In an earlier post, I discussed how social networking web sites could be used to reach out to new leads – self-prospecting with new technology. That post described a specific example using Facebook to find young professionals. If you missed that, you can start by reading it here:
Self Prospecting with Social Networks – Part 1
In this part two, I wanted to use a specific example of how social networking could be used to mingle with an older generation – those over 50. That’s right. I said social networking for those over 50. Did you know that 21% of YouTube visitors are over the age of 55?
Eons (www.eons.com) is self described as “the online community for BOOMers,” directly targeting those over the age of 50. Below is an example of how an active adult builder and/or salesperson could utilize such a tool to connect with new leads.
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You’re currently selling an active adult community. The community’s location is well suited to the active adult buyer. It is close to recreation, includes some community amenities, and is also near some other area “points of significance.” You want to find a way to reach out to those age qualified buyers who would enjoy living in your community.
You join the Eons.com community and setup your profile with a description of yourself. You write about your personal interests. It mentions you sell active adult homes, but it doesn’t read like a commercial. Your profile contains an email address and a link back to your community web site or the correct sub-page of your builder web site.
You now think about how to mingle with those in the Eons community. You know that you must give before you receive in the social networking world. Social networking sites are about relationships. You know that it’s hard to form a relationship with someone who attempts to sell you something in the first sentence of a conversation. You’re looking to find an indirect but relevant way to expose Eons members to your product.
You spend some time thinking about homeowners who’ve already bought from you. You think about why they purchased and what interests they have in common. You remember that many of your homeowners are sports fans, and most have a passion for the same team. You search for groups on Eons and sure enough, there’s a group for fans of that sports team. You quickly join that group to be notified of any events sponsored by the group or to take part in their discussions. You search for your current homeowners, but no one is currently a member. While there’s no outreach initiative that immediately comes to mind for this connection, you’ve made yourself accessible to the team’s fans that are in your target age group. You move on to consider additional opportunities.
Another common thread of your current homeowners has been their interest in history. Your community is very close to a historic battlefield and numerous museums. You search Eons and join a group of history buffs and maybe even a group created around your local battlefield. You consider that there’s additional opportunity with this connection because of its especially local relationship to your community.
To explore opportunities further, you ask your marketing manager to contact the battlefield museum office to brainstorm potential partnerships. Your marketing manager learns that the promotion office is putting some finishing touches on a short video documentary collection about the battlefield and the events surrounding its significance.
Currently without a sponsor, your marketing manager negotiates a very modest contribution to the museum in exchange for attaching a short 15 second promotion to the end of each video and the right to distribute the video as you see fit. The 15 second spot is produced to blend well with the documentary. It does not look like a generic commercial has been attached to the end. It plays seamlessly.
You now submit the video to YouTube and tag the content using appropriate terms like ‘civil war’, ‘historic battlefield’, etc so YouTube searchers can find it. These visitors will now find an informative video about their topic of choice and afterwards be exposed to how they can live nearby. You then post those same videos to Eons.com and share them with your fellow battlefield group members. You know they’re interested in watching this new documentary and you’ve indirectly exposed them to a great place to live right near their passion. The Eons and YouTube members begin a discussion around the video and you join the conversation.
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This scenario is a generic example of how social media can be leveraged for additional exposure. The only part of the preceding example that costs a penny is the sponsorship of the documentary and the commercial production. There are no recurring distribution costs. It will be shared naturally and its relevance may never expire. While the costs of this hypothetical sponsorship could be debated, it’s the concept of indirect exposure that I’m most trying to communicate.
Social networking is very much like in-person networking. If you’re invited to a social gathering of friends, you will not get very far by pushing your product in the same motion as your introductory handshake. It would clearly be considered too pushy and a bit obnoxious. This same principal holds true for social networking web sites. If you join Eons or any other web site and jump in a group with blatantly commercial messages, you will be swiftly ignored. You need to gain trust in these environments. Give before you expect to get. Give people information about a related subject of interest with no obligation, and then share with them how you can improve their life.
