Archive for the 'Social Media' Category
Amy’s App of the Week – Feb 20, 2012
This app rocks for anybody needing to take a payment by credit card and that person does not have a PayPal account. Now, I did get the Squareup.com adapter to plug into
my Iphone or Ipad, until a friend told me I don’t need the adapter to still take credit card payments. I set up the account to just be for my ASH realty business so I would not be
accused of breaking Artilcle 8 of COE so I won’t be comingling funds.
Now, I am a mobile agent but that does not mean that I want to run all over the place to pick up checks or application fees. It means, I use technology to make myself more efficient. One way I recently
used this app is to take a credit application fees from a prospective tenant. It was quick simple and worth the little bit of fee they charge versus the alternative of racing around to meet the other agent to pick up cashiers check and then depositing them at my bank. So in my mobile world, it’s hip to be SQUARE.
Amy’s App of the Week
My favorite app this week is called Lightrac for Iphones ($4.99) or Droids (2.99). It is marketed for the outdoor photographer to track the sunlight for the optimum daylight times to shoot. This is great for real estate professionals that shoot their own listing photos as well as an App they can tell their professional photographers about. When I am showing houses to a client and they ask me where will the hot Texas sun hit, then I tell them to download the Lightrac app.” One recent buyer client I shared this app with him and his wife when they asked this question. Let’s face it, I am not a Girl Scout, so as they say….”There is an App for that”. My clients were impressed & used the app the next time we went to look at homes.
Do you want on Facebook Timeline??
So what is Timeline? It is Facebook new digital “scrapbook” of your posts on a timeline- Facebook Timeline
Amy tip on this – Follow the steps in the link below-
http://blazomania.com/2011/09/22/how-to-install-timeline-in-your-facebook-profile-tutorial/
I don’t want everyone seeing what I put on Facebook
This is a common complaint I hear from fellow friends and real estate agents. I always say, “Remember, you are in charge of what you post!” So here are simple step by step instructions straight from Facebook Help Center! Amy tip- Always remember your audience!
When I share something, how do I choose who can see it?
Before you post, look at the audience selector. Use the dropdown menu to choose who you want to share a post with.
Public (Maximum audience for adults)
Friends of Friends (Maximum audience for minors)
Friends (+ friends of anyone tagged)
Custom (Includes specific groups, friend lists or people you’ve specified to include or exclude)
You’ll see this tool wherever you share content, whether it’s a status update or information on your profile (timeline).
The tool remembers the audience you shared with the last time you posted something and uses the same audience when you share again unless you change it. For example, if you choose Public for a post, your next post will also be Public unless you change this audience when you post.
If you want to change who you’re sharing with, open the dropdown menu and choose a different audience. Remember: anyone you tag in a post, along with their friends, may see the post.
To make it clear who you’re sharing with at all times, the audience you select appears along with whatever you are saying, every time you share. You can also use the audience selector to change who you are sharing with after you post something.
Accessing HAR.com MLS on your Ipad
As a Real Estate agent out in the field, I need access to my MLS. I was frustrated that their were no good solutions for me using my Ipad- but Ta-Da- here it is!!!
Alaska Presentation -Marketing on a Shoe String Budget
Marketing on a budget for alaska association
View more presentations from Amy Smythe-Harris
Speaking in Alaska-Marketing on a Shoe String Budget
Social Media Overwhelmed!!!!!
Ok, so I admit it! I teach Social Media to REALTORS and how to time manage. I give them tips, tricks,etc and I see the “Deer in the Headlights” look staring back at me…. When I ask them later what they thought….”OVERWHELMED” is a resonating comment! “Where do I begin?”, they say. I answer back, “Just take one bite at a time, swallow, savor and then take another bite!” Don’t try to do all of it at once!
I am a FRAUD!!! I am sitting here starting to implement my 2011 marketing plan which is to take the time to learn WordPress and plug-ins. Plus I want to make my blog a habit for me! But instead, I am googling what I need to put on my site and the how-to’s. Now, I feel that bile rising up in my throat, head throbbing, eyes-crossed panic feeling! My pulse is rising because I am just as OVERWHELMED as those agents that are just starting to use Social Media. I am not even listening to my own advice I give out!!!
I’ve been scared of it because of my own stupidity. I am not a Jeff Turner, Gahlord Dewald, Todd Carpenter, Dale Chumbley, Brian Copeland, Nicole Nicolay or my other numerous Social Media friends that have stratosphere IQ’s. (I know they are getting a good chuckle out of this) I don’t know how to write code…. My niche in Social Media is not in the development of it, but of taking products already out there and implementing them to use in my Social Media plan. Using their stuff and putting my own marketing spin on it~I relate that to agents that all the time & they love it.
I am getting quite a bit of business leads through Social Media, but I know I need to step it up a notch. Hence taking the time to finally start to learn WordPress!
I know in our business that knocking on doors or calling on FSBO’s was not in my comfort zone of getting leads. But it works, just not for everyone. The same thing can apply to Social Media….one area of Social Media may feel more comfortable to you! But I am going to step out of my comfort zone, over come my own self-induced paralyis & ignorance, and learn this darn thing!!!
