RealLead is the Eugene based firm which describes itself as a company offering a variety of “mobile marketing tools” designed to link involved parties to pertinent information and each other with an emphasis on speed. Less than one year old, the small outfit hopes to capitalize on the widespread use of mobile devices and what they see as the growing desire for immediate access to information.

The firm has initiated testing of software which should aide in the expediting of the initial stages of real estate transactions. In an environment so prone to fluctuation, timing has proven to be a worthy concern. This is hardly the only hurdle in the path to success for realtors wandering a decimated marketplace, namely: convincing both agents and potential buyers to embrace the service, managing the technology beyond the beta stage, and perhaps most important, traversing the developing legal landscape associated with technology and privacy rights. The article continues on this topic and quotes RealLead CEO Caroline Cummings on the issue:

“As mobile devices become more and more ubiquitous, federal lawmakers continue to grapple with the question of how to balance businesses’ need to recruit new customers with consumers’ right to protect their personal information.

‘Of course we’re going to abide by the law,’ Cummings said. ‘We’re following the news, and we’ll adjust our data collection and delivery based on what is found in the legislation.’

‘That’s the great part of being an agile start-up. We track the trends, and we’ll adjust based on what the market demands,’ she said.”

If successful, RealLead and companies like them could play a major role in easing some small measure of the frustration associated with the industry and possibly help fan the embers of a smoldering market.

Micheal Cory February 14, 2012

In “SF Goodwill’s big leap forward in outreach to the community,” JD Lasica covers 10 lessons learned and how decisions were made to go social. Lesson 1:

“Go all in. A lot of organizations want to tinker at the edges but are scared of more deep-seated change. SF Goodwill seemed open to institutional change that required new approaches and new thinking about how various parts of the organization interact with the public — and across departmental silos.”

Other topics covered: creating a strategy, tapping into your community of resources, going mobile, and embracing open source.

Social media investment on the front end does pay off. Time will have to tell just how much payoff SF Goodwill reaps. Nonprofits of all kinds are smart to watch what happens with SF Goodwill and to start thinking about getting on the social bandwagon.

More on Socialbrite: http://www.socialbrite.org

Philip West

November 15, 2011

Tradtionally, sales reps did quite a bit of hawking, vying for buyers’ attention and distributing loads of literature. But things have changed, and buyers are “actively using social media in many steps along the path of the purchase-making decision,” writes the author of “Social Media Affecting BtoB Buying Behavior.” Citing a recent study on B2B buyers, more than 20% of them connected with a supplier directly through a social networking channel. 37% posted information on social networking sites looking for advice for answers to questions. It’s because of this that companies marketing to other businesses can’t ignore the force of social media. While that avenue has become a spring board for marketing to consumers, companies need to be aware of the larger audience – purchasers looking for a solution. Having good content online is key.

The SSN Take: A solid focus on SEO, weblogs, and social media is integral to creating an alluring presence for purchasers.

Samuel Hartman, March 28, 2010

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The Inquisitor’s recent article, “R.I.P. Social Media, it was a nice dream while it lasted” suggests that marketing has indeed tarnished the arena where relationships can be formed and visions merged to create great and permanent change. The author goes on to assume companies are pretending to care about their customers to create continued business. Though I wouldn’t put it past some less than honorable organizations to do such a thing, I believe the majority of companies truly want to build relationships from their customers to not only promote their product but gather feedback about how to make their products better.

The SSN Take: Don’t plan a wake for social media just yet. Users are consumers and they have shown they like this new relationship arena.

Melody K. Smith, March 26, 2010

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“Online Reputation Can Cost Someone A Job” gives the biggest factoid: 70% of HR professionals turned down a potential employee based on data discovered about them online. And while many consumers are concerned about their online rep, less than half consider it when posting online. Fewer than 15% believe it would negatively impact their job hunt. Microsoft’s Privacy Strategist cautions that an online reputation is not something to be scared of, but “proactively managed.” Many of the HR professionals surveyed indicated that good information about a candidate online can help their chances. Clearly, companies are doing a little Googling when a new name comes under their nose, so it’s up to you to make sure those results are clean.

The SSN Take: Check out Microsoft’s Data Privacy Day website - as they say, “your reputation is ON the LINE.”

Samuel Hartman, March 22, 2010

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Realonlinedegrees.com’s recent article, “The Future Trends of the Job Market” shares a chart of future employment projections based on current trends and data, and with no surprise, technical/scientific jobs top the list of expected job growth over the next eight years.  The chart goes on to compare employment areas that are expected to grow with the education required to reach the level of income you wish to earn. This trifecta of data can certainly lay out a path for those considering their education options fresh out of high school, as well as those looking to start a second career as an adult.

The SSN Take: Whether at the beginning of your career or starting over, these trends can help you make tough career decisions.

Melody K. Smith, March 19, 2010

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From “7 Social Media Behaviors That Won’t Win You Customers,” it says as we all know by now, setting up accounts on Twitter and Facebook is only the first step; a real conversation, a dialogue, must follow, and it can often create havoc when the company’s reputation is on the line. While some of her advice is solid: having a coordinated social media effort, being prepared to address potential issues in real time her other remarks are self-contradictory:  don’t push messages at specific users, but don’t be “all over the place.” She claims “all customers want is a great transaction […, so] put shopping carts everywhere” – is this the interactivity that social customers want nowadays? I don’t believe so. Her meta-speak touches on the importance of online brand reputation, but the advice is clouded in a verbose haze of abstractions.

The SSN Take: Cut to the chase – be professional on social media and interact with your customers.

Sam Hartman, March 13, 2010

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A survey by Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group says that the thirtysomethings (and younger) want to use online tools for budgeting and savings. In “Cisco Study Finds Social Media is Key to Winning Over Gen Y” in USBanker, Glen Fest reports, “Gen Y’ers are professing high levels of trust in financial institutions that deliver professional advice… through interactive or social media.” The downside is that banks are largely unprepared. “Other than pilot projects in online personal financial management, most banks are still not adequately speaking to Gen Y’ers,” says Fest. So, will this be another case of unrequited love, or the start of a beautiful—and perhaps, for the banks, fruitful—relationship?

The SSN Take: Banks need to catch up or they’ll be left behind.

John Sniffen, March 12, 2010

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John Sniffen

As reported in the SearchEngineWatch.com blog article, “Jim Sterne tackles social media metrics at SES London 2010,” Jim Sterne, the “godfather of online marketing” and author of six books addressing internet marketing, advertising, and customer service, was the keynote speaker. No longer in the commerce days of trading sheep for chickens, he points out that “Internet marketing makes one-to-one interactions possible again and social media makes it necessary.” This resonated with me on a new level. Though I drank the social media Kool-Aid ages ago and believe that it is the ultimate customer service tool available, the aspect of building relationships on a one-to-one basis is not just possible, it is truly exciting. More and more organizations are finally seeing the light and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead.

The SSN Take: Social media makes one-on-one interaction possible again.

Melody K. Smith, March 11, 2010

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Social media outlets, according to Carol Flammer in “New book from NAHB provides strategies for building a Social Media presence and selling more homes,” will assist companies in building a strong brand name and interact with current and potential customers in addition to selling more homes. Many home builders and real-estate brokers haven’t taken full advantage of the social networking sites, so the NAHB book will walk them through the process, answer questions, and hopefully take the fear out of marketing on the web. This format will allow them to build relationships, promote their product, and answer questions in real time, gaining followers, and trust within their company along the way.

The SSN take: In today’s economy home builders and real-estate brokers need all the help they can possibly get.

Belinda Sissom, March 8, 2010

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