of feeding content to it’s users. The default view on your main Facebook page is set to “top news”. This is where the algorithm comes in, and the need to optimize content. Your content is no longer guaranteed to show up in everyone’s “news feed” like it used to. Now, your posts are digested by some algorithm, and spit out containing some sort of ranking (this being the unknown part) which tells Facebook wether or not to display your content in the “top news” feed.

Basic stuff so far. Now, here’s the problem…

If you don’t create killer content right from the beginning, you may fall into the abyss. Your content won’t be seen because Facebook just isn’t showing it to people, unless they click on the “most recent” option to view everything. So how are they supposed to interact with it to increase your post quality score? It’s like a catch 22!

Since we obviously don’t have the answer to how to go about gaming the system and guaranteeing your content will be seen by everyone every time they log in to Facebook, here’s my suggestions (which happen to be pretty much parallel with what Facebook recommends) for how you can get the best interaction with your posts:

1. Make sure that your posts are relevant to your friends and fans.

2. Post engaging content – ask questions, create controversy, show some emotion!

3. Post consistently and frequently, but not to the point of being annoying. Post when you have something relevant and engaging (see above).

That should hold you over until someone at Facebook can shed some light on how to write a perfect status update. Which, I seriously doubt will ever happen.

Now, I would love to hear some of your thoughts and ideas on how you go about creating content for your business on Facebook, assuming you actually have a strategy and you’re not just winging it…

Real Estate Marketing of Tomorrow, Today

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Jeff

I was introduced to a product called StickyBits today (thanks to Brian at 1000Watt) that I think could become a major part of Real Estate marketing plans across the globe very quickly. Of course, I thought the same thing about QR codes back when they were first introduced and they never really took off. But, I think there’s still potential.

The thing about StickyBits that I think is game changing, is the ability to add “bits” of information to the item you’re tagging.

How do you tag an item?

It’s easy. You just find any product with a barcode or QR code (or download and create your own barcodes on StickyBits.com) and using the free iPhone or Android app, scan it. StickyBits then prompts you to add your bits to the scanned item. Bits can be pictures, video, audio, and text.

So how’s this work for Real Estate?

Here’s what I’m thinking… You create a barcode and build it into your listing flyer and stick it on your sign rider with a simple sentence instructing people to download the StickyBits app and scan the barcode for additional information. Then you scan it (to claim it as yours) and add the following bits:

Pictures – above and beyond what you’ve got in the MLS listing. Find the little interesting things about the property, and document them.
Video – A quick introduction video. A walkthrough of the home. Run around the backyard. Walk around out in the street. Maybe even a quick neighborhood tour?
Floor plans – If you have access to them. Why not? You can upload PDF’s from the website.
Notes of interest – leave notes about the property you think people would find interesting. These can be recorded audio notes, or text based comments.

Check out the quick example I whipped up today showcasing the M Realty office in Portland.

From there, when someone else scans the barcode to get the additional information, you get a notification. You can even see the persons profile info, unless they choose to make the scan “private”. What a cool lead capture device! Strike up a conversation with the person on Twitter or Facebook (StickyBits uses Facebook Connect as their primary login) and see what happens. Plus, anyone who scans your item can also leave bits of their own. Maybe pictures they took, questions about the property, or feedback on your list price. That part could get a little tricky, but if you monitor what is being added and respond appropriately, you’ll be fine.

That’s probably just the tip of the iceberg for all the cool stuff you can use this tool for. In fact, I just ordered some new business cards with a barcode that takes the scanner to “more info about me”. The applications are almost limitless!

So, what do you think? Does this one have “sticking” power?

Real Estate Marketing Tip: Listings on Facebook

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Jeff

While I’m not a huge fan of marketing your listings on Facebook to begin with, I definitely wouldn’t do it this way:

I received this message tonight from a local agent (whom I’ve technically never met), and decided it would make a perfect example of how to avoid a potentially embarrassing situation. You see, by sending this listing out as a message to all your friends you run the risk of someone leaving a comment that you may not want others to see. What most people don’t realize is that when sending a message out to a group of people, the “reply” button is automatically replaced with a “reply all” button. Therefore anything someone thinks they’re sending back to you as a private reply instantly gets emailed to everyone else on that list.

Imagine if your client was one of the people in that list (because naturally you want to show them you’re actually marketing their property) and someone sent a message back saying something along the lines of “I toured that dump yesterday, and it smelled like there were dead raccoons under the floorboards”. Think that may be an embarrassing situation that could have been avoided?

