Can Social Media Really Sell Real Estate

Can Social Media Really Sell Real Estate Can Social Media Really Sell Real Estate? We talk to real estate agents, brokers and firms every day. We hear the stories. We know the secrets. Some agents are doing pretty well using word-of-mouth, yard signs and phone calls. Others agents are doing extraordinarily well. Theyre kicking it up a big notch. And theyre doing it even in soft markets, in places where inventories are huge and in cities where the economic recovery hasnt kept pace with the rest of the country. The agents who generate the most business leads and who get the best ROI for their investment of time and money are using … Wait for it … Social media. Waitâ€"Dont leave! Youve heard it all before. Maybe youve wasted time building a website or a blog, only to find it took time away from your tried-and-true sales techniques. But you have to remember that these are tools that have to be used the right way. Signing up for a Facebook account or starting a blog doesnt mean youre done and you can forget about it. It doesnt work that way. As with all tools, you have to figure out the best way to use them to meet your sales and marketing goals. We here at agentcampus.com talk about using social media to market real estate all the time. But too many agents (especially the ones who got their start in the 90s, 80s or before) refuse to change the way they market. Why? Its an investment of time and money that reaps huge rewards when you do it right. A recent Forbes article about using social media to increase sales says: 78.6 percent of salespeople who use social media out-sell those who dont 50 percent of salespeople using social media spend less than 10 percent of their time on these efforts These figures show you two things: Social marketing works Social marketing doesnt have to take up all of your time The Forbes article lists the following social outlets as the most important for anyone in sales: LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Blogs Google+ I would certainly add Pinterest, YouTube, Reddit, Flickr and Instagram to the list. Thats a lot of accounts to maintain, isnt it? Suck it up. Think of each of these outlets as a cocktail party. Some of these parties are snooty and professional; others are extremely laid-back. Find a way to show up to all of them, charm everyone, and hand out a ton of business cards. Some cocktail parties are more important than others. Only you can determine which ones matter to you. If your target market is first-time home-buyers with families, Facebook is probably where you want to focus your outreach. If your sales are geared more toward commercial real estate, LinkedIn might be a better way to implement a business-to-business sales model. Twitter is great for quick tips to reach people new to your area. Your personal blog is good for longer pieces that profile local restaurants and events. Remember, youre building your reputation as an expert in your market. Where are your customers? Answer that question, then go there. When you get there, join the conversation. Youll need to create your personal account and get to know the habits of the community. Dont misrepresent yourself, but create a persona. Establish authority and likability. Dont talk about your business at all for a while. And even then don’t talk about it often. Building trust means not trying too hard to sell them anything. The relationship will generate the leads in due time. Use Twitters search function to find keywords. Just search something like looking for a house or need to rent office space. Be sure to add your citys name or youll get results from all over the English-speaking world. When you find someone who you might be able to market to er, I mean help Be sure to Tweet back. Just to repeat myself, when you reach out to someone directly like this, do not just give them a pitch and a link to your website. Address their problem directly, offer solutions, and find a way to mention that your services might help. You’ll find a conversation takes more time, but is a lot more likely to win the sale than a rehearsed sales spiel.