Source: Stefan Swanepoel
Now that the 2009 Swanepoel TRENDS Report has hit newsstands, and social media and online networking again claims one of the top 3 slots for the second year in a row, many agents are moving in increasing numbers into social networking. During almost all of my talks this year, I am constantly asked which ones are the best, which ones do you recommend I use and where do I start?
I will try to provide a list the most suitable and most valuable social media and online networks that agents should consider using to build a legitimate online presence and marketing channel. Here the Top 10 Social Media & Online Networks that Realtors® should consider getting involved with:
One of the largest social media websites; period. They have a total of about 175 million users and many real estate professionals are already on Facebook. This site is a great way to start and grow your online presence. To get started go to www.facebook.com. Click here so we can connect by becoming friends at www.facebook.com.
The leader in mircoblogging, which requires all posts to be 140 characters or less. The system teaches brevity and is a great way to communicate quickly via send short messages. The exact number of users unknown but is estimated to be around 6 million. To get started go to www.twitter.com And to follow me go to www.twitter.com/swanepoel and hit follow.
ActiveRain
Launched in 2006 ActiveRain has emerged as the largest social media site in the real estate industry. It was specifically created for real estate professionals with almost 140,000 members. The site was originally free but a fee structure was recently announced so check their website for latest info at www.activerain.com. You can join the Trends group at http://activerain.com/groups/realestatetrends
YouTube
YouTube is a video sharing web site that was created in 2005. In January of this year YouTube surpassed 100 million video viewers, making it 60% larger than rivals MySpace and Yahoo. It you have Video material of you, your company, your listings or the neighborhood, this is an ideal channel to promote it. Visit www.youtube.com to get started.
RealEstateWiki
Similar to the general online encyclopedia giant Wikipedia, real estate now has its own free online real estate encyclopedia in Real Estate Wiki. The site has over 30,000 pages of real estate definitions, acronyms, FAQs, details on all communities, MLSs, Realtor® Associations, etc. Visit www.realestatewiki.com to also add your personal and company profile including contact details and back links.
The site emerged in 2003 as the network for business professionals to use to build online networks with large numbers of contacts from different industries. Over time it has basically become a network of networks. LinkedIn currently has more than 35 million registered users spanning 170 industries. To get your profile up go to www.linkedin.com and to view and example of my profile see www.linkedin.com/in/swanepoel
RealTown
RealTown is a long time listserv and bulletin board that has now become a social media website for real estate professionals. The site now boasts a membership of over 120,000. To participate in this network go to www.realtown.com. I can be found at www.realtown.com/members/Swanepoel
Inman Community
As a leading online news provider Inman also offers a diverse array of other online activities such as blogging, wiki, video and of course a social network. Inman Online Community can be found at www.inman.com/community and the Trends group can be found at www.Inman.com/Community/groups/Real-Estate-Trends
BrokerAgentSocial
Unquestionably BrokerAgentSocial is the newcomer on the block. As part of Broker Agent Pro it joined the social media fray near the end of 2008. However, it is still small with only some 10,000 members. It is currently focusing only on quality articles and posts. To join visit www.brokeragentsocial.com and then join the Trends group at www.brokeragentsocial.com/-trends
Plaxo
Plaxo is very similar to our Outlook address book; a Contact Management Service that is basically an online address book social network. It was started in 2002 and, according to their latest announcements, they have over 20 million users. To start with Plaxo visit www.plaxo.com.
Now these are not the only social media online networks – there are many more such as MySpace, Hulu, Squidoo, Ning, Slashdot, Newsvine, Spurl, etc. There are of course also numerous excellent online real estate news sites that have varying levels of social media elements as part of their service such as Inman (www.inman.com), RIS (www.rismedia.com), Realty Times (www.realtytimes.com), REALTOR Magazine (www.realtor.org), NewsGenius (www.newsgeni.us) and NRN (www.nationalrealtynews.com) to name but a few.
Building an online presence takes times, requires writing a lot of quality content and on a regular basis. So start slow by opening only a few accounts, determine the time you can effectively allocate to this new medium of marketing. Pace yourself and gradually build a strong, viable and viral friend and client base online. Good luck.
About the Author:
The Swanepoel TRENDS Report is published by RealSure and can be purchased online at www.RealEstateBooks.org. Thirteen time author Stefan Swanepoel has repeatedly proven his ability to provide a balanced and objective evaluation of the real estate industry and this 170-page 2008 Report is his best yet. Stefan regularly blogs at RealBlogging or you can follow him on Twitter or Facebook.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Thanks so much for sharing this information with us. Great article.
I am on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube already, but I will try some of the social media sites you mentioned here. I know it require time and effort if you want to be visible on those sites.
I am also on XING, I find it is a good place to be. I thought you can check it out if you like.
Thanks and best regards,
Susie
http://www.twitter.com/susiecheng