Social Media: Joining the Conversation

The newest generation of web applications and companies is shifting the focus of the Internet from commerce to communication. People increasingly connect with one another through social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. In fact, a recent study shows that one out of every five minutes spent online is used on a social networking site. By using these services, you can create and cultivate conversations about your properties which have the potential to reach and influence people you never thought possible. Let’s talk about some of the major avenues you’ll use to accomplish this.

• Facebook: 800 million users globally, 200 million in the U.S. Dominating 95% of social networking time, Facebook is the undisputed king of social networks. In addition to having the most users, the site claims the most active users, with 50 percent of those with accounts accessing Facebook on any given day. Since you’re familiar enough with the web to have found this guide, let’s assume that you already have your own personal Facebook page. You should start by adding past and present clients to your network, thereby making it easier for them to contact you and refer others. Then, your next step should definitely be to create a page for your business so that you can engage them during all the time they spend using the service.

• Twitter: 300 Million users. Twitter is the second largest of the big social networks and it’s growing rapidly. But whereas Facebook has tried to integrate just about every means of social networking into its service, Twitter’s format has remained the same: users interact by sending tweets, 140-character messages, often with links or direct mentions of other users. Twitter’s greatest value is in its immediacy. That is, more than any other social network, activity on Twitter is governed by what’s trending right now when it comes to news, links, photos, etc. Because of this, Twitter gives you the ability to demonstrate that you’re current and plugged into what’s note- and newsworthy. Additionally, Twitter has the potential to provide you with free marketing thanks to retweets and mentions. Produce consistently high-quality content on Twitter, and you’ll find others will start increasing your brand awareness for you.

• Youtube: Over 3 billions views daily. These days, your clients are looking for as much access as they can get to the properties they’re searching before they actually get in their cars and drive there. Creating a Youtube channel for your business will give you a place to post video tours of your listings. The necessary film equipment is becoming increasingly affordable, and while the total cost of producing these videos can get into the thousands, it’s still far cheaper than putting an ad on television. Don’t forget, too, that Youtube has far less content available to browse than an ordinary search engine, making it easier to stand out from the competition.