You know, there are a lot of social networks these days. Besides the big boys like facebook and myspace, there are social networks individualized for specific fields! For real estate I've found the following four:
•Active Rain: http://activerain.com/
•Real Estate Global Network: http://www.realestateglobalnetwork.com/
•Real Estate Voices http://www.realestatevoices.com/
•Real Town http://www.realtown.com/
I've done some research on which social networks would be best for RE/MAX to start using and this is what I've found.
First. Myspace is done. gone. no more. Yes it still may actually be in existence but I give it the grade of "L" for lame. Myspace is on the downslope of their popularity curve and it also just does not lend itself very well for businesses, specifically with the target market a real estate company would have.
So: no Myspace. But what will we actually use? The first ones I have decided to set up are Facebook and Twitter. Let's face it. Facebook is HUGE. Everyone is on it now days. Seriously. And, ten million users become fans of facebook Fan Pages everyday. People are out there "fanning" or now as the proper term is "liking" business pages and it's definitely the first place RE/MAX should be set up on. Facebook fan pages give you so many ways to personalize your page and offer so many applications that you can utilize on the page. You can post links, photos, videos, text, discussions, and have your fans post comments and write reviews right on the page. There are also numerous third party applications that you can put on your page for more options, such as a promotions app that lets you run contests, and there are even real estate ones that let you list houses you have for sale.
I will also be setting up a Twitter account for RE/MAX. Now, I have to admit. I used to be a twitter hater. I saw no need to tweet if I could use my facebook page to do the same thing and not be limited to 140 characters! But, after I got this internship I thought it would be wise to start using it personally in preparation for making one for RE/MAX. Boy, am I glad I did. First, it takes a little bit to learn the twitter language and figure out what RT, DM, FF, @, and # all mean!! I set up a personal account (@beccagrafton) and a business account (@dazzledjewelry) and have actually really been having a blast using twitter. I've been able to comment on things Jon Foreman (lead singer of Switchfoot, my favorite band!) has done and gotten my ideas mentioned by him on twitter, and on my business account I have gotten to interact with other Jewelry Makers. I am a twitter hater no more! I researched using twitter with real estate, and have found lists of 100+ ideas of what to tweet about that would be relevant to real estate. Dr. Powell, marketing professor at Grove City College, also suggested that twitter would be a great means to list properties as they come in. That way, if someone is looking for a home in the area they could follow RE/MAX on twitter and find out in real time when a new house gets added to the market. Lots of things to explore with twitter, and it is definitely worth setting up.
Those are the two primary social networks I want to use, but have two more I also want to get involved with: youtube and blogs. These two are not social networks per say but another great way to get connected online. Also, anything you do on both of these sites you can link to on your facebook page or twitter account. Youtube would be a great place to post videos of houses on the market, tips for first time home buyers, etc. And then after these videos are on youtube they can be posted directly onto the facebook business page. Blogging also has endless possibilities. This is where RE/MAX could post information on how to become an agent with the company, current trends in the market, etc.
So: we've got Facebook, Twitter, youtube, and blogs. I think I'll have a busy summer! If time allows I may look into LinkedIn or some of the real estate social networks, but the four listed will be my primary focus.
Is this consistent with what other businesses are using? Seems so. Read this: "Which tools are [business owners] using? Though social media giant Facebook has 400 million users – and recently topped Google in directing web traffic – it's Twitter that topped the list, with 88 percent saying they tweet. Right on its heels was Facebook (87 percent), then LinkedIn (78 percent) and blogs (70 percent.) Those four were far and away the top choices, with the next closest tool – YouTube and other video – coming in at 46 percent. Facebook was in fourth place, with 77 percent using it in the 2009 report.“
The fact of the matter is that 80% of home buyers start their search online, and first time home buyers are young and used to using to social networking. RE/MAX needs to capitalize on these two facts and get moving online, and that's what I'm here to do. :)
Resources I used so you know I'm not making this all up:
•www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/04/how-social-media-helps-small-business.html
•www.techipedia.com/2009/create-facebook-page/
•www.smallbiztrends.com/2010/04dont-ignore-your-blog.html
•www.realtor.org/rmotechnology/Articles/2009/0909_socialnetworking_virtualrealities
•www.realtor.org/rmodaily.nsf/0/dd174fce65ea948f862575b50052a140?OpenDocument
•www.realtor.org/library/library/fg125
•www.realestatemarketingblog.org/social-netowrking-for-real-estate/
•www.ezinearticles.com/?The-New-Facebook-of-Real-Estate&id=923178
