Being a real estate professional means keeping up with most relevant marketing trends. And, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last several years, you know that social media is a necessary component to any professional toolbox. Social media is ubiquitous in today’s society and, whether you love it or hate it, is a helpful means of disseminating information and connecting with folks you might not have connected with otherwise.
Social media is useful in many ways. It can help people find you, learn more about your professional expertise and find your listings or services. Social media can alert an audience in real time when you have news to share and permeates the social space in a way that can keep your professional name continuously circulating.
Here are a few social media networks that serve real estate professionals well:
Facebook: Like many social media outlets, Facebook is a place where you can share the latest updates on listings and services, direct readers to your blog or website and connect with potential clients. It also lends itself to having deeper and more meaningful engagements online because you are not limited to a set number of characters, like Twitter.
Facebook also happens to be a wonderfully visual medium, which of course makes it a great tool for real estate. Post pictures of homes you’ve sold and point potential new clients to your FB page so they can see some of your great successes. Of course, it’s also a perfect place to post featured property listings, so potential buyers and other realtors (who may have the perfect buyer) can see what you have available.
Twitter: Fast and furious, Twitter is the space where you must convey your message in 140 characters or less. This is still effective when sharing information and pointing others to your website. Even more importantly, Twitter is a great place to glean information and stay on top of the latest in the real estate industry.
Google+: Similar to Facebook in its conversational capabilities, Google+ takes it a step further by incorporating “hangouts”, places where you can get together and chat with a group in real time. It also doesn’t hurt to make nice with a component of the world’s largest search engine.
LinkedIn: Connect with professionals on the world’s largest professional network. LinkedIn allows you to upload your professional history, connect with industry fellows, job search and recommend others in the social sphere. Think of this as the buttoned up social media outlet, it’s all business.
It’s the perfect tool for reaching out virtually and networking with other real estate professionals. It’s the perfect way to broaden your reach and get to know real estate pros in other metro areas.
No matter if you use all of these or one, social media is an effective way to let people get to know you and share the information and talents that you have to offer.