Advanced Access Blog

In honor of Halloween, I thought I would go over a topic that strikes fear into the hearts of real estate agents all over the country: Social Media.

Social media does not have to be spooky. It does not have to be a all-consuming effort either. If you can talk to another person, you can tackle social media.

For those just joining us, social media includes interactive websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and various Q & A websites. Chances are you have been nervous to jump into the conversation, but now is the time to get involved.

What’s in it for me?

The first thing we need to establish is that social media is about the conversation and not primarily about the conversion. By getting involved in social media you can add a voice to your business and your community. By building relationships with other realtors and the general public you are opening yourself up to future ventures, be it referrals or your next real estate transaction.

Where to start?

Niche Communities

By now I’m sure you’ve heard of sites like Active Rain, Trulia, and Zillow. Each community has its own features and own purpose. If you are just starting out in social media, these are probably the best places to test the waters since you will be familiar with the audience.

General Social Media

Though not niche specific, there are still a number of social media websites and tools to help you get into the social realm. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are good starting points. Again each has their own advantages, though in this case each site is very unique in how you interact with other real estate professionals and consumers.

I Get The What and Where, But How?

Start simple! If you’re new to social media start slow and build 1 profile at a time. More importantly if you start a profile do so with the intentions of finishing it. This means have a brief bio and picture ready to post on the site. Remember to keep the bio original, even though you may want to talk about the same things you don’t want to look automated.

Social media is just that, it’s social. If you aren’t giving people a face and an idea of who you are no one is going to want to interact with you. Give people at least SOMETHING to work with and be sure to put a link to your real estate website or blog in any profile that will let you. This gives potential friends and followers just one more idea of who you are and what you do.

Once you’ve set up your account explore the community a little. Again each of these social networks has different features and work in different ways. Observe the community and get a feel for the conversation, the tone, the kinds of comments and questions being passed around. Take the time to get a better perspective of how the community works before you dive in with your own thoughts, ideas, and insight.

If you need help, feel free to find Advanced Access on various social media websites and connect with us to get started.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 4:57 pm and is filed under Weekly Marketing Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.