These lifeskills set the stage for better communication between teacher and student, student and student, and even child and parent. The lifeskills provided me with the opportunity to help my students interact more positively, engage in cooperative learning, and problem solve when disagreements arose.

With the advent of new marketing techniques (namely social media strategies), it seems rather apparent that we should infuse the lifeskills we learned back in the day (when we began learning to better communicate and cooperate) within our current business goals and strategies. So I’ve taken character education full circle here by suggesting the following: “10 Social Media Lifeskills for Real Estate Professionals”.

1.       Integrity- Be the real you. Strive for authentic engagement by being the same person you are online that you are offline. Instead of selling what you do, share who you are and your daily experiences. And when it comes to your avatar (profile picture) be a person, not a real estate logo. People connect with people, not signs and buildings.

2.       Active Listening- Although it’s important to share your  interests, it’s even more important to pay attention to others. Learning what your network is passionate about only helps you ask better questions, provide better resources, and become a better advisor.  Who’s Talkin? and SocialMention are 2 social search engines that make it even easier to monitor certain people and topics you care about.

3.       Effort- Add value! Know your expertise and passion well enough to identify resources that may be helpful to your network.  If you’re not sure where to look for great resources, try a social bookmarking tool like Delicious or Digg where others share their favorite articles. Monitor your resources and share regularly, provide your own insight and strategies for implementation.

4.       Respect- You gotta give it to get it! Show respect for others, even your “competitors” in your niche. And when it comes to connecting with new people on social networks like Facebook or Linkedin, consider sending a brief authentic message explaining why you’d like to connect or how you know them. Don’t bombard people with spammy or salesy messages. Social Media is NOT about hard-selling, it’s about mutual respect.

5.       Caring- Reach out to others, colleagues and clients alike! And do good things without being asked like retweeting others tweets, “liking” or commenting on Facebook posts, and commenting on or praising blog articles you enjoy. Connect and befriend local clients and business owners online.  For example, join local interest or business based Facebook groups that you care about or want to get involved with, or create your own. Join or volunteer for a local cause. This shows how much you care about the city and neighborhoods you work and live in.

6.       Responsibility- Think before you act and take responsibility for your social interactions. If you write an article or share a resource that you found from someone else, be sure to source that person by linking back to the original article or a social profile. If you make a mistake or offend someone unknowingly, apologize. And be sure to welcome feedback and be responsive to it.

7.       Cooperation- Sometimes you can get to your goal that much faster by collaborating. Share and work together with others in the real estate industry or in your local market area. Draw upon the strengths of others and pool your resources whether it’s organizing an event, creating helpful Web content, or asking for help with a project.  For example, co-host a blog based or Facebook contest, help plan a Tweetup or nearby REBarCamp, guest-post on local business or interest based blogs, co-author a local ebook for homeowners, co-sponsor a charity event, etc.

8.       Trustworthiness- If you make a promise to someone, then do it.  Don’t be a slim shady and betray someone’s trust in you. That’s the fastest way to get unfollowed or unfriended. Provide clear expectations on your blog and social profiles about the real estate services you DO provide. If you list your expertise as working with independent women homeowners, make sure you deliver that expertise online and when working with clients. That’s how you become your network’s trusted advisor!

9.       Courage- Try something new! Are you interested in getting your feet wet with video? Don’t be afraid to dive in and give something a try! It’s all a learning process anyway, and even failed attempts can be endearing!

10.   Diligence- Create a custom social media marketing plan for your real estate business and commit to it. Schedule daily check-in times for maintaining your social profiles and/or read and research time for blog articles. Be consistent!

One last reminder….measure what you make! If you share a resource via Twitter or Facebook, use a URL tracking tool like BudURL, Cli.gs, or Bitly. If you blog, be sure to take advantage of what good analytics can tell you, try Google Analytics or GetClicky.com. Studying what your clients do or don’t react to can provide you with insight as to what kind of content or resources your network finds helpful! This way you can reach more folks and keep the conversation flowing!

