Embracing Social Media with Act

Have you embraced Social Media yet ? Have you had new business come to you through sites like LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, ActiveRain etc.?

Our CRM solutions include connections to social media channels so your presence can be known and perpetuated in this hyper competitive electronic age that we live in.

That’s nice, but really, how does that help increase my revenue ?

For those that have been resisting the Social Media Revolution, first let me say I understand because as humans we tend to resist change, and second I must say sorry, it is time to stop avoiding the inevitable.

Fact: 96% of people in the United States between the ages of 24 to 54 belong to at least one Social Media site. There is a great video on YouTube outlining the impact of Social Media on business.

What is Social Media ? It is basically the fusion of Sociology and Technology. It connects people and provides an interactive format to build relationships in many arenas including personal, political, and business. It transforms monologues into dialogs. Everyone is a writer, a critic, your best ally or worst enemy and it can all be played out real time via Social Media. The world has turned into a giant community of publishers.

One major shift in the way Social Media affects each one of us is the way information is delivered. We have gone from phone and email which is sending information back and forth in fairly one-on-one fashion, to the Internet where you go to search for information, to the new way to connect via Social Media where the information finds you. If you are signed up on anyone’s blog or follow anyone on Twitter you know what I mean by this. Information is pushed at you in a way never seen before.

There are 4 major reasons you should get as involved as possible in Social Media from a business standpoint:

1. New Lead Acquisition 2. Dossier and Reconnaissance 3. Electronic Intimacy – Something to Talk About 4. Hey, Look at Me !

New Lead Acquisition: Facebook as an example. You could see a friend of a friend of a friend mention that they really would love to Refi their home loan but are not sure who to go to. You could see a friend of a friend of another friend mention that they just found out they are having twins and need a bigger place. The list goes on. The cool thing is that if you respond in the thread, you just took the opportunity to expose your services to not only that one person, but everyone else who is connected to that friend. You have to be present and tuned in to grab these opportunities!

Dossier and Reconnaissance: LinkedIn as an example. You can get all kinds of information about a person’s professional life, company contact information, comments from people who have referred this person, which of your competitors are already linked to this person etc. You can better position yourself when selling if you know what competitors the contact is also connected to.

Electronic Intimacy – Something to Talk About. Twitter as an example. Say you get a new prospect. Before you call them, look them up on LinkedIn to get a quick glimpse into their professional life, and then if they have info on their Twitter account available, view their last Tweets to see what is important in their world ‘right now’. When you call you can create an instant bond. “Hi John, I see that you went to the Eagles concert last night. I love that group! How was it?”

Hey ! Look at Me ! Many of the most popular sites are perfect for self promotion. You can post quick articles, links to your blog(s), links to timely information URLs etc. on these sites. For example, I have seen items like the following on sites like Facebook and Twitter : “Felt great to help get a young family of 4 into their first house today ! They are delighted and relieved at how low their payments are. These are the kind of days that I just love being a Mortgage Professional!”. Keep in mind that shameless self-promotion really works to increase your business depending on how you approach it.

I hope you found this article helpful and would be happy to assist you with any of your database management or marketing needs!

Contact us today for assistance with your CRM and marketing!