Social Media for Real Estate - Where Do I Start?

We have been told that social media is where it's at for online marketing of our business and as an instructor for Florida Luxury Realty I have taught my fare share of social media classes and one thing I see from the attendees is a need to know where to start. I thought I would take a few minutes to give a little advice on how to get started with your social media marketing plan.  Before you run out and start creating "business pages" off of your already existing social media sites, STOP and think about the email address that was used to create your profile. Many social media sites allow users to search for people based on their email address. If you are not using your business email address currently you may want to create a new account with your professional email. Keep the other for close friends and family. I have 2 separate accounts for Google+, FaceBook & Twitter each has a professional and a personal account. This way I don't have to edit my content and my email log in on the personal accounts is my personal one that I do not give out to anyone. Gmail accounts are free so why not have more than one? 

Engagement is a big part of your social media marketing plan. You want to engage the audience with useful information, local events, real estate news and follow local businesses in your area.  This will allow you to interact with businesses who have a large following already and you can attract new followers if you interact. Try to avoid posting too much about your own business as that may get boring for the audience. Share what others are saying that you agree with and Avoid Political and Religious Debates at All Cost. These are No-Win scenarios and not worth your time. 

Content is Key! I have a few rules I follow and they may work for you also. I don't post anything negative about my city. Being informed is one thing but is sharing bad news or negativity about the area you earn your living in smart?  Scroll On By. Post and Share things that have to dow with homes, home ownership, the community etc.. The posts that get the most attention include: Animals. Recipes. DIY Tips. Money Tips. Local events. Ask yourself before you post...Is it positive? Is it useful? Is it appropriate? Don't forget you are using this as a means to promote your business. What you wouldn't say in the company of customers or clients should not be shared on the world wide web. 

Blog. Blogging is a highly effective way to earn Search Engine Optimization so you are featured on the search results page. The first page. If you have to go page 11 of the results to see your content you may want to work on it a little more. Im not going to get into the anatomy of a blog or the way they work here. You can google "Real Estate Blogs" and read for yourself. Blogging will also allow you to create your own content and show off your  real estate expertise and local neighborhood knowledge. You can get a Free blog with Blogger (what your reading now) or Wordpress and you are off and running. Well, typing actually but you get my point. 

I know your thinking "Ok, so where do I start?" Start with Google Plus and Facebook. Create professional accounts on both and begin sharing good content that engages people and converts them to followers. Here's a tip: don't just circle or friend everyone in your office. Reach out to the community and other real estate pros across the country. Why? Referrals. Referrals are good and you should want referrals. Start your G+ and FB accounts off on the right foot. Professional photo, professional header that maybe is a photo of your area. Keep your personal and business accounts separate but it may behoove you to have your FB "business page" created off of a fairly professional personal page. "Personal Page" meaning a human being. :) The waters get muddy when you go from one page to the next and I have found I get more engagement from my Google Plus and Twitter than my FaceBook but it is needed to stay in front of your people who may prefer FB over the other social media sites.  Linked In is also great place to market yourself. It works pretty much like FB but in a more business like platform. 

Now that you are probably shaking your head and ready to give up here is the one thing you need to get started. Pick a site and create a profile. Use it daily for about 15-20 minutes and incorporate social media into your marketing plan. It will grow, and you will with it. Then you can start adding more sites to your social media platform. To be perfectly honest, if you are not making 100 phone calls a day as part of your lead generation plan and closing 4-6 homes a month...You Have Plenty of Time to Do This. 

Happy Socializing!!

Join Me on Social Media

http://facebook.com/MikeGalloFLR

http://plus.google.com/+MikeGallogulfhomesales

http://twitter.com/mikegallo22

Content Marketing with Blogging July 29, 2014 at Hernando Board of Realtors

Teaching is one of the most enjoyable aspects of my real

estate career.  Being the West Pasco Board of Realtors Education Committee Chairperson for 2014 and being an instructor at Florida Luxury Realty I consider myself lucky to be able to share valuable information with other real estate professionals.

Content Marketing and Blogging is a huge part of my business marketing and lead generation plan.  One of my favorite subjects to teach is Content Marketing through Blogging.  Strong SEO is very important to my business and I know it is important to everyone who owns a real estate business.  I am very happy to have been asked to teach my second class at the Hernando Board of Realtors this July. We will be discussing what content marketing is and how we can use blogs to leverage our content marketing to gain stronger SEO and have a better business presence online.

Join me at the Hernando Board of Realtors on July 29, 2014

from 9am to 11am and learn how easy it is to use a simple blog site like Blogger to gain more search engine optimization (SEO) and ultimately gain more business.