As you know, I am very active on social media sites. Actually, “active” is probably a bit of an understatement. I would call myself more of a social media junkie! That’s right, I am addicted. But, with good reason…the best reason…it has brought me increased business opportunities. As a direct result of my Houston Relocation Blog, and the vast amount of time that I spend on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, I have attracted valuable followers and developed meaningful personal and business relationships.
While there are many people out there in real estate and relocation circles who share my passion, I was recently reminded of the many things that real estate agents could and should be doing to promote themselves, their listings and our company in a similar way.
Last week, we brought national social media speaker, James Goddard, to Houston to speak at our company’s sales meeting about the impact of social media in real estate. Goddard provided our agents with many tips regarding what they should be doing and some goals to set for themselves. For instance, he said that all agents should be on Facebook and LinkedIn and establishing their on-line SOI (Sphere Of Influence). He also pointed out that these sites offer agents the ability to market themselves to a wide array of friends and followers…for free!
- Steve Thistle, Michelle Sandlin, James Goddard, John Daugherty, Cheri Fama and Darren Moore
Goddard also urged everyone to set a goal for themselves of getting 1000+ friends on Facebook. This may sound like a lofty goal, but you would be surprised at how quickly your friend list can increase if you really put yourself out there.
Of course, everyone has their own comfort level when it comes to using social media. While my personal approach is one of transparency and high frequency of posting, not everyone wants to use it in the same way, and some may choose to abstain from its use all together. It’s definitely a personal choice.
As for the impact of social media on real estate, I would say that in general, it is often underutilized by real estate companies and their agents. Like any marketing strategy, you have to have a plan for how you are going to use it, and be committed to executing your strategy on a daily basis.
As for me, and my focus on Houston Relocation, the impact of social media has been significant. There continues to be a direct correlation between my über on-line activities and new business opportunities.
(To follow social media junkie Michelle Sandlin, please click here: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter)
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Michelle –
Thanks so much for this post! I recently led a social media training at McGuire Real Estate in San Francisco (where I am a full-time realtor; we’re part of Leading RE & the Luxury Portfolio) and was thrilled to see how many agents were interested in amplifying their social presence; it’s such a fantastic way to network and market for free. Our industry has changed and it’s important for agents to realize that!
Why door-knock and cold call in your local area when you can be building warm leads & referrals from across the globe? Most importantly, engaging with clients & prospects on social media — and staying transparent, as you suggest — is a crucial way to build trust and a strong bond for business. We all want to work with people we trust, and seeing how people comport themselves on social media can illustrate how they might handle their relationship with you.
Looking forward to connecting with you! You can find me @rob_a_nielsen — the link to my XeeMe profile (all 13 of my social networks in one place) is on my Twitter profile.
Regards,
Rob Nielsen | San Francisco, CA | McGuire Real Estate | Founder, Engaging Agents — 415.632.9024
Hi Michelle, we have mutual friends in Cici and Cris. Facebook can also be helpful for actual relocations. Each year my organisation welcomes about 200 staff from all over the world to Hong Kong. We use social media to help them meet fellow future colleagues and also to get to know Hong Kong prior to arrival. This year we even had two employees meet in London (connected via Facebook) before flying to Hong Kong and hit it off so well they are now roomies!
Wow, this is the most interesting blog I’ve come across. It is inspiring to see how you used social networking in favor of your business.
Social Media is having a bigger & bigger impact on the real estate world.
Social media is the next big thing to atract new customers and folowers so also for the Relocation buisiness it will do its work
Also an good id is to reward people if they become a fan of your facebook fan page by giving them valuable information for free on your fanpage. You will see that you get a lot more fans this way