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Social Media Tips for REALTORS®
The world of social media can be a daunting place. It’s hard to know who to believe, or even what works from what you research on your own. The way is wrought with fast talkers and smoke blowers ready to promise you the moon and stars – and hopefully you’ve not had your taste for social media spoiled by them. If you’ve heard the hype and seen the success stories and are ready to start making use of social media we’ve got a few tips to help you get on the fast track.
First, let it be stated that social media is not the silver bullet for all your website ails. It is merely another tool to apply to your overall digital strategy. It is not guaranteed to boost sales, traffic, or leads; at it’s very core is merely another advertising medium.
Social media isn’t marketing. It’s prospecting. It’s putting yourself out there. It’s making yourself known, and available. Social media allows your potential customer to find you and interact in a conversational way rather than via a promotional one. So it’s important to: Be Interesting. Be Relevant. Be Rememberable!
Not sure what to say to get the conversation part of things going? Listen first! Keep an eye on what topics are trending in your industry, locally, or across the country. Listen to what your customers are interested in, then get to work. Otherwise, you are just shooting in the dark.
Be Persistent. Social media success is made up of the things you do every day. Every day. That means you need to be in there posting, working the system, nurturing followers on a daily basis to see the best results. Considering many systems have algorithms in place to limit your visibility to fans post frequently is often the best way to insure your posts get seen.
Don’t make it all about real estate. Yes, you are REALTORS® yes, it is part of your job to advertise listings – BUT – one of the biggest mistakes we see real estate professionals doing in social media is posting nothing but links to their listings. Sure, it’s fine to link to that Just Listed property, but look at it from a potential fan (who may not even currently be in the buyers market)…are they going to be interested in seeing 15 posts a day that just advertise your listings…or would they rather enjoy more diverse content that might include local event info, home fix-it tips, or other information…? EXACTLY. So, make your content about more than just hyping that next listing.
Use pictures. Social media is a very visual platform, because we as humans are very visual creatures. Text based information posts are great but be sure to mix it up with some good visual content as well. Now, that doesn’t mean just post pictures – unless you are on Pinterest – but be sure to include pictures now and again, with some good “hook” language to describe the image.
Social media isn’t about selling to the people you’re connected with, it’s about connecting with the people you’re selling to. Keep the relevancy of your content focused on the interests of your fan base to see the most success; be sure to keep at it!
REALTORS: Building Social Media Success
Everyone is coming to realize as more and more websites get online you really must have some way to set yourself apart from the hundreds of millions of other websites online.
One way to do this is through social media. Social media provides the most accessible, easy to use, and widest reaching platform for nearly any business model – this includes real estate. We’re glad to see so many Realtors waking from the Field of Dreams marketing mentality and taking interest in seizing their digital destinies.
It is for that very reason that we’d like to offer some good general practices for finding more success in your social media efforts.
Be Patient
Rome wasn’t built in a day – neither is any kind of success that is worth while. It
will take time, even months, to really begin to see returns from your efforts.
Be Consistent
When fans know what to look for they can look forward to it. Use whatever network you like, but use it every day for best results. There is nothing more embarassing than having someone visit your page and see that it hasn’t been updated in months.
Be Relevant
Don’t know what to say? Listen to what people in your target demographic are
interested in. If your focus is the 55+ crowd posting stuff about the hot new boy
band probably won’t win you any fans. Providing content that is relevant to your audience is the best way to gain interaction and keep fans coming back.
Be Bigger than Real Estate
Make your focus not just real estate, or promoting your listings. Use the rule of
hamburger – make your content 80/20…that is to say 80% positive thoughts, quotes, jokes, pictures, or local interest posts; maybe 20% about real estate or hard marketing your services.
Be Realistic
Social media is not a silver bullet for all your marketing needs. It will not instantly make your traffic soar or bring in a flood of leads — furthermore that isn’t what it is even about. Social media isn’t about selling to the people you’re connected to, it’s about connecting with the people you’re selling to. It’s about building relationships and establishing trust online.
Have questions about how you can benefit from social media? We’re always glad to talk shop! Contact us with your questions and be sure to follow us on our social portals to stay up on the latest news and tips to help you move more real estate!
Update: Featured Listing Slideshow
Tour Real Estate Inc has just made one of our old features even better! Our standard featured listing slideshow is now even more functional! We listened to your suggestions and have now made the image a more standard size so that it will re size any image pulled from MLS and display it without cropping problems.
