A practical, 'how-to' presentation on using social networking tools for real estate marketing.

1. Social Media Marketing Tools for Realtors

2. Purposes of this Presentation What is Social Networking? How is it a Marketing Tool? How can I use it to build success?

3. Definition of Social Networking Social media = Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information integrates technology and social interaction, using words, pictures, videos and audio. "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences. Businesses also refer to social media as user-generated content (UGC) or consumer-generated media (CGM).

4. Social Media Software applicationsfor Business Communication * Blogs: Blogger, LiveJournal, TypePad, WordPress, Vox * Internet forums: vBulletin, phpBB * Micro-blogging / Presence applications: Twitter,Plurk, Pownce, Jaiku * Social networking: Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace Collaboration * Wikis: Wikipedia, * Social bookmarking: Delicious, StumbleUpon, Google Reader * social news: Digg, * Opinion sites: epinions, Yelp Multimedia * Photo sharing: Flickr, * Video sharing: YouTube, * Livecasting: Ustream.tv, Justin.tv, Skype

5. Where did they come from??

6. History 2005 Blogs, podcasts, videos, social networking profiles, photos, news May 2008, statistics reported that 94.1 Million blog readers IN THE U.S. MySpace: 76 Million Users Facebook: 55 Million Users “Earned content” (content which cannot be purchased) begins appearing in search engines (Google)—blogs, photos, videos.

7. Growth 2006-2008 MySpace 69 milion to 76 million 10% Facebook 35 million to 55 million 3.5% LinkedIn 2.9 million to 6.3 million 6.7%

8. Today Social Networking and Search Engine Marketing are fused Your website needs social media to get noticed by search engines and by your audience Why? Users search for content on blogs, photo sites, Twitter, Wikipedia, YouTube. These sites appear in the top results of online searches.

9. And the growth will continue! Amount of advertising used to reach an online social network audience: increase from $40 million in 2008 to $210 million in 2012.

10. What does this mean to YOU? It's no longer enough to optimize your website. Optimise your whole self on the web! user-generated blogs, forums, videos, user-sharing photos, social networking sites Twitter

11. Conclusion No longer are search and social networking separate strategies. Major search engines are networking, and search engines are looking for you everywhere. By taking a holistic approach you are getting in an online conversation with your target audience.

12. JWL Associates Consulting and Coaching judith@judithlindenau.com Skype: dulcie22 Twitter: JWLConsulting Blog: Off Stage FaceBook, LinkedIn Text: JUDITHLINDENAU to 50500

13. 3 Social Networking Types Self-expressive- blogs, Facebook , YouTube, Twitter, link sharing > defining the individual Relationship - LinkedIn, Active Rain ,Second Life, > defining the society Collaborative - wikis, Digg , Real Estate Voices> defining the collective knowledge of the masses

14. All a part of one fabric.....

15. Blogs (Weblog) A blog (a contraction of the term weblog) is a website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

16. Why Blog? They allow you to publish information to your website without contacting your website manager. Provide excellent search engine optimization. Replace Pay Per Click Campaigns Allow you to publish to third party websites like Zillow, Trulia, Edgeio and others that accept XML or RSS feeds from other websites. Allow you to view the number of visitors to your blog and the articles that were most popular Blogs will replace email marketing: no spam filters, no spam,

17. Blogs: What you need to know! Select an audience (Consumers?) Blog about what the audience wants to know (economy, the housing market, local events or controversies) Keep your blog up-to-date Have RSS capabilities Keep an email list Be interesting…photos, guest bloggers, film clips Internet Crusade, Wordpress, Blogger

18. Facebook: What is It? Facebook is a free-access social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with other people. People can also add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves

19. Facebook: Techniques for Successful Marketing—case study Create a Group: Northern Michigan Resort Properties Encourage clients to 'friend' you Include links to your marketing materials Create a unique group: “Attending the Clean Water Conference” Shares (listings, brochures, links with buyers or other Realtors) Add an RSS (blog feed) to your Notes Note that the majority of new users of Facebook are in their 40s and 50s—it’s where everyone is.

20. Zillow, Active Rain: Professional Networking Sites Zillow “Home Q&A” allows you to establish yourself as an expert; Zillow “Tell Us It's For Sale” allows you to post properties available but not currently posted on Zillow Zillow: now with 180 newspapers (April 2) “Active Rain”--consumer and Realtor site.(www.activerain.com).

21. AGENT GENIUS: Agent Genius, the first multi-author real estate Magazine designed by and for real estate agents nation wide. Coaching Ethics Highlights Living Marketing Mortgage News Events Opinions Tech & Social Media

22. Ning (www.ning.com): Create your own social network! Your own branded design Your own members Your own RSS feed in and out Your own photo features and slideshows Your own discussion forum Events calendar Your own video and branded player (others can embed, links back to your site) Chat (members chat in real time) COST: FREE

23. Twitter www.twitter.com “What are you doing now” 140 characters Followers Connect with other members “Twitter Power”, Joel Comm and Ken Burge (Wiley, 2009)

24. Twitter Tips Give your tweet the “who cares” test. Think before you tweet! If tweeting about a product or company, mix it in with other personal comments. Power Tip: Continually link to content that your followers will find helpful! Make Yourself Personable Chatty tweets Personal picture Be friendly Power Tip: Give until it hurts and you will gain followers. Generosity is the game in social media!