My preferred method of marketing listings on Facebook: show or tell something interesting about the home. Here’s a good example from another local agent:

There’s a couple things going on here. First, it’s not your typical automated syndication directly from Postlets.com. The agent actually wrote up a blog post of her own about the property and linked back to her blog. She benefits by getting the link and traffic back to her site, which has potential lead capture built into it using a good IDX platform. Visitors may find one of her other listings, or begin using her property search and convert into a lead. You never know…

She also put some thought into the little commentary above the post, letting her friends know what is so interesting about this specific property, and why it’s worth taking a look at. So many times I see things like “check out my new listing” or “open house-sunday-1-3pm”. Those messages aren’t really that compelling.

I think in the end, it comes down to knowing your audience, and figuring out the best possible way to connect with them. Social media is a great way to connect, you’ve just got to put a little more thought into it instead of just blasting your message out to anyone who will listen.

Social Media CAN Change The World

Posted on March 24, 2010 by Jeff

And apparently it is… Quickly in this case.

I wrote yesterday about the Nestle/Greenpeace Facebook debacle and how it was quickly spinning out of control for Nestle. I didn’t know much of the background on the story, so this presentation really shed some light on things for me. Check it out:

Still no official response from Nestle on this. I have a feeling whoever was running the fan page is no longer calling the shots on this one. PR crisis anyone?

What To Do When The Chocolate Hits The Fan

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Jeff

Or in this case, 93,000+ fans.

There’s been an awful lot of discussion lately surrounding using Facebook as a marketing platform. Right, wrong, 10 fans, or several thousand fans, it just seems to be a hot topic no matter how you look at it.

So, here’s my thought: “What happens when a good thing goes bad?”

Let’s say you’re Nestle. You’ve got a good thing going, or so it seems. You’ve got a Facebook fan page with thousands of “fans”. Then one day all hell breaks loose! Someone finds out you’re using a product that has a negative impact on the environment, and is responsible for destroying the rain forests. I’m sure there are other issues here, but this seems to be the underlying one. Problem #1.

Next thing you know, your fans turn on you. We all know the viral effect Facebook can have. Someone leaves a comment, their friends see it, they “like it”, their friends see that, and so on and so forth. Within hours you have a blood bath on your hands, and your brand is quickly bleeding out!

What do you do?

Well, you certainly don’t make things worse by lashing out at your fans. Problem #2.

Stop the bleeding!

This thing is so out of control, there’s no hope for saving it. If I were Nestle, I would kill the page. Damage control time! A press release saying this online marketing campaign no longer fits into our current marketing plan might be a good way to go about it.

With all the apparent successes of Facebook marketing lately, this is bound to happen again, possibly to someone in the Real Estate space. What would YOU do? Do you have a plan?

I Hate Your Stupid Fan Pages

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Jeff

Well, I think the title pretty much sums up how I feel about this one. Although the more I check out the Facebook girls to the right, the more I reconsi… Oh nevermind.

I really wish there was a way to disable peoples ability to “invite” me to become a fan of their page. Recently, after the 13th invite that I declined, I decided it was time to unfriend the perpetrator (one of many). But, it got me thinking… There’s got to be a better way. A better way to get people to acknowledge the value that your fan page provides (it does provide value, right?) and become a “fan” voluntarily.

There is hope though.

Take Dale Chumbley for example. The guy has pretty much started a movement. Now it seems everyone and their mom is wanting to start a “365 things to do…” fan page. The thing about Dale’s “365 Things To Do in Vancouver, WA” fan page that caught me off guard was that I had never heard of it when I finally stumbled across it. Had Dale forgotten to invite me to be a fan? I mean, there were already over 6,000 fans. I felt a little left out. But upon further inspection, I could tell there was something different about what was going on here. Dale was getting a TON of interaction from fans. He was responding to questions, and probing for further interactions. All of which promotes organic, viral growth on Facebook. When I spoke to Dale about this, he confirmed my suspicion in that he had not sent a single “invite” out. 100% organic growth. Genius!

Now let’s get something straight here. I predict most people don’t have what it takes to pull this off. Dale does. I mean, the guy has taken like 600+ daily mugshots. That’s dedication!

Provide value on your fan page, and people will come. You can’t force it upon people. Sure you may get a couple hundred fans by sending out invites, but we’re seeing much better results in a short amount of time, using the same strategy Dale has employed.

Or, just get some hot chicks to wear skimpy shirts with your fan page URL. That works too!