{"id":3132,"date":"2009-07-20T16:39:30","date_gmt":"2009-07-20T21:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bhgrealestateblog.com\/?p=3132"},"modified":"2024-12-30T14:45:54","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T19:45:54","slug":"has-the-groundswell-effect-finally-reached-real-estate-companies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bhgrecareer.com\/bebetterblog\/has-the-groundswell-effect-finally-reached-real-estate-companies\/","title":{"rendered":"Has the “Groundswell” Effect Finally Reached Real Estate Companies?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the book Groundswell<\/a> hit the bestseller list just over a year ago, there was a lot of talk. For many companies it became a bible for effectively using social technology, communicating with today’s consumer\u00a0and strengthening their public image.\u00a0 The two authors who worked for Forrester Research<\/a> at the time\u00a0(one has since left) really hit the nail on the head in my opinion, and many companies both large and small have baked social technology into their DNA. Advertising dollars began to shift, in fact a Q4 2008 online survey conducted by Forrester showed that marketers planned to increase their spend in areas such as social networking, blogging and user generated content, while decreasing spending on traditional media. After all, your brand is whatever your customer says it is. And there are now many ways for the customer to say it online.<\/p>\n

So what has happened within the real estate industry?<\/p>\n

Frankly, from a\u00a0broker owner and brand\u00a0perspective,\u00a0not much. Agents jumped on the bandwagon early on creating Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a> accounts, joining blogging platforms and organizing Barcamps<\/a> to informally train each other and spread the word. I wrote about this in an earlier post\u00a0 “Who Is\u00a0Shaping\u00a0 Our Future<\/a>” – hats off to the group of agents, and a few broker owners\u00a0who are spearheading this effort.<\/p>\n

But what about the brokerage companies, the regional and national brands?\u00a0Leadership is noticeably absent in this arena. I’m not talking about developing a Facebook \u00a0training program, or allowing a staff person to set up a company Twitter page.\u00a0I’m talking about becoming visible, taking risks, engaging the public in an open and honest way, inviting commentary,listening to what your customers are saying and making decisions as a result.<\/p>\n

Don’t think the agent population isn’t noticing this absence of leadership. Don’t think it isn’t being talked about online and offline.\u00a0The way business is being conducted has changed right before our eyes, and while the real estate industry has always been a slow technology adopter, this is not the time to have your head in the sand. Here are some tips and how leaders in other industries are taking control:<\/p>\n