*  32GB and 16GB storage ($199 and $299 price points to be maintained)
*  3.2-megapixel camera (up from the current 2-megapixel camera)
*  Video-recording and editing capabilities
*  Ability to send a picture & video via MMS
*  OLED screen
*  1.5 times the battery life of the current models
*  Double the RAM and processing power
*  Built-in FM transmitter
*  Apple logo on back will glow
*  Rubber-tread backing
*  Sleeker design
*  Built-in compass
*  Turn-by-turn directions

It’s easy to see how these new features are great for iPhone users, but how will they affect the average real estate agent?  Many non-iPhone users will argue features like mobile video and MMS have been on other mobile devices for some time now.  But the reality is that other devices are missing the slick yet extremely powerful interface of the iPhone combined with the flourishing iTunes app store.

Now video to the iPhone is not revolutionary. Obviously people have been jailbreaking their iPhones for some time now to setup services like QIK to stream video from their iPhone.  But as I said, they had to jailbreak the phone which is not sanctioned by Apple and equates to hacking the device.  Now, if this news is correct, all new iPhone owners will be able to capture and share video using the device they’re already using for leading social networking applications, GPS, mobile email, internet activities, etc.

My mind starts racing at all the possibilities for real estate professionals. Imagine harnessing the power of a lifestream to aggregate all your shared video, pictures, and content shared from this one device.  (See my lifestream here.)  Let me give you an example, you drive to your first appointment of the day and you arrive a few minutes early.  You realize the sunrise is exceptionally beautiful so you take a few minutes of video highlighting the entrance to the neighborhood and sports park. You tag and share the video. Now it’s immediately available for your network to see and archived on your blog/website via the lifestream.  Later the same morning you learn of a new downtown project that will be affecting local homeowners so you break out the iPhone and open your favorite Twitter application and share the news. That too, has been broadcast to your network and archived on you lifestream.  I think you get my point!

The awards ceremony was a mish-mash of tech presenters, mini-interviews, and fairly predictable commentary. But thanks to the hilarious and highly technical musings offered by the Richter Scales new hit, the Standford Mobile Phone Orchestra (who played Stairway to Heaven on their iPhones), and the spicy Sesame Street inspired videos via Loren Feldman…..the event was worth the $65.

The Crunchies After Party was held across the street in the San Francisco City Hall Rotunda!  Drinks and food were aplenty, along with a little on and offline gaming! But I mostly enjoyed playing with my future birthday present (hint, hint @cyberhomes), the Microsoft Surface! Clearly the most high-tech coffee table one could ask for (like say, for her birthday). But at $15,000 a pop (plus another $5000 or so for the operating system), it will take me about 15 birthdays to earn one!  Still worth every penny in my opinion! I had a front row seat and played contently (wine in hand). Reggie (my hot date) and I also spoke with David Smith, Account Director at Wirestone, about the mainstream release of this unit (3-6 months), as well as how real estate professionals could benefit.  Check out our video below…

Personally, I think listing presentations would kick ass on the Surface. Imagine sitting around a coffee table leading your clients through a visual, hands-on presentation of your expertise, market comparables, and marketing plan. In addition, stagers and home improvement pros would be awestruck (I was) at the ability to place objects (like a tile) on the table and receive automated visual Web results for suppliers and comparisons.  Throw down a picture of your current home and view examples of what that tile would look like in your home, as well as other instant home improvements. This would be the perfect tool for showing sellers which upgrades to focus on to get the most value out of their home.  Obviously, the price is a bit steep for this market, but a progressive brokerage could definitely stand out in a crowd if placed in a comfortable front reception area. I wouldn’t let teenagers off the street play with it, but leading new buyers through a local pre-tour would be impressive to say the least.

