Presented by Mark Flavin Social Networking 101 Presented by Mark Flavin

Who here uses Social Networks? According to the Pew Internet Project More than one-third (35 percent) of U.S. adults have a profile on a social networking site According to a 2008 survey by NAR 33% of REALTORS® actively participate in a social network or blog

Social Networking in Plain English http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc

Which sites do you use? Facebook – Large number of users centralized grouping LinkedIn – Focused mainly on business networking, called by some Resume 2.0 Twitter – micro blogging aka stream of life MySpace – Decentralized grouping, mainly under 20 crowd Active Rain – Focused on connecting with other Real Estate professionals

Consumers are Surrounded Offline & Online That is nice but who cares? Consumers are Surrounded

How Social Networks can Help Campaign and Issue Awareness Planning a campaign strategy Unfiltered communication channel Market intelligence Generate creative ideas Create a content trail leading to your website Present measurable interest to policy makers.

What is the Long Tail and why you should chase it. Long tail marketing simply means FOCUS on developing your online identity around your marketing plan/goals Which is more valuable 1,000,000,000 people looking for information 25 people who want to ACT today In the early days it was all about the NUMBERS Today is about focused results Consumers know how to use the internet to find what they want. Can they find you?

Three Things to Consider Where are your friends and associates already? Talk to your colleagues where do they network Starting out is easier when you have “friends” What are your goals? Do you want to network with colleagues Make new friends Educate/Mobilize Is the network audience your audience? Large number theory aside it is about quality rather than quantity

How to get Started Identify your goals Find out where your Network currently resides Create a profile Set aside a little bit of time each day to manage your social network presence Encourage local officials, media, neighbors, members, colleagues and allied organizations to connect with you

Common Social Network Mistakes Updating your network 50+ times a day Personal/Professional balance – it is ok to show you have a life outside out of work within REASON Social networks are a segment of your business not the focus. Be selective in making friends If all you do is post information about policy or requests for support people will stop listening You don’t have to belong to every site on the internet. Updating your network 50+ times a day Overwhelm your channel with noise When you do say something IMPORTANT no one is listening Social networks are a segment of your business not the focus. Build your update schedule around your day not vice versa Be selective in making friends The power of social networks is in the hidden network if you have no idea who is in your group you cannot leverage it effectively Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

Some Strategies for Success Use LinkedIN as a online referral network – pay it forward if someone helped you out publically recognize them. Join Facebook Groups and share strategies with your colleagues Create a Facebook page for your association or a particular cause. Author a blog focused on local policy impact Host a calendar for your region and encourage attendance at meetings.

What is next? Dive in.

Questions or comments Mark Flavin - markf@bayeast.org https://www.bayeast.org/network