So my FB friends or my Tweeps out there now you know my goal! Be forwarned, I may need to tweet or post out my frustration as I learn!
Happy Social Media Posting to you all!
Why I like Twitter for my Real Estate Business
Twitter is a great tool for me in my Real Estate business because unlike Facebook, I can search to see what people are talking about. Twitter lets me search to see if someone is looking for a home in your area, what’s going on in Politics or at your local board Association, as well as for National Association of REALTORS® Midyear and National Conventions. I can build my online relationships in 140 characters or less. Through the use of Twitter, I have sent out referrals to agents in Arizona, found Virtual Assistants that I have been interviewing, and found my graphic artist that has redesigned my brand for me @ryanzundell.
I can tweet asking for help with Real Estate or technology and I get quick responses. No other avenue besides Facebook have I been able to in my 16 years in the business been able to get information this quickly and efficiently.
Great RE people to follow on Twitter- @mayareguru, @therealclint, @respres, @utahrepro,@tcar. When I want to look for information I can search by using # (hashtags). Since I will be heading to DC next week for National Association of Realtors Mid Year meeting, I have been watching all the tweets of what’s going on or who’s going by watching the #midyear. NAR convention has it’s own hashtag for their convention in November 2010 in New Orleans that people are already tweeting about- #nardigras!. Your local Association can use hashtags for any events they are doing. One that I watch for Houston Association of REALTORS is #hartrepac.
Follow me on @amyoutloud and I look forward to your tweets!!
Top 10 Facebook Tips
1. Be genuine- Just be you….whatever that “you” is!! Sarcastic, witty, dry, drama-filled, quirky,silly … I want to know that when I meet you IRL, that you are the same person.
2. Don’t sell your business until I know you- the beautiful idea behind Facebook is to create an unlimited network of people. (up to 5000 friends on a profile page) Now, keep in mind, it is about getting to know people…Not touting about what you sell. Life today is more about relationship selling, so give me a chance to get to know you and if I’m interested in your business, then I know how to find you! 
3. Know how people can find you on Facebook- An idea to build your friends on FB is to start asking people you meet, “Are you on Facebook?” You will be suprised about how many people are on the site. I ask them to find me on Facebook and give them my vanity name- http://www.facebook.com/amysmytheharris . I use to always hand out my business card when meeting someone for the first time…it was the way you did things in real estate industry. Now, I only pass them out if they want to remember my name to add me on FB. It has been a great way for me to build my Sphere of Influence. A quick tip-if you have a common name, you may want to have a nickname next to it so it will make you easier to find on Facebook. Example, Jim Cronin with http://realestatetomato.com/ told me to find him by looking for his nickname(tomato) next to Jim Cronin when I was searching for him.
4. Don’t update your status too often- Most people I know do not like a blow-by-blow account of your day…Don’t post too much on other’s peoples walls or in groups…Guy Kawaski got kicked off Facebook for this. See 13 ways to get kicked off Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=26991062444&topic=5553
5. Remember people’s birthdays- My friend, Lorene Perrin, an El Paso Realtor® http://www.prudentialbkb.com/agent/lorene-perrin or http://www.facebook.com/LORENE.PERRIN reminds us that Facebook is about connecting with people. The best way to remember is to wish them Happy Birthday! Use the Birthday Calendar app to grab their birthdays. If you have an Iphone, you can download Birthday Calendar app so you have one quick easy way to see the birthdays of your FB friends. You can say “Happy Birthday” to their wall or use the Birthday card app or use tokbox.com for a video message to them.
6. Be positive- Don’t say anything that you would not want your Grandmother to see. If you post negative comments on someone’s wall, be prepared for the backlash. Many a times I have had my friends text me about the person that post negative comment on my wall to see how good a friend I was with that person or could they something back. Remember, it is hard to get your point across through words, so double check how it could be interpreted. When in doubt, put a with it!
7. Pay attention to your privacy settings- How private do you want to be it totally up to the individual person. To set your privacy settings in FB, go to the top right hand side where the heading is blue. Click on Settings, Privacy. Under the Profile Information look at who can comment on your wall, who can see photos, who can see personal information. Once you have selected, click on the right hand side to Preview. This way you will know what an outsider sees. Under Contact Information, pay attention to current address, & mobile phone. I would suggest you keep Send me a message for eveyone. This is a personal take but I use FB as a database to contact someone even if they are not my friend. http://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy#/amysmytheharris?viewas=499458919
8. Send a message- when adding a friend, of course. Please don’t assume that everyone will remember your face or name from “back in the day”!!!!
9. Time management is key – In real estate the old adage was that we are suppose to be prospecting for business 60-70% of our time. If you are integrating Social Media into your existing prospecting/marketing plan, set aside the time needed to get familiar with your “platform” of speaking/engaging. I try to spend only an hour a day on FB/Twitter, but I can time manage much better with my IPhone.
10. Content is king- Do good posts!!!!! “Going to the bathroom”=Bad Post!!! ” Had toilet paper stuck to my shoe and no one told me! Would you?” = Good Post. If you can come up with cutesy things to say, then post a picture or a youtube video or a link from your favorite website saying why you love this site!
Disclaimer*** These were done in no particular order and they are must my opinion! See you on FB or Twitter @amyoutloud
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