Whether you’re a creative type, a business owner or an experienced regional marketer, the proliferation of social media recently can confuse, bemuse and excite in equal measure.

It’s no longer enough to send out monthly newsletters or email campaigns to talk to potential customers – now we’re supposed to actually engage with them, talk to them, and respond to them in real-time across social media platforms.

The worst thing? You can’t escape it.

Facebook has more than 400 million users, Twitter accounts have increased by nearly 1,382% in the last 12-month period alone, whilst Technorati currently monitors more than 133 million blogs across the Internet. To survive online, social media involvement appears to be a must-have activity. Go where customers hang out.

There are, however, some basic considerations for effective social media engagement. Here’s my Top 10 Commandments for social media:

1. Thou shall not spam

Whatever you do, don’t spam your customers or target markets. They won’t appreciate a barrage of poorly-researched, irrelevant and inbox-clogging spam emails. Spamming inboxes – whether it’s company email addresses, Twitter accounts or Facebook will win zero brownie points and alienate you from any further contact. Once credibility is lost, it’s not coming back anytime soon, if ever.

Hyperlinking and acknowledging external sources on your blog makes common sense.

2. Thou shall not steal
Stealing links to stories, news items, funky new websites and wonderful products from another source and passing them off as your own is a huge social media no-no. For example, on Twitter the re-tweet or RT function is an essential part of Twitequette, whilst hyperlinking and acknowledging external sources on your blog makes common sense. It engages and links you with the world.

3. Thou shall not covet your competitor’s blog

One of the most unattractive and unprofessional social media rules to break is that of taking your competitor’s content, services, products and online offerings – and copying it. And there’s a lot of it about. After all, ideas and innovation do have a commercial value. Advice? Brainstorm and generate new products and services within your own creative Team instead. It’s actually good fun too!

If you sell directly to them via your social media channels, you’ll lose them. Instantly.

4. Thou shall not sell – anything, ever

The whole point of social media is to attract and engage an audience – hopefully a significant one – who will them promote your business on your behalf. Your audience are NOT there to sell to. They are there because they value your content, insights and advice. If you sell directly to them via your social media channels, you’ll lose them. Instantly. Play it smart – give, give, give. Never sell.

5. Thou shall not kill

Nothing is quite as bad in social media-land as an account which is established and then sits there. Dead. No content. Nothing contributed. Setting up a social media space, such as a Facebook fan page, Twitter feed, or company blog, and then not adding content to it regularly is a sure-fire way of killing your social media credibility in front of a global audience. Add content. Add value. Just add!

6. Thou shall not take the name of social media in vain

Remember that despite the fact social media can seem quite light-hearted, harmless and fun, your inputs on social media networks are on the web for Time Immorium. So be careful what you post. Add value, contribute to the flow of conversation. Think carefully before you post anything, anywhere, anytime, which can be viewed as an attack or negative comment in your industry.

7. Thou shall not commit adultery

Social media adultery can be committed without thinking, but the effect and long-term damage is hard to recover from. Because many social media networks operate on an informality level which standard marketing does not recognise, the rules of engagement are still the same. Remain professional, polite and polished at all times. Remember your social media content is your legacy.

Make sure you cater for your audience’s requirements, needs and wants.

8. Thou shall honor thy audience

Simple really – without an audience, your social media inputs are little more than an exercise in commercial vanity. Without followers, readers, commentators and fans of your social media content, being there is effectively a waste of your marketing budget and time. Make sure you cater for your audience’s requirements, needs and wants. It is, unfortunately, all about them. Always.

9. Thou shall not forget the Sabbath Day

So, you think social media is a Monday to Friday exercise? Afraid not. In our 24/7, always-on, on-demand culture, social media plays an essential part of the online marketing mix, and your inputs need to cover the full seven days of the week. The good news is that you can pre-schedule posts, tweets and social media content using established tools to maintain an ever-present presence.

10. Thou shall not worship any false Gods

What this means, essentially, is that just because an individual or company has oodles of followers or friends on a social media network, it doesn’t make them God. Challenge them, make them think, debate their content, get involved. This adds to your credibility and also hooks you into the audiences of the big players. Think of it as a subtle way of piggy-backing for exposure. Classic tactic.

11. Thou shall not forget Commandments 1-10

Simple really, this one: be mindful of Commandments 1-10.

This spoof by Mike Ferry, How to Stand out Over Other Agents in the Real Estate Industry, is one of those too funny videos, I know you will get a kick out of. Take a few minutes and laugh at our industry…

As Clayton’s real estate virtual assistant, I will be organizing these business cards into an Excel spreadsheet for importing into Top Producer, his Real Pro Systems website and Facebook.

