Social Media Usage in the Real Estate Profession

Social Media in the Real Estate Profession August 6, 2013 Becky Livingston President

Penheel Marketing

Becky Livingston ü  25+ years of marketing and

technology experience with large firms, small companies, and non-profits

ü  Social media advocate, author, trainer, speaker, and practitioner

ü  Daily user of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, G+, Pinterest, & Hootsuite

ü  Personal and Business brand builder for small business owners, non-profit leaders, and CPAs

Agenda

n Social Media stats in the Real Estate Profession

n Get started

n Best Practice Examples n Twitter n LinkedIn

n Pinterest n Facebook

Stats

n 89% of realtors use social media to some extent.

n 84% prospective buyers contact a real estate agent to find information on available properties. An equal percentage also search the Internet.

n 96% of Generation Y uses social media sites. In fact, they outnumber the baby boomers. Realtors need to remember that this group will be their target audience in a few years.

n Home buyers who use the Web take just over 2 weeks to find the real estate of their choice. In contrast, traditional buyers take close to 2 months to make a decision. Also, online buyers are clear about what kind of property they are looking for, this makes it easier and quicker to complete a deal.

Sources:  h+p://www.realtor.org/field-­‐guides/field-­‐guide-­‐to-­‐quick-­‐real-­‐estate-­‐sta:s:cs    h+p://realestatesocial.net/social-­‐media-­‐sta:s:cs-­‐for-­‐realtors/  

Get Started!

n Objectives: be social, relevant, build relationships, and increase bottom line

n Strategy: draw in prospects, plant seeds, repeat customers

n Tactics: reach a lot of people with regularity and with a good message

Sounds  a  lot  like  tradi/onal  marke/ng,  doesn’t  it?  

Get Started!, cont.

1.  Set up your profile(s) on one or more platforms

2.  Post original and relevant content

3.  Focus on your business

4.  Determine interval goals

5.  Focus on the endgame

6.  Point to a branded website

Examples - Twitter

Example - LinkedIn

<  Lists  “Real  Estate”  agent  in  :tle  <  Provides  loca:on  

<  Summary  lists  keywords:  -­‐  New  Jersey  -­‐  Real  Estate  -­‐  Buying  and  Selling  Process  -­‐  “Realtor  Magazine”  -­‐  New  construc:on  specialist  -­‐  Coldwell  Banker    

<  Customized  LinkedIn  profile  URL,  plus  links            to  company  website  and  her  Twi+er  profile    

Example – LinkedIn, cont.

Are  you  on  these  lists?    Opportunity  here!  

Example - Pinterest

Search  criteria  =  “homes  for  sale  in  nj”  

Examples – Pinterest, cont.

Profile  and  Compe::on  •  Paul  S:llwagon  has  the  

most  trac:on  on  this  plaVorm  and  the  most  complete  profile.  

•  Ma+hew  DeFede  is  the  2nd  highest  ranking  agent  on  this  plaVorm  

•  Gina  Chirico  is  3rd  

None  of  them  are  Coldwell  agents.  Opportunity  is  here!  

Examples - Facebook

Example, Facebook, cont.

ü  Completed  business  page  profile  ü  Nice  cover  photo  ü  Highlights  a  property  ü  Offers  :ps  to  page  visitors  ü  Provides  a  link  to  her  agent  profile  ü  Posted  a  map  to  her  office  loca:on  

Video Best Practices

n Vine, YouTube, Instagram n Vine & Instagram = 6 second – 15 second video

clips shared via Twitter or Instagram/Facebook n YouTube allows for longer video and sharing

features n Tag videos with appropriate keywords, such as

n Your Name

n Agency Name n Property location n Nice features about the home

Learn & Do More

n Real Estate Social Media Marketing page on Facebook

n Top Producer Campus great social media tips and training for real estate agents

n Read and take action

n Create a plan with action items, metrics, and measurement

Contact: Becky Livingston [email protected] www.Penheel.com 201.785.7840 Facebook • Pinterest • Google+ Twitter • LinkedIn