Re: Marketing with Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media?
From: Ellen Keyne Seebacher (ellepobox.com)
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 14:46:02 -0800 (PST)
[Originally sent this from a non-subscribed address; trying again.]


On Tue, Feb 02, 2010 at 04:34:34PM -0500, Kristen Simmons wrote:

> Is anyone out there using Facebook (pages and/or ads), LinkedIn,
> Meetup, Craigslist, or Google ads for your marketing effort? I'd be
> interested in any thoughts, ideas, and/or feedback on the use of
> social media for forming groups and/or resales in cohousing. What
> has or hasn't worked for your group?

I'm on the marketing team for Sawyer Hill EcoVillage (Mosaic Commons
and Camelot Cohousing).  Here's what we've found helpful.

Most effective:

* Craigslist classifieds (free; we post ads 2-4 times a month)
* Google ads (as we get the funds)

Moderately effective:

* LinkedIn groups (we have a "Sawyer Hill Job Place", to help find leads
  for prospective buyers looking to move to the area or qualify for a
  mortgage)

No evidence of effectiveness:

* Facebook groups (for Sawyer Hill and both its component neighborhoods
  --used mainly to invite friends and family to events on site, though
  we update "Recent News" every so often)

* Meetup (we've had a Meetup Group for years, but I don't know if any
  of its members have actually come to tour us; on the other hand, it's
  free, and we wanted to cover all our bases!)

Not yet tried:

* Facebook ads, targeted to our area and likely demographics (we've been
  discussing them and would very much like to try, but are concerned about
  potential costs)


And here's what you didn't mention:

*Every single group* each of your members belongs to, online or off,
is a potential source of buyers and a way to get the word out.  Your
members should be:

* blogging their hearts out
* mentioning "cohousing" among their LiveJournal or Facebook interests
* adding relevant signatures every time they post to mailing lists
* updating their entries in online directories
* posting updates to alumni sites about what they're doing these days
  (and writing to dead-tree alumni magazines)

... and otherwise making use of all their existing connections, because
if you're anything like Sawyer Hill, you'll find that most buyers come
in via friends of friends.

I'll send you our cheat sheet on "how to market Sawyer Hill, online
and off" for you to adapt to your own membership.  Good luck!


        Ellen Seebacher (Mosaic Commons, Berlin, MA)

--
  Know someone who'd be perfect for green community living at Sawyer Hill
  Ecovillage (Berlin, Mass.)?  Send them to us and we'll pay you a $1000
  finder's fee!  Go to http://www.sawyerhill.org/1000 to learn more.

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