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Social media can become a huge time suck if you let it distract you from your original purpose for being online—to get more clients. Check yourself if you become absorbed in pointless activities.
When you’re scrolling Facebook, Twitter, or any other social platform, are you paying attention to what you’re doing? You’re there to promote your business and interact with current and future clients in the hopes of spreading awareness of your brand, but it’s easy to lose your focus while perusing your news feed. Don’t get sucked into the bottomless pit of endless political rants and clickbait on social media; stop yourself when you realize you’re guilty of any of these behaviors.
1. You can’t just “like” and move on.
You have to comment on everything you see on Facebook. One comment invites another and another, and all of a sudden, you’ve been arguing with your sister’s friend’s cousin’s sixth-grade teacher for an hour about the color of the dress. If the post isn’t about you and doesn’t beg for your opinion, “like” it and forget it.
2. You play games with people—literally.
No one will tell you that playing Candy Crush is a good use of your time, but if you’re into it, fine. However, if you send one more invite to your friends to play with you, someone’s going to get hurt. It’s annoying—and when you’re annoying, you get blocked and lose an opportunity to build a relationship.
3. You post random things.
Cat memes, photos of your dog in a tutu, videos of how to make chocolate caramel pretzel pinwheels. If you’re posting things that have nothing to do with your value as a real estate professional, you’re just another person using social media as a distraction from doing something more productive.
4. You take the clickbait.
All those silly online quizzes don’t just reveal something funny about yourself at the end. Many exist just to capture your personal information. Clickbait is more than a waste of time—it makes you vulnerable to hackers.
5. You have to vent all the time.
Social groups have become the place to air it all out when you have a rough day or had to deal with a rude colleague. Most of the time, though, no one offers meaningful solutions or teachable moments. Venting just to vent may make you feel better in the moment, but what have you gained? Don’t use social media as a dumping ground for your problems.
6. You’re everywhere.
You’ve got a profile on every social forum, and you’re using every tool you can get your hands on. But you’re not using them the right way. You don’t have to be everywhere; you just have to be somewhere and do it well. Focus on one platform at a time, build a strategy, and expand.
Sources: Leigh Brown, ABR, CRS, RE/MAX Executive Realty, Charlotte, N.C.; Valerie Garcia, RE/MAX Integra, Mississauga, Ontario; Carlos Melendez, Florida Premier Realty, Lake Worth, Fla.
