Age: 37
Years in real estate: Licensed since 2000. Growing up in a real estate office, it seems like a lifetime.
Job title: director of interactive marketing, ERA Wilder Realty Inc.
Location: Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina
Hours per week spent on social media: Far too many to admit!
Social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, YouTube and Pinterest
Target demographic: real estate industry members and consumers (millennials to baby boomers)
Average number of posts per day: 15-plus a day (various networks)
Which social channels do you work the most?
I’d have to say that Facebook is where I’m most active. I spend a great deal on Instagram and Twitter as well.
How many friends, likes and so on do you have?
I have about 3,600 Facebook friends and 3,000 Twitter followers. I don’t focus on these numbers so much.
Does that number matter to you?
To me, it’s about quality, not quantity. I do track engagement, opportunity to lead and so forth, so monitoring analytics are necessary in this business.
Do you ever give it a break?
That question just brought a smile to my face. :) In a perfect world, disconnecting once at home would be ideal, but that’s something I’ve not mastered. I do my absolute best to give my undivided attention to those I love, but I also love what I do. I’m working on it.
Does social help your business, and how?
No doubt about it … YES! Social is major part of my business. It’s offers a way to start conversations, create relationships and grow my sphere. It’s also that added layer of communication for those I meet offline.
What’s your goal for your favorite social channel?
My goal is to make sure that my agents and my brand understand how Facebook works, how to use it and feel comfortable doing so. I want agents to create and fuel the online digital bonfires we all see when folks are passionate about their business, their community and each other.
What’s your strategy to achieve it?
Education, training and transparency online.
Is it worth it, why?
Of course it is. Relationship building and sharing the stories prompts growth in our industry. We are better together.
What’s your craziest social media-related story?
I have two and both occurred this year while at #ICNY:
The first came about while listening to Valerie Garcia of Re/Max speak about doing social media right. She praised DiGiorno Pizza for their responsiveness and mastery online. So I decided to tweet them a picture of Valerie speaking and mentioned they should send her a year’s worth of pizzas for the kudos she gave them. Not 15 minutes later, DiGiorno was direct messaging me asking for my address. They also reached out to Val with the same request. When I returned to South Carolina, there was a large package waiting for me from DiGiorno with the greatest swag and coupons for free pizzas!! Social media gold!
The second: Most of us with tickets to #ICNY this year were faced with the cluster of transportation cancellations and changes in the wake of Winter Storm Juno, or what I like to call “faux blizzard.” I understood that friends were following my every move online towards snowpocalypse. So when I landed in New York, I started filming: video of ambassadors having snowball fights in Times Square, cutting flips like school children in the streets. It was the best time I’ve had in a while. I documented every part of it, shared on Facebook and Twitter, and it took off in a flash. Fairly quickly, the video views soared to 3000-plus, and South Carolina news outlets started streaming the content. A win-win for viewers, New York, South Carolina and Inman.
What actions do you take that have gotten the most results?
I listen to what folks are asking and responding to online. I also look at our posts to get a sense of what’s most popular and I craft future messages based on those needs and wants. Being the resource for others is what I focus on.
Is this more about “social” or about business?
It’s called social media for a reason. Relationships develop between people, and the magic happens when trust is gained and value realized. Doing business together is what happens when all of this is achieved. It’s the icing on the cake.
How do you monitor the channels? Do you use software or apps to manage your account, and which ones?
I’m a big fan of Sprout Social and Buffer … Using the two together has made my life so much easier. I do quite a bit of scheduling and watch our analytics like a hawk. Sprout Social gives me the ability to stay on top of all key factors and reports (which are very easy on the eyes as well).
How many hours per day are you on social? Do you check it daily? Multiple times per day?
I keep Facebook and Sprout Social open all day, so I rarely “check out” of the social sphere. Handling this for our company and others, it’s hard to be absent for an extended period of time. With Instagram, I check it five or six times a day personally and about two times a day for our business account.
Do you ever think of retiring?
Never. I can’t imagine my world without it. Facebook has become my Yellow Pages — and White Pages as well. It’s another lifeline, and I love it.
Do you consider yourself an influencer?
I sure hope so. I like to think I’m a dot-connector. My goal is to inspire and create fun and engaging conversations that connect like minds.
Are you social in real life?
I love to get out with friends and photowalk, travel, cut up. I truly am a kid at heart, so if there’s a prank to be had, you better believe I want dibs. ;)
What did you do with your time before?
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t part of the growing tech and social media world. I’d say AOL Chat, MySpace and other Web spaces.
How do you leverage your prominence or influence on social media?
I use my time and space online for helping others and learning about people and behavior in general. If I can connect the dots for others, then I’ve achieved my goal. I pay it forward.
Do you have someone helping you?
I have a team of folks who contribute to the overall success of our social media strategy. I maintain my own presence online.
Whom do you follow and why?
I follow numerous like minds and change agents within our industry and outside of it. I spend time with those who continuously challenge my thinking and blow my mind. If they have sass, a great sense of humor, are open to sharing and have a heart, then we’ll be a great fit. If you are looking for individuals to follow, I would definitely take a hard look at all the present and past Inman ambassadors. There’s a lot of genius within that group as a whole.
Where do you find the content that you put out?
I use Zite, Buffer and Feedly to find and organize content and schedule distribution via viral queue in Sprout Social.
What has been your all-time hit share? Can you share a link to the post?
I’ll go with the 3,000-plus views on my faux blizzard video.
Would you like to participate in our social media profile series? Email contributors@sandbox.inman.com.
