Something big happened this week. And I’m not talking about the move towards a vote on health care reform.
According to online measurement firm Experian Hitwise, Facebook eclipsed Google in weekly traffic estimates. The difference was razor thin -Facebook visits tallied 7.07 percent of Internet traffic in the US versus Google’s 7.03 percent – but the event is nevertheless significant.
If you are like me (an admitted fan of the infographic) and a visual learner, I found this image particularly helpful in putting it all in perspective. (Click on the thumbnail to get the full version.)
But if I had to sum it all up; it would be this: Facebook matters.
Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so either.
Take a look at what Dale Chumbley is doing. A Realtor in Vancouver, Washington, he has amassed over 7,000 fans with his 365 Things To Do In Vancouver, WA Facebook page. It’s a beautifully simple idea, brilliantly executed on the Facebook platform.
Or watch the success Swedish retailer Ikea had using Facebook to promote the launch of one of their new stores:
Imagine how this could be applied to real estate marketing. The mind swims with possibilities.
The slow simmer is growing to a boil. Hitwise’s report this week all but confirms it. There is a seismic shift underway in the way people are using the Web. It’s moving from search to social. And the platform of choice (for the time being) seems to be Facebook.
So, brokers and agents: do you have a strategy for Facebook yet? You should.
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I think that Dale tackled the idea of marketing via a Fan Page in a very unique way. He’s built a very strong community there and what’s amazing is how active they are with one another day-in and day-out.
I think that people don’t want to be “sold to.” They’re slapped with advertisements often enough. But if you can connect with them in a personal way, develop a relationship and make them aware of who you are and what you do (what you’re specialty is), then you’ve hit it! (and I think Dale has).
[...] It’s Official: Facebook is kind of a big deal – If you are an agent it is becoming almost mandatory to be on and be active on Facebook. When [...]
[...] and giving them good information is the way to go. Joel at 1000Watt Blog takes a look at Facebook and how it is kind of a big deal. If you need an example of how to kill it on Facebook just look at what Dale Chumbley is [...]
[...] I agree with Joel that Facebook is kind of a big deal and I wanted to get some feedback from the Geek Estate audience. It’s now a given you should have a Facebook strategy. For the agents and brokers reading this, how are you using Facebook Pages as part of your day to day business? Do you have it set up as a fan page for you as an individual, or as a community page (such as Brad Coy’s San Francisco Real Estate page or Dale Chumbley’s 365 Things to Do in Vancouver page)? What is your strategy toward content creation, freshness, and features on the page? Is your page working (generating inquiries or engagement) for you? [...]
If you set up a personal facebook page and a fan page, is it possible to go back and delete the personal page? Does it make sense to just have the fan page?
As Facebook grows in popularity we are seeing more and more agents struggle in how to present themselves in their profiles to maintain both personal relationships and professional goals. Like Dale’s fan page, one of our clients Dawn Thomas created a fan page for the Silicon Valleyhttp://www.facebook.com/SiliconValley365. This is the type of strategy that is exciting to see. Nice work!
[...] few weeks ago, traffic on FaceBook exceeded traffic on Google. Yep, that’s kind of a big [...]
[...] thing happen a couple weeks ago… It surpassed Google in internet traffic. Compliments of 1000 watt’s blog, this infographic gives you some cool and visual info about the story of facebook to put into [...]