This week was the first in the Social Media Boot Camp series and OSC University. It was a blast! We had over 75 attendees at the sessions.  It was my goal to create an active environment where we could come together not only to talk about best practices and how to execute, but also to network and learn from others in the industry.

This was a phenomenal kick-off and I look forward to the other 16 live training courses.

For those of you who still want to get involved, don’t worry – the first live events are recorded and will be available for review. You can view the details of the upcoming courses along with the dates here Social Media Boot Camp » and OSC University »

If you want to peak behind the curtain – check out the tweet streams on Twitter here:

Tweet Stream – Social Media Boot Camp »
Tweet Stream – OSC University »

Also, a few of the attendees have sent their takeaways from the first live training events. Take a moment to see what they have to say. Leah Kaiz even wrote a blog about it here »

Social Media Boot Camp

Great job, I think you are providing a valuable service to home builders, especially those who haven’t yet started using Social Media.

Various tidbits that I think were valuable were:

• Don’t be afraid to start, it’s not that scary
• Start slow, get a feel for things, you can always build as you go
• Don’t get overwhelmed that there are 100’s of social sites, just start with the biggies (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube)
• Energize your base, start by connecting with your existing customers and Realtors (maybe send emails to invite them to join your social sites)
• Don’t spam with marketing messages, share valuable content (industry news, news about the economy, tax credit info, green building, charitable efforts)
• If you give a lot of valuable content, then it’s ok to slip in a little self-promotion here and there, still make it valuable though (Grand Openings, fun events, special incentives)
• Realize that your ROI is going to be different than traditional marketing channels (focus on building brand, awareness, building a community, interactions … etc)

Josh Fredrickson – Pulte – @pulte

At Mike Lyon’s Social Media Boot Camp I gained perspective on how to successfully engage with others via social media toolsand confirmed my philosophy that social media is a communication tool, not a sales tool, best done in conjunction with a well rounded and diversified marketing plan.

Erik Cofield, CGA, Vice President – BuildTopia – @buildtopia

I enjoyed the session.  In the past, other conference call courses were mixed topics which turned out to be a waste of time.

Your class was very informative. Obviously, the new social media is the place to be.  We are starting to get on board.  All the comments were right on the mark with our company requirements. 

Dinah King – M/I Homes – Internet Marketing Consultant

OSC University

It was so refreshing to be in a "room" of people who totally understand my job, do it every day, and can stretch my imagination on better ways to do it.  I learned that I’m not alone in some of the barriers I come up against in trying to do the best job I can, and I learned (well I knew) that there is always so much more to learn when perfecting your skills in anything.  (Until you can hit 100% there’s always room for improvement!) 

Hey and if you haven’t already done so, take a look at my blog about the class yesterday.  https://leahkaiz.blogspot.com/ 

Leah Kaiz – Chesapeake Homes – Online Sales Counselor

Awesome call today, although my head is spinning because I’m discovering so many areas for improvement in our online sales counselor program!  Worth the price of the entire series already.  I can’t wait for the next call.  Thanks!

Kathleen Murphy – Marketing Director – Peachtree Residential – @peachtreeres

I am so glad I signed up for your course! Being the sole OSC for my division, I find my role sometimes rather isolating so it’s important for me to stay motivated and up-to-date on best practices in an ever-changing market. Your course certainly provides that opportunity for me.

I was especially impressed with the gathering of other seasoned professionals and gleaned a lot of valuable feedback and insight from each of them. I am very much looking forward to your future classes.

Claudine Koh, CSP – Online Consultant  – Standard Pacific Homes

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