Jonathan Osman
By Jonathan Osman
I’m awestruck at those who have totally disregarded blogging and other forms of social media as a medium for generating business for themselves. For me, it’s thanks to social media that I’m still in the real estate business today.
Rewind four years ago: I hatched a great plan to move from Annapolis Md. to Charlotte N.C. OK, it wasn’t much of a plan. During a long holiday road trip I decided to sell to sell our house, asked my wife to find a new job, and to move to Charlotte — all in eight hours (Yes I’m impulsive). Four months later, mission accomplished.
In Annapolis, I had built my real estate business around helping friends and family. In Charlotte, I only knew other real estate agents and they didn’t need my help. To say I fell complete flat on my face in my first eight months in the Queen City is an understatement. The market was shifting, sales were slowing, and I was going broke faster than Gary Coleman. Add to that, I had entered a market totally new to me and I was desperately trying to build business in a new city. It was at that point I started blogging about real estate. A couple months later, buyers and sellers were seeking me out to help them.
Fast-forward to today: I have a small real estate group built from the business I continue to generate through blogging. In 2009, my group closed 28 transactions with clients who found us through our social media efforts. Almost all of them admitted that they knew of other agents but that the blog authenticated us as the real estate experts.
So I guess you can say I’m an unabashed social media cheerleader, and rightly so. After all, if it can save my real estate career, imagine what it can do for you.
Jonathan Osman is a broker and team leader of the Charlotte House Hunter Group with Keller Williams Realty in Charlotte, N.C. Connect with Jonathan via Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter or his Web site CharlotteHouseHunter.com.
Comments 4
Jonathan,
I’m a huge proponent of the validity of social media in our business world; i’ve built my entire business on it. I continue to try and educate other agents on the magic that happens when you correctly employ it. To those that dismiss it, I say “oh well, your loss!” Great post!
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Great job, Jonathan! You are a great example of what social media CAN do for someone if they do it correctly. I have enjoyed being a fan of your group on FB and now I have been exposed to your blogs!! Very enjoyable and keep up the good work!
Social media marketing whether it is promoting your site or business through social media channels is a powerful tool that will get you links, attention and large amounts of traffic.
No other low-cost promotional method gives you such large numbers of visitors, some of whom may come back to your website again and again.
David Plouffe’s,( President Barack Obama’s point man on social media) innovative strategy not only got Obama elected but also managed to raise the largest amount of campaign funding in election history.
At the IMD OWP 2010 , David Plouffe will share his insights on the historic Obama campaign while framing it in the context of how Obama’s leadership is shaping the United States and the world today. Weaving in his own experience managing and leading the campaign that propelled Obama into the White House, Plouffe will share: the stories behind the campaign and current strategic issues facing the administration; the importance of strategy in managing campaigns, public policy initiatives and crises; how Obama is still garnering support from the movement created during the campaign.