Mike Mueller, Social Media.ist

image courtesy of GoogleMaps, Mueller Labs, and RErockstar.com

Introductions are in order.

First, let me introduce everyone that doesn't know him to Mike Mueller.  Mike is (as he says) a "Social Media.ist" - he'd probably never claim to be an "expert" or "guru," but I would definitely vote for him as one of the top social media people who get it, love it, live it, learn it and teach it.  Mike's been invaluable to me as I've been learning new things.  Always one to comment on a new idea I have or tell me how I could improve something I've already done, Mike is always around to help you out.  I think he may never sleep, which of course, means he's a vampire - but I haven't confirmed any of that yet, so let's keep that between you and me.

Some time ago, Mike introduced his Mueller Labs product called, Mueller Maps.  The concept is simple, the results are powerful.  By building a customizable map based off of Google's map, Mueller Maps allows you to place markers on the map which are links to more info.  As you can see in the graphic above (a screenshot of the actual map at RErockstar.com), I have placed the blue markers in various places on the map.  Clicking on any one of these will bring up a pop up that looks like this:

The How.

Inside these detail boxes you can insert just about anything you want.  Mike and I opted for a "video" and "info" tab.  Under each tab can be links, videos, photos - if you can dream it up, it can be put in there.  Each piece of information is inserted using a simple Google Docs based spreadsheet, so once the map is built, editing and adding new map points is pretty simple.  Once you get a bit of a template down, you don't need to do much more than cut and paste and then adjust a few pieces of information (the actual URL to your link, the video embed code, etc.).

I have made mine quite simple so far, in the video box is a link to a Flickr slideshow (I separate each community into a set and build a slide show out of that set), a link to "Learn More" and a link to "Homes for sale" in that neighborhood.  The "Learn More" link goes to a blog post I wrote about the neighborhood and the "Homes for sale" link goes to my IDX-search on my website that takes them direct to a list of homes for sale in that community (see my previous article on "ARE-TEC IDX - How To Utilize Variables To Make Your Client's Experience Even Better" to see how easy this is with ARE-TEC).  The info tab contains the same two links (I will be adding more in the future) with a still photo (also from Flickr), usually of the main entrance to the community.

The Why.

What makes these maps so genius outside of the fact that they look awesome and create an easy to use, visual presentation for your visitors, is that because you're trying to provide relevant links within those tabs, you wind up providing more content on local neighborhoods.  I have written several well-viewed posts about neighborhoods now and I am seeing direct SEO benefits and home searches from it.  By being forced to give a link in the each tab, I am forcing myself to write about what the consumer wants to hear.  Local neighborhood info.  In addition, because I'm using Flickr as the source for my photos, I am adding more photos to Flickr everyday (and Google loves Flickr).  Most of my posts are right there alongside my Flickr sets for each neighborhood - in most cases giving me three results in a row in Google searches on any neighborhood (two for Flickr and one for the site - and if you visit the Flickr sets, you'll also get links back to my site - helps in building my site's authority).

With each additional post and map point, I am building serious community info on my blog and blogging more regularly.  The more regular you blog, the more Google takes notice.  Do you see where all this is going?  I may not be #1, but you can't avoid my name (my last listing was given to me because when the seller performed different searches, they saw me everywhere - omnipresence is a good thing in real estate).  The more you write about your local area, the more of an expert you become.  The more of an expert you are, the more local buyers and sellers will take note.

The possibilities are endless.

While I've used mine to showcase neighborhoods, you can do anything with a Mueller Map.  Schools, local hot spots, restaurants, your offices, your listings, local tourist attractions or a combination of all of these and more.  It's all up to what you want to showcase and is only limited by your imagination.  I have plans to eventually build a video archive of local places I like to visit - when I do, I'll build a completely different Mueller Map to showcase them.  Think of the map as a visual representation of pages on your blogs - how can you map out your local content?

Of course, with all the work that goes into building one, you might expect to see a huge price tag attached to it.  We're Realtors®, we get charged a fortune every corner we turn.  The difference?  Mike Mueller's not a guy looking to make a quick buck, he's actually someone who wants to see technology used as much as possible and will do what he can to make that happen.  Guess how much one costs?  Go ahead...guess.  Nope, you're wrong - they're only $150.  And Mike will work with you to get it to look the way you want and help get you started to entering your own new map points (once you learn it, it's easy).

Contact Mike Mueller today about building your own Mueller Map.

Check out my RErockstar.com Neighborhoods Mueller Map and see what you can do with one.

Still have questions?  Contact Mike Mueller on Twitter.

1910-1920 photo of the Investment Building in Washington, D.C. courtesy of NCinDC

What's the return on your investments?

After attending, the SABOR Town Hall Meeting and listening to Sean Wood and Rich Teplitsky of KGBTexas speak on the topic of social media, I've been doing a lot of thinking about some of the things I noticed while I was there as well as some of the snippets of conversation that my ears overheard from other people's small groups as they were gathering and getting ready to go.  Some of the audience was there to get an idea of what social media was, some were there to get more out of it, some where there just to see what the craze is all about.

Return on investment (ROI), is the ratio of gain or loss on an investment relative to the money invested.  In real estate, you often hear the term ROI being referred to around the hours and/or money we spend on any particular activity in order to generate business.  In terms of social media, I have heard many people question what the ROI is on it.  Whether it be blogging, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, or even ActiveRain itself, social media is all around us, but there has been some serious conflicts over the quantifying of the actual returns of using it based on the investment you put into it.  There are plenty of success stories of transactions closed thanks to the many different forms of social media, but I think there's something else to look at.

