Industry Insight • October 2009 Newsletter

The Top 3 Non-Real Estate Social Media Sites for REALTORS®

By: Rudy Bachraty, Social Media Guru at Trulia

As the resident Social Media Guru at Trulia, part of my job entails pounding the virtual pavement in the social media space everyday. Thus far, my journeys have led me to various social networks in a vast variety of verticals. Besides being educational, it’s lots of fun too. It’s all about making connections and learning from others. So, with that in mind, I wanted to share some of my thoughts and strategies on how you, a real estate agent, can best use non - real estate specific social media sites and communities to your advantage.

With so many social media sites and communities to choose from, I wanted to narrow down the list to three of the most well known and vibrant online social networks - Facebook.com, Linkedin.com and Meetup.com. These communities all have something in common - lots of active users. You want to be where the people are. But that alone is not enough. You have to be proactive and find ways to make these sites work for you. Let’s begin, shall we?

Connect with your sphere on a deeper level

Whenever I meet with real estate agents in an educational or informational setting, one of my favorite examples for online social networking is Facebook. Actually, out of all the non-real estate specific social networking communities out there, I use Facebook the most. It’s where I connect with the majority of my friends, business associates and networking contacts. Thus far, Facebook been very good to me.

If you have already created your profile on Facebook or are in the process, I have a great Facebook strategy to share with you. Under the “education” tab, you can select what schools you went to - high school and college. Find your school and the year you graduated. After saving your profile, you’ll find links on the bottom of the education page to find your classmates. Find them. Send them a message. Friend them. It’s a great way to reach out and re-connect. Besides rekindling a friendship or business relationship, they may be in the market to buy or sell real estate or know someone else in their sphere who is. Even if they are in another city or state, chances are, if you’re active in the online real estate space, you’ll be able to provide them with a solid referral to one of your real estate blogging friends. Ah, the power of social media networking.

Facebook Bonus: Get out your rolodex and go and find your previous home buyer and home seller clients on Facebook. Then, find your former clients and associates from your previous job and reach out to them. It’s a non-intrusive way to re-connect. Everyone has to live somewhere, right? You can be their trustworthy local and nationwide real estate source. Facebook.com worked for me and it can for you too.

Your online real estate resume

Linkedin is a fantastic business social network. As a real estate agent, there are numerous ways you can use it to your advantage. For starters, think of your profile on Linkedin as your online resume. Essentially, that’s what it is. The more details you provide, the better picture you can paint of yourself and your accomplishments. Employers and recruiters are always scouting Linkedin for prospects. You never know what opportunity might present itself to you. Enhance your profile today.

Have a business question or need some feedback, use Linkedin Answers. Think of it as your mini focus group for the topic of your choice. I recently asked a question on Linkedin whether Snail Mail was Dead for Communication and have received 28 really insightful and genuine responses from professionals around the nation. How amazing is that? The key is to respond to each person’s comment. Although I haven’t had a chance to do it yet for this particular question, my bad, but I have done it in the past for other questions and the conversations were great. Follow up helps you connect with your readers on a deeper level and can open up new doors for you. Linkedin.com worked for me and can for you too.

Linkedin Bonus: If you’re not ready to ask a public question on Linkedin, you can send a private question to your sphere. Plus, you can reply to each one privately. Some people are just not comfortable leaving public comments. Try both and see which one works for you and your sphere.

Where real people meet online, then connect offline

Meetup.com is one of my favorites online sites for business and networking opportunities. Recently, they even added some cool updates and enhancements to their site. Here’s the real estate skinny. After you sign up for free, go and find a group that interests you in your neck of the woods. Make sure it’s not a real estate group. Say what? Yes, I said it, not a real estate group. Pick a favorite hobby or something that interests you, e.g. wine, tennis, parenting, technology, video, gardening, home improvement, a television show like Lost, etc…RSVP and then go to one. You can even bring some friends with you by adding them as guests. Get there early. Be happy and inviting. A smile does wonders in situations like this. Introduce yourself to as many people as you can and try to get to know them. Share some stories. Be a good listener. Then exchange cards. Don’t worry, they wont bite. You’re all there for the same reason, to connect and to help each other. It’s an amazing feeling when you connect with a perfect stranger all because you share the same interest or passion for something.

The great part about going to a non-real estate group, is that you will most likely be the only real estate agent there. This was the case for me for virtually all the meetups I have ever gone too. Makes sense right? Make a lasting impression with someone and then follow up w/ a message on Meetup, via email, phone or even Snail Mail. Meetup.com worked for me and it can for you too.

Meetup.com Bonus: If you don’t find a group or meetup that interests you, create your own meetup. Creating your own group is not free, $19 for a month, $45 for 3 months or 6 months for $72. Not too bad. Try one month and go from there. As a real estate agent, you can create a neighborhood, community or building meetup group. For starters, make it a monthly event. Send and invite to your friends, neighbors and local businesses in your area. Find a venue that will host your group for free. There are countless ways to barter. It can be a town meeting of sorts sponsored by you. Even better, find some local sponsors to support the meetup. It can be a great way to discuss the local neighborhood issues and happenings with the people that live and work there. Plus, it’s a great way to position yourself as someone who cares about the community.

About the author: As the resident Social Media Guru at Trulia.com, Rudy is the public face and voice of Trulia. He leads Trulia’s Social Media Strategy both online and offline and manages the Trulia corporate blog. He contributes to new initiatives that build brand awareness while improving the consumer and agent experience. As a speaker at real estate conferences and classrooms around the nation, he enjoys educating agents on how to best utilize the newest and best web 2.0 tools and technologies.

Click here for the original article on Trulia.