This slideshow update also allows users to watch the slides uninterrupted or quickly skip through them. If you have more than one listing featured in the slideshow (by entering it in your toolbox) your website will choose a random listing to display each time the site is visited – presenting your prospective clients with new images to keep their interest peaked!
We here at TourRE are constantly striving to provide you with the very best real estate technology online today. Part of that is listening to what our customers tell us is important to them; this update is just one example.
There are numerous updates in the works for several of our other standard web functions as well as great new features coming down the line even as we speak! Stay tuned to this blog (you can subscribe on the right) or LIKE our Facebook Fan Page to stay up on the latest real estate market news and our own development info.
Build Your Social Media Army
Social media is the fastest growing method for increasing your digital footprint and gaining exposure for your listings and services. More people begin their search for homes, and for qualified REALTORS® online than ever before. To reach this crucial market you need to be highly visible amidst the ever growing tide of real estate professionals online.
In a previous post (brokers) we discussed how TourRE’s powerful website system can help you get all of your agents main web portals connected to your brokerage for optimal online visibility. But even if by some horrible possibility you or your agents don’t have our real estate websites there is still much you and they can do to benefit from social media.
Here’s some tips to turn your agents into a social media army:
Ask them to LIKE and/or follow your company pages and profiles.
Ask them to LIKE, share, or comment on the things your company posts.
Ask them to share a link to the company website as a status update.
Ask them to invite their friends to follow your company pages/profiles.
If they have Google accounts make sure they visit your company site and give it a +1.
Encourage your agents to post their listings and links on the company social profiles.
Get your agents to write articles for the company blog.
Offering your agents special incentives for helping to bolster the brokerages social presence isn’t unheard of either, although in all honesty by them participating in the offices online success they are truly already the recipients of a reward all it’s own.
Social media interaction from individuals is one of the biggest ways to really see results online; these social signals are gaining importance in how search engines rank your websites – what’s more, through social media you are increasing real human interaction independent of the search engines help. Every agent online makes a difference and with just a little interaction on their parts you can potentially see immense returns.
Have questions about using social media for real estate? TourRE can help! We’re always glad to talk shop and we offer some of the most affordable social media management services online today!
Brokers: Get Connected
Interconnectivity is the key to unleashing the power of the internet. Search engine algorithms are mysterious and unpredictable, social media is yet too unproven for many to trust solely for return on investment. For those brokerages looking for a solution Tour Real Estate offers this simple example of how we can leverage the internet’s greatest strength to exponentially increase your traffic and digital exposure.
Build a Powerful Network
Despite algorithm changes authoritative incoming links are still KEY to ranking well in search results.
We can connect each of your agent’s own highly optimized individual websites to your main office hub, using diverse keyword anchors to create a powerful flow of traffic.
Create and Optimize
Duplication is death. Automation, anti-productive. Search engines want fresh content for the top sites they present and your visitors demand the best online tools and features. Neither will tolerate a website that is hard to use or that works poorly.
We can provide elegant eye catching designs to envelope the sleek technological functionality of your dynamic website with us and offer some of the most comprehensive marketing tools for real estate professionals available today.
Develop Your Digital Destiny
Regardless of if we like it or not, use it or not, social media has arrived and is one of the most powerful means of exposing your services and listings to a vast – and growing – audience. We believe taking part in the social conversation shouldn’t be something that has to be cumbersome; offer extremely flexible strategies from simple consultation to full hands-on management.
We’d love the opportunity to talk with you about preparing an effective plan to help you grow towards a successful future in real estate online – contact us today in order to discuss your ideas.
UPDATED Realtor Website Function: Social Links
Due to your requests we’ve now updated our social links function in our client toolbox. Originally designed to allow our user agents to easily link out from their main websites to popular social networks, this function has quickly gained popularity among our more tech savvy users who know the importance of having everything connected.
So what’s new?
Our most recent available social networks are Google Plus and Pinterest. If you have active accounts there that you are using you can now link out to them by simply pasting your profile url into the toolbox in the proper place.
What is Google Plus?
While the jury is still out, many people jokingly refer to Google Plus as the social network that’s not there. Well, it may not be quite there YET but it is well on it’s way. With Google moving it’s “Places” function into Google Plus “Local” the search engine giants new social network will soon be playing an even bigger role on how consumers find things locally. Combine that with it’s AWESOME video chat functionality called “Hangouts” and no one can argue that Google Plus is well poised to begin a social takeover.
