March 30 2015
As a communications professional in the real estate industry, I am always engaged on various publications and social media sites. Week after week I witness hundreds of real estate professionals marketing their presence online.
The most proactive professionals are engaged in the content marketing space, actively submitting informative articles to online publications. They engage on articles written by others by commenting their feedback. They participate in groups on social media and are active on their own social channels daily.
But despite succeeding at being active online, there is one area where many of these professionals fail: their tone.
If you are highly active online with a negative tone you might be doing more harm than good. Who are you trying to attract with your online presence? Partners, employees and clients. These people all have one thing in common and that is an unwillingness to work with somebody who is negative or narrow minded.
Think about the role you are trying to fill as a real estate professional. As an agent, you are enabling clients to make their home ownership dreams a reality. As a broker, you are enabling agents to reach unprecedented levels of success. As a corporate partner, you are enabling a network of brands to elevate each other beyond what they could achieve individually.
The keyword here is enabling. Enabling is far from a negative activity. While the enabler will still be a critic from time to time, they will convert all of their criticisms into positive enforcement and suggestions for change. Enablers don't establish their authority by simply criticizing the way things are. They establish their authority by providing solutions for mutual success and they are able to do so by keeping an open mind to new ideas.
Here are a couple examples of being negative online and how to be positive instead:
The negative: "Don't do this" articles. Many real estate professionals establish their authority on a topic by publishing an explicit list of mistakes that other professionals are making, e.g., a "7 Reasons Your Home Isn't Selling" article could list a number of don'ts, such as leaving the gutters full, leaving window trim unpainted, etc.
How to be positive: Publish "do this" articles instead. Instead of "7 Reasons Your Home Isn't Selling," you could publish "7 Ways to Make Your Home Sell Quickly" and include a list of dos, such as clear the gutters, paint window trim, etc.
The negative: Leaving a nasty comment on an article you disagree with. It's not uncommon to feel threatened when you read an article that offers advice that doesn't align with your personal strategy. For example, you might read a "Why Social Media is the Key to Real Estate Success" article and leave a comment "This is nonsense. I've been operating a successful business for decades now without social media. I didn't need it then and I don't need it now."
How to be positive: Congratulate the author on offering a new point of view that you hadn't considered. Let them know that their view differs from your personal strategy but you are willing to consider it. For example, on the social media article you instead comment "Very interesting article. It's good to know that you are finding success using social media. I've been operating my business successfully for many years without using social media, but I'd be interested to learn more."
These are the two most common examples that I encounter on a daily basis. The Internet has a strange way of making people act nasty. You can stand out as a trusted authority by offering positive, constructive, educated advice and feedback. Even if you are initially struck with a negative thought – "the author missed a point!" etc. – take a second to convert it into positive feedback – "Great points. I would also add [the point they missed]."
Converting your negative criticism to positive feedback is an invaluable habit to develop. It will help you grow your personal capital and brand value, putting you in contact with partners, employees and clients who are excited to work with an expert who is positive, enabling and willing to change for the better.
To view the original article, visit the Lone Wolf blog.