Overall, the highlight of the evening was definitely connecting with some highly technical Twits. I briefly mentioned to Reggie that it would “make my evening” (honestly, my year) if the opportunity to meet @ev or @biz arose. And thanks to timing and Reggie’s keen eye, we spotted @ev and introduced ourselves. Evan Williams “@ev” is a blogfather and genius technical innovator who has founded both Blogger and the most popular micro-sharing platform, Twitter!!!! He was kind enough to let us give him the lowdown on Twitter for real estate and his gorgeous wife, Sarah, happily snapped a picture!

All in all, I’ll be adding The Crunchies to my “don’t miss” event list for next year as well.  But perhaps someone could hook me up with some preferred seats next time. I’d be happy to volunteer…say as the “hot chick award giver or stage babe” (i.e. Rumer Willis at the Golden Globes). I know models are usually chosen for that…but for technology awards I think a “geek girl” is much more apropos!

Social Media Marketing (SMM) is taking off as a standard soft sell approach to Internet Marketing. That doesn’t mean that some marketers don’t take advantage of networks and become annoying spammers. It’s the best social media marketing gurus that can effectively target, communicate, and appeal to a desired audience.

Social Media Marketing takes place at all your favorite social networking sites:  Facebook, ActiveRain, RealTown, LinkedIn, MyBlogLog, Flickr, Digg, Stumbleupon, Twitter, YouTube, etc.  These social media sites usually incorporate some form or mashup of news, photos, videos, podcasts and/or other creative applications. And the goal of a Social Media Marketer is usually to develop brand awareness, increase visibility, and encourage interaction through utilizing the social tools available to him/her.

Here are 6 steps toward focusing your Social Media Marketing:

1. Take a test drive. Before you start taking the time to create a profile, at least take a look around and see who’s there. If your target audience is not at Elfwood, then why are you there? For real estate agents, I would consider starting at any of the following: ActiveRain, Facebook, LinkedIn, Trulia Voices, Zillow, MyBlogLog, RealTown, Zolve, and Inman. Visit each one for yourself. They often have similar but unique social networking features like emailing, Q&A forums, invitations, blogs, groups, sharing applications, referrals, etc. Think about the way in which you prefer to communicate and how your target audience will receive you. Then join the social media sites that best integrate your desired audience and communication tools.
2. Create a detailed profile. Social media site profiles can vary from professional to pleasure, to a combo of both, or very limited altogether. Whatever the site, be detailed and original. In most cases, you’ll want to provide a balance of the 3 P’s “Professionalism, Personality, Passions”. Consider including any or all of the following: a recent picture, contact information, background information, work experience, hobbies, and any uniqueness you have acquired (a story, photo, etc) so long as it’s not freaky or makes us think you should be at Elfwood.
3. Build your community. Focus on creating a network of likeminded professionals and targets. Communicate with your network by providing valuable information and transparency. Share your expertise and your uniqueness!
4. Be a planner! Strategically contact your network with industry news or other business developments. Do not over message your network with useless tidbits or frequent updates. Plan on contacting your network around future events, product or service launches, and great blog articles. Be sure to support your marketing message with compelling content. If you are not sending a remarkable or helpful message, why bother? Now that doesn’t mean you won’t send thoughtful seasonal or birthday messages from time to time. Just stay away from rotating GIFS please!
5. Call in a favor! Occasionally, you will have some gem of information or a spectacular business announcement (like a press release filled with exciting news). Maybe you’re launching a new single property Website solution and you want to share the news with your network….and beyond! Calling upon your network to spread the word by blogging, messaging, Twittering, digging, or stumbling your great info is a-okay! Just be sure to reciprocate when the table is turned. Be sure to save “favors” for big news and don’t ask for more than your share.
6. Don’t be annoying! I don’t want to get your weekly music dedication or Funwall video. Unless it’s uniquely entertaining or informative. Don’t message or spam people. Nobody likes being bombarded with junk mail and that’s exactly where you’ll end up if you’re a spammer…in the trash!