8 Tips for Making the Most of Your Social Networking Sites

The Real Estate industry has significantly changed since the arrival of social media and mobile technology. I mean come on: Don’t you think Social Media deserves at least some of the credit for that house you just sold or that new client who called you? Posting your listings and information about your business on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter allow them to spread rapidly across the web and be seen by many more people than the old days of running classified ads in the local newspaper. Mobile applications for smartphones can also help your business, by keeping you on top of trends, news and updates when you can’t get to a computer.

Most businesses, big or small, have a Facebook and Twitter page, but whether they are utilizing them to their full potential is a more complicated question. There are so many things you can do to enhance your pages and in turn, spread the word about your work and attract more fans.

I know what you’re thinking: Where am I going to find the time to interact on social media sites with my busy work schedule? I hear you on that one. Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to make a difference on your page (or someone else’s) that take just minutes. Consider these tips and hints to enhance your page(s) the next time you tweet, post, blog, or whatever it may be!

1. Get a Hootsuite Account: Hootsuite is great for anyone who has multiple social media accounts, especially Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. This site allows you to manage multiple social networking sites at the same time by using just one login. Another cool thing about Hootsuite is that you can schedule a specific time as to when your posts or tweets will be live. The site provides custom analytics to track brand sentiment and follower growth, and also allows you to have multiple contributors without sharing passwords.

2. It Doesn’t Always Need to be About Business: One of the reasons you might gain a new client or retain an old one is because they feel that they can connect with you on a level outside of work. For example: maybe you both love the same sports team, or have kids in the same grade, or even something as simple as sharing the same dentist. Whether you realize it, your interests and lifestyle play a key role in attracting business. So don’t be afraid to blog about that amazing catch an outfielder made during Saturday’s game or the awesome dog park you discovered in town. People will dig your laid back approach and you may be surprised at the responses you will receive!

3. Keep Track of Followers, Likes, Retweets and Tags: Make a habit of checking in on new followers, “likes,” retweets from others and posts you’ve been tagged in. This way you will have a clear idea of who your audience is, and what types of posts are getting the most responses. If you post something about a cool DIY project and generate a lot of responses, you will know that it’s something your followers are interested in and you can start incorporating similar posts into your routine. Likewise, if you notice that a post or tweet received low feedback, it may be something you will use less of or find a way to spruce up.

4. Stay on Top of What’s New in Social Media, Including Apps for your Smartphone or Tablet: As most home buyers and sellers know, technology has been a major influence in marketing homes these days. Social networking, smartphones, tablets and the internet are all staples of the real estate trade. There are plenty of useful apps designed to help real estate agents, and can be downloaded to your smartphone or tablet. For example, the Realtor.com app has had a huge impact on technology in real estate. It has over 3 million downloads and a large chunk of its traffic is through the mobile app on Saturdays and Sundays. Through this app, users can browse hundreds to thousands of homes per hour and contact a real estate agent or schedule a showing right from their device. Check out other useful real estate apps for electronic devices here.

5. Keep Your Posts Positive and Upbeat: No one wants to listen to a Debbie Downer! Keep your posts and tweets positive and upbeat. Your optimism will rub off on others and people will look forward to your spunk and pizzazz.

6. It’s a Big World Out There…: There are hundreds – maybe even thousands of social media sites out there, so don’t limit yourself to just the “popular” ones. Just because they may not be as mainstream as Facebook or Twitter, doesn’t mean they won’t help you expand your business. Posting something on a smaller social networking can site can lead to your post showing up on a bigger site later on. Here are some examples of other social networking sites:

www.Blogger.com
www.tumblr.com
www.wordpress.com
www.flickr.com
www.dailybooth.com
www.ping.fm.com

7. Videos are More Important than Ever: According to www.mashable.com, a website devoted to everything tech and social media, the use of video in real estate and utilizing YouTube is more important than ever. In fact, 73% of homeowners say they are more likely to list their home with an agent willing to do video, yet only about 12% of the real estate industry currently have YouTube accounts. Videos give the effect of actually being inside the home, whereas pictures may not do a property justice. The immediate results of using video may not be in sight, but the long term benefits are there.

8. Don’t Stress About Your Follower Count: When starting up a new social media page, it’s always fun to monitor who’s following you or how many new friends you have. But don’t fret if you don’t obtain that many followers right off the bat. Establishing yourself on a social network takes time and practice. Sure, it’s possible to obtain 100 followers in one day, but they will often times turn out to be spam accounts or social net bots. You want social media followers who are going to interact with you, and 15 real followers are worth more than 100 spam followers. If you focus on creating great content and being helpful the followers will come.

Making the most of your social media sites is time-consuming, but it’s well worth it when you see the strong online presence that you’ll gain. If you’re overwhelmed by the idea of social media, or don’t have time to put the work needed into making building your sites, your real estate virtual assistants are always here to lend a helping hand.
Have a nice day!

Lauren Wille
Marketing Coordinator