Clayton has been collecting these business cards for a couple of years. Now we will put them to good use. We’ll stay in touch with these folks and possibly get a referral or two.

Do you need help managing your database and the pile of business cards you have stashed away in your desk drawer? We can help!

Well now, you don’t have to! Our Transaction Management Team will do it for you.

The following is a list of the basic services myREassistant.com provides (we are not limited to these, however):

• Brand our communication and software to your business.
• Review contract and addendums for accuracy & completion.
• Provide copy of contract and addendums to your office, clients, lender, settlement agent and co-op agent.
• Personalized contact with all parties introducing our services.
• Weekly follow-up with all parties and especially with YOU, keeping everyone informed!
• Arrange for appraiser’s access to the property and follow-up with the lender to obtain a copy of the appraisal.
• Ensure all deadlines are met.

• Follow up on required disclosures.
• Scheduling of all required inspections.
• If your client is responsible for providing the termite report, coordinating the termite inspection with all parties and following up to insure the clear letter is sent to the settlement agent. If the other party is responsible for providing the termite report, follow up with the co-op agent to make sure the inspection is done and the clear report is sent to the settlement agent.
• Verify loan pre-approval with lender.
• Maintain a communication and correspondence log.
• Contact lender regularly for updates on buyers financing.
• Be available by phone, e-mail and fax to all parties during business hours.
• Follow up on completion of work orders and inspections.
• Assist in obtaining insurance information, power of attorney, wiring information, etc. in preparation for a timely closing.
• Pre-closing reminder to the buyer/seller including utility transfer information, walk-thru time and date, notification to bring certified funds to closing, reminder to bring keys, garage door remotes, repair receipts, security system codes, time and place of closing, etc.
• Schedule walk-thru with all parties.
• Arrange for HUD to be faxed to agent prior to closing, review for accuracy if there is time.
• Coordinate closing details.
• Verify funding and recording with settlement agent and inform all parties.
• Be available to your client to guide them through the closing process and answer their questions.

Get more information on how you can get Closing CDs for your clients.

As a real estate virtual assistant, I bring added value to my clients by subscribing to RealtyTrac.com which allows me to provide foreclosure information to my real estate agents free of charge. Providing this free information is a $660 value to my clients.

Foreclosure information can be used in any number of ways…market reports, blogs, videos, newsletters to name a few.

Here is how we used foreclosure statistics in Drew Hartanov’s blog.

Craigs List Email Scam:

Subject: Very interested in your posting

Hello,
I’m very interested in your add posted on Craig’s list, is this your add because I was looking at a few listing and I don’t know who is who. Please look and tell me if this is the one.

<http://www.newyorkjoa.com/bbs/data/accounts.craiglist.org>

Is the price right for this posting!!! because I want to buy it 100%!!!
Thanks !

Of course the verbage is a little off – it usually is, but when you read this email, the “who is who” part might make you think, “Oh no, somebody duplicated an ad on us again and now they can’t figure out which one is the real price.”

The trick is when you click on the link in this email, you think it will be your ad, but instead a screen pops up that looks JUST LIKE the official Craigslist login screen.

They are hoping you will be confused and/or curious enough to trick you into logging in to see your ad. When you do, they will get your log in and your password information.

The clue is, you need to check out the address up top – its not Craigslist. When you are looking at that fake login page, at the top it reads:
<http://newyorkjoa.com/bbs/data/accounts.craiglist.org/>

http://newyorkjoa.com/bbs/data/accounts.craiglist.org/

Craigslist has a warning now on their login screen, telling you all about this same kind of thing. (see below)

WARNING: scammers may try to steal your account by sending an official-looking email with a link to a fake Craigs List login page that looks like this page, hoping you’ll type in your username and password.

Look carefully at the web address near the top of your browser to make sure you are on the real Craigs List login page, https://accounts.craigslist.org

The safest way to login is go to the Craigs List homepage directly by typing in the web address, and then clicking on the ‘my account’ link.

Did you get St. Patty’s Day greetings out to your clients? If not, let a real estate virtual assistant do it next year.

People like to know you are thinking about them even if it is only through an email they know you are probably sending to hundreds of other people. Sending holiday greetings makes folks feel special…especially if it is heartfelt with no call to action.

Be real, take the time to send a ‘thinking of you’ email or a hand written note and ‘the luck of the Irish’ will come to your real estate business.