25. Twitter Tips Build a following. Start following others. Reply to their tweets with valuable info—they will reciprocate. Power Tip: Find a core content! Find out who's talking about you and your business. Use “TweetDeck” or “TweetBeep”. Keep alert to your business name, blog name, Twitter name, or subject area Know your audience Offer advice in your field of expertise. Twitter about your blog, for instance. Power Tip:Twitterfeed automatically posts your article to your following! Offer links to click on, even about the competition.

26. Benefits of Twitter It goes anywhere—cell phones, wireless handheld computers, laptops... Easy way of finding new customers Powerful networking tool Good way to pick up useful info. Power tip: Twitter's most important function is as a listening post! Helps build deeper relationships with customers and others Gain advice and suggestions from experts Directs people to your website/blog/etc.

27. Photos and Video Tools 1. Can be posted to any site (FaceBook, Twitter, Ustream, YouTube, Flicker 2. Can be linked from your website, FaceBook page, or Tweet 3. Pictures AND videos can be broadcast from many cell phones to many of these sites in real time 4. Flip cameras go anywhere! And are easy to upload

28. Building your Profiles 1. Lead with your expertise 2. Follow with personal things (feel comfortable, be interesting) 3. Use a great photo (look at camera) 4. Add links (blog, personal website, etc.) 5. 10 second impression!

29. Social Networking Ethics and Etiquette

30. Understand the Culture and The Community Understand the culture and the community: Every site and community has a different flavor. They not only have different technical platforms, they have different personalities on both sides of the controls.

31. Develop Who You Are Develop who you are: When you get online, don't try to fake it. There are plenty of people who recognize you from other social circles and environments. What you say on one will be noticed on the other. It may not be written in the text on screen, but the wandering reader will take note of places you have long forgotten. www. pipl.com www.spokeo.com

32. Don't Be Pushy Don't be pushy: If you have an alpha personality or stubborn streak, sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee. The social cues given in the online realm are far less telling than the ones you may receive in the real world.

33. Don't Take Offense Do not take offense: People often get grumpy for all the wrong reasons. In a written environment, people often fall prey to a few words that flavor an entire relationship. They lack outside perspective.

34. Do What You Say Do what you say: When you write down a course of action, do it. The world of online communities presents us with the challenge of never knowing who may be reading our ideas, and a professional will carry through on statements knowing that there may be individuals that are acting upon it.

35. Don't Abuse the Community Do not abuse the community: We all hate spammers or unsolicited sales calls. Members of a community also dislike it when the culture of the community is being abused for other motives. When joining a new group, the purpose of joining should be to participate in the conversation of the group. It should not be to pursue personal agendas, until it is known whether or not those personal goals fit in with the culture of the community.

36. Treat People as if you were having a FTF meeting

37. Offer Assistance Offer your assistance: With any sizable group, there will be varying levels of skills and experience through-out it. Everyone will have a strength and everyone will have a weakness. Most of us will know what our strengths are, while few of us will know our weakness. Offer assistance, friendly guidance, and helpful mentoring to your fellow community members

38. The Golden Rule

39. Conclusion The lessons of online community are simple. Give people the benefit of the doubt and don't jump to conclusions about who they are or what they are saying. If you don't understand a question or comment, ask for clarification and move on. There a millions of people to interact with on the net and in real life, making a decision from the beginning to be a positive influence on the people around you will earn you the respect of other individual and of the community. If all else fails, enjoy a cup of coffee: There are bigger issues in life. Don't fret one bad apple. Every community is full of friendly members who are seeking your expertise and knowledge. Share yourself with other like-minded souls and enjoy another conversation tomorrow.

40. Recap and Action PlanGet Started 1. Set up an account (Facebook, Twitter) and build your profile. 2. Build your network (friends, clients, family) 3. Set up your reading list (Inman, Agent Genius, Mashable) and RSS feeds 4. Set up your SN schedule 5. Invest in equipment (internet-capable cell phone, camera, flip video)

41. Recap and Action PlanKnow these sites ActiveRain, "Our goal is to create a valuable resource of information and ideas for real estate professionals and their clients. We aim to help empower people by providing tools to help promote business and connect with peers all over the country."Facebook, "Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you."LinkedIn, "LinkedIn is an online network of more than 20 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries. When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional accomplishments. .. You can add more connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you." MySpace, "Create a private community on MySpace and you can share photos, journals and interests with your growing network of mutual friends."Ning, "Ning is the only online service where you can create, customize, and share your own Social Network for free in seconds."Real Estate Voices, "RealEstateVoices is a real estate social news site designed to help you discover the most interesting articles of the day, as voted and suggested by your fellow users." Real Town, "RealTown is the oldest and most respected real estate network featuring a variety of online communities as well as a wealth of community created content."

42. Recap and Action PlanSet your SM Schedule Time management Tips No more than one hour a day Skim, don’t read. Save for later. Don’t answer in real time unless necessary customer Have a policy (company or individual) to guide you Prioritize activities (blog twice a week, build around that) Use meet-ups!

43. Recap and Action PlanResources and Keeping Up www.mashable.com (RSS) Internet Crusade Social Media course ReBarCamp (http://rebarcamp.com) Field Guide to Social Networking for REALTORS®