What is Pinterest?
Pinterest is the hottest new social sharing site. Mainly consisting of images, video is also supported, this new network encourages users to find amazing things online and “pin” them to their own digital walls. As this network is almost solely visually driven it is not only extremely powerful ( if done right ) but also very easy to get lost in.
Are you a REALTOR® with questions about social media? Tour Real Estate can help you make sense of the online world, including today’s most popular social networks. With search engine rules changing every other day man experts are suggesting that a strong social presence may be the best way to insure a stable digital presence and maintain exceptional customer service online.
REALTORS: Social Networking Success
The game has changed, but there’s still a lot to be said for a good name.
Technology has revolutionized the way real estate is done; this can both be your biggest challenge and your greatest asset. For a short while SEO alone offered a refuge for the small but determined individual, but with the recent changes to Google’s search algorithms the stability of those methods has come into question. While a firm foundation in solid search engine optimization is still the best place to start, in this increasingly competitive market you need a little more to get ahead.
Enter social media.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve heard about Facebook, Twitter, and some of the other big boys of the social world online. You are likely already using at least one of these type of networks for personal use. And you’ve heard of others using these systems to increase their real world interactions and to create more business – you may even have business account setup – but aren’t really sure what they’re supposed to be doing to help.
Here are some things to consider when evaluating your social networking strategy:
Social media success is a lot more than just a lot of icons on a page. Just having profiles setup on those sites really isn’t enough.
It’s called social networking for a reason. It works most effectively when all of the elements are interconnected and working together. It’s a fact, over 80% of all potential home buyers look online before they even think to start working with a REALTOR® and social media can help you improve your chances of being the one they choose.
More and more people these days will search and skip right past the first few results to see what returns show up from social networks. Many are even simply skipping a search engine altogether and searching directly ON the social networks in question.
The question is: what will come up when they search for YOU? Is what they find best serving your goals? If you’re not sure you may need to more closely examine how you are presenting yourself online.
You see, what shows up in those social results is just as important (maybe even more so) than the fact they show up at all. There is nothing more embarrassing or sad than clicking a link to a blog or twitter profile only to see “Last Updated, March 9, 2010″; the only thing close is to visit a profile and see nothing but the bare bones information or “coming soon” promise.
So the first best tip would be: if you’re going to have a profile on a social network USE IT. Make sure it is up to date – or if you don’t intend on updating it frequently make sure the content and information you put there will stand the test of time.
The last best tip would be: USE the social profiles you have. (sounds similar to the first tip doesn’t it?!) Social media, like your website itself, is just a tool and like any tool it can’t help you if you don’t use it. A $5,000 titanium alloy hammer will sit in the box and never drive a single nail if it is not used; the same thing applies to social media.
Social media can help you increase your digital footprint and gain more exposure for your website, listings, and services, but you need to make sure all your profiles are connected and presenting a consistent message.
Even in this technology driven industry word of mouth is still one of the most powerful ways to gain referrals and new clients. Social media is the digital form of word of mouth. If you are providing great content and maintaining interaction levels with your follower base you may soon be amazed at the fact that they are the ones driving the success of your efforts online as much as yourself.
By leveraging these networks and nurturing your audience you can in essence custom tailor the face you present to the world online. Isn’t it best then to make sure you’re wearing your best winning smile?
Have questions about using social media? Too busy to blog? Too tired to Tweet? We can help you understand social network marketing and even offer a number of social media management services for today’s progressive real estate professionals. Contact us to find out more!
Realtor Video Feeds from Youtube
What’s new? How about a Youtube Homepage Module?! You can now add your most recent Youtube video to your homepage. This function updates automatically any time you post a new video and adding this module to your websites main page allows you to share videos from your real estate Youtube channel with no extra effort.
It’s simple to add: Login to your Client Toolbox and click Social Links on the left. Make sure you’ve entered your Youtube channel URL (make sure you use the proper URL format displayed). Once that is entered just visit the Customize Homepage Content and add the Youtube module from the available default modules there.
Just one more feature for our dedicated real estate website customers – provided at no additional cost! Find out more about all of our great website functions by visiting our main real estate website page.
Get out there and make some videos and enjoy!
REALTOR Twitter Tips 2: So you want to be a real estate twit (some more) ?