Interaction.

As agents we spend much of our time looking to get in front of people.  To talk to them, to share our experiences, to tell them what we do, and to hopefully make them our clients (or at least a great referral source).  Agents are doing this all day long.  The girl at the grocery store, the guy pumping gas, the small business owner that you know through BNI - no matter where we go, we're interacting and building relationships which we work to turn into business.  Occasionally, the business falls in our lap - "You're a Realtor®?  I have a house I need to sell, can you stop over tomorrow?"  Other days, it takes a growth process of going from "that agent guy" to "my Realtor®."  We hear the word cultivation a lot when referring to the people we meet.  Cultivate the relationship, build the trust, get the business.

Social media is really no different.  Strangers will talk to you, friends will tell others about you, and building a sphere of influence is the name of the game.  As many people discuss over and over again, the trick is not to sell.  I definitely believe this to be the case, but this is not the point of this post.

So what is the ROI on social media?

First off, most social media activities is free.  So let's toss out the money part of the equation.  Let's talk about time.  Most people dabble in social media for a few minutes a day and get a little something out of it here and there.  Others dive in head first and are the proud flag-bearers of the "new wave" of the web 2.0 world.  I see why people get discouraged when the jump into social media.  You jump in say "hello world" and no one answers back.  Not at first at least.  It is a slow growth process that requires a little more time than showing up at the latest mixer and handing out your business card.

The difference between the mixer and social media?  The mixer ends at 8PM, social media never sleeps.  When you start putting those conversations out into the cyber-world they last - in many cases for eternity.  You might do something at 8AM, but someone may not interact with you on it until 10PM the next day.  It allows for a conversation to last, to stick around, and to be discovered by others at any given time.  Your conversation doesn't end when you get in your car and drive home.

Let's look at an example.

Let's talk Twitter for a few moments.  Some of you love it, some of you hate it, and some don't get it.  I try to get on Twitter quite a bit.  I use it for a couple of different purposes as well.  I have conversations with locals, agents, and friends all over the world, but I also use it as a news source, a feed reader of sorts, and a way to track stories I want to know more about.  I've also used it to get direct access to information about specific posts I'd like to make (if your local news is on Twitter, make friends with them - best source for Localism posts ever).  It serves me well, but I'd like to give a few specific examples:

Getting to know your neighbors - I have got to know quite a few of my local San Antonio neighbors.  And in getting to know them, I have built friendships (and everyone remembers their friends a bit more than a stranger, right?).  I have built a source of contacts from several different industries.  Need a programmer who runs circles around my head?  I know a few.  Want nutrition and fitness advice and training?  If my guy can't do it, no one can.  Need PR/advertising?  I got the guy for you.  Need a roofer?  Got him.  Want to know what restaurant has the best beer in town (and some awesome food)?  I can give your directions and tell you who to ask for when you get there.  Much like many of us maintain some sort business to business directory, Twitter is just that for me.  Expect I know these people and talk with them about normal everyday things too.  They're my friends, not just names in a database.

Becoming the "go to" for people - Although it's always difficult to tread the boundaries of what you can and can't say to someone who is not your client, you'll find you become a great referral source for information.  I often get questions asked that I have written posts about or recently had a conversation online about.  I can easily point someone in the right direction.  If I haven't done it, I probably know someone who has spoken about it - so I become an informational referral source.  And what does that do?  It creates a sense of trust and value.

Knowledge.  Plain and simple - I entered the real estate business on the down side.  Instead of twiddling my thumbs, I dove into blogs and conversations and learned as much as I could.  I asked questions and got answers.  Agents are much more eager to help a new agent than I ever dreamed.  I have learned some great bits and pieces from people I think are the best and brightest.

Want to see your name in lights? - Ok, you may not get your name on the marquee at Madison Square Garden, but the internet does provide a certain level of fame.  Think of some of the names in real estate you see everyday on the internet.  The other great way to "get noticed" is by the press.  As I've witnessed first hand, the press and our associations are out there and they're watching and reading.  To tie two examples together, a guy I know only via Twitter once recommended me to the local news who had put out a tweet looking for agents for a piece they were putting together.  I didn't get the spot, because they had already found someone, but a guy I've never met tried to get my name out there for me.  Powerful, right?

Recurring Online Interaction.

That's my new way of viewing ROI.  Everyday a conversation starts that I can be a part of or not.  Everyday, snippets from a conversation I had a few days ago comes back to me and we pick it up from there.  The interactions begins to build who you are, not just what you do.  Last night I answered a tweet of someone I've spoken to here and there.  It wasn't real estate related at all, but within a few tweets, she made a joke about me finding her a "cheap" home.  Soon we were discussing the thought behind it.  I have never said "hello, I'm a real estate agent" to her, but she knows and made the reference to it in our conversation.  Will she buy a house with someday?  I sure hope so, but in the meantime, I think she's funny, interesting, and a nice few moments of conversation once in awhile.  What I know for a fact though, is that she knows what I do, enjoys talking to me, and would probably think of me for her real estate needs...because I am there all the time.  In front of her, on her screen, and top of mind.  I don't have to send her a fridge magnet once a month to remind her that I'm out here.  She already knows it.