We’ll assume you’ve already created your shiny new twitter account correctly. If not this article should help in that area, and feel free to read our first Real Estate Twitter Tips article here.
That aside there are a few things you’ll want to focus on to help get you on the fast track to using twitter more effectively. Like all social media it is encouraged that you access and use these profiles frequently (at least daily) for best results. Thankfully most major social networks are very mobile friendly which only increases their practicality through ease of use, and allows for exceptional response time when handling follower activity.
Remember the first basic simple things that come with ALL proper profile setup: Visit any available settings and enter information pertinent to you or your business. This means about text, any place you can put a link
to your main site (if you don’t have one, shame on you), and adding a profile picture. If you aren’t going to make use of the available tools don’t complain when you get less than stellar results. For many setting a non default [egg] profile picture doesn’t seem to be a big deal, but let me tell you it’s the little things that count. Having a default profile picture, or even a low tweet count, can be the first biggest block to losing followers.
Special REALTOR® Specific Tip: If you plan to use your twitter account for any largely visible real estate marketing and want to customize your background image, make sure you include the Equal Housing, National Association of REALTORS, and Your Regional MLS logos as well as (depending on your mls requirements) your office logo prominently in the image. This can help avoid technical problems with your mls or brokerage down the road.
Ready? Now TWEET!
…but don’t get carried away. once you’ve learned how to do it, the 140 character limit almost becomes like a challenge; it’s easy to go overboard. Tweet well, be entertaining, be relevant, but don’t be a flooder. It’s better to break up your tweets and spread them out over the course of a day rather than a dozen at a pop. Posting too frequently or in large uninterrupted bursts (Flooding) your stream can cost you followers, be thoughtful; considerate.
Even with a 140 Character Limit: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.
Post photos. Services and apps like instagram make it easy to post images; sharing sites like Pinterest have become all the rage. Don’t let 140 character limit slow you down, get creative and reap the benefits. Humans are visual creatures; you very well may see your highest levels of interaction based on an image you post more than any smarmy quip.
Be a good listener.
It’s about more than just putting stuff out there though. Yes you want to interact often and posting great content (or at least links to it) must be par for the course, but beyond that there’s a whole other level of network nurturing to be done. Be there to serve. A big part of your success and visibility socially is what others say about you; being positive and offering assistance tends to garner better responses. If someone asks a question and you know the answer, put it out there. Retweet and share the links and tweets of people you follow (this is a compliment) and by helping get the word out about their posts you can often expect the same in return.
Follow back those (NON-BOTS) who follow you, even if they are technically your “competition”, as every follower potentially expands your overall exposure eponentially.
Search twitter for regional keywords (the cities where/around where you operate) and find other local people and businesses to connect with. Working your local-most sphere of influence is where you can very often see the bigger online interaction as well as the most real world returns.
Are you a real estate professional using social media to get the word out about your services or listings? We’d love to hear from you, talk some shop, or even try to answer any questions you might have. Drop us a line here, and feel free to tell us about your own online experiences (include your links!).
ALL of Our Websites Are Elite
More real estate websites from Tour Real Estate Inc appear in the top search results than websites from any other one company, and there is a reason for that: websites from us provide the tools and resources you need to market your online presence effectively.
Other website companies offer freebie websites that don’t do a whole lot, or offer to “upgrade” your website to their specialized package of functions.
We want to let you know that our websites come in one flavor: AWESOME.
Our pricing has stayed consistent and competitive over the years; even though we now offer more functions than ever there has not been an increase in our costs in over 5 years! Fact is you can still get one of our powerful real estate websites online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for about what you would pay for a print ad to run one single time.
We offer more than just websites in a can. Our websites come with a built in powerful content management system that allows you to control your content and search engine visibility. Along with all the features that come standard with your website (like over 50 templates to choose from) we also offer great marketing tools like the ability to create your own photo tours, creation of graphical Craigslist ads, and social network publishing for your listings.
All that and more backed by some of the best customer service in the industry. When you call or email us with an issue you will receive a prompt response, not a forwarding message to some call center. We strive to make ourselves as available as possible in order to provide personal dedicated service to all of our website customers.
It’s no secret, in today’s technology driven market you’ve GOT to be online to move real estate; your website needs to be the very best it can be. That’s where we come in. Contact TourRE today to find out what we can do to help you strengthen your digital exposure.
