Written by: Frances Flynn Thorsen, SRS, e-PRO

Ten years ago, when agents told sellers, “Your listings are on the Internet,” most agents referred to the multiple listing service and their Web sites for proof of their claim. … and that was enough in 2000. It’ not enough any longer.

Real estate sellers are smarter now. They want more.

Now, a real estate agent displays a listing syndication map illustrating dozens of destinations where the seller’s property is displayed and a social business card containing all her listings and links to her profiles on the social Web. (Shown below, Nashville agent Laurie Sheinkopf)

“Your listings are everywhere, and I’m there, too, exposing your property to real estate buyers in every corner of the Web,” says today’s smart agent. Real estate consumers are catching on to a new breed of real estate agent, an agent who is truly a caretaker for her property listings, who has a measureable presence in social media. The agent engages consumers where they play and where they are looking for homes.

This new breed agent knows that search engine spiders are increasingly seduced by social engagement. The agent knows how to leverage multi-media platforms and geo tagging, real estate search giants, and blogs.

Until now, keeping it all straight has been cumbersome.

Enter Follr.com from Social Gears, LLC. Agents can list all their social profiles, with links, giving consumers easy access to their online world, contact information, and listings. A free version of the card lets a user share six social sites, full contact and profile information (including a video embed), activity streams and custom links.

A paid version of Follr ups the ante to 100 social sites and increased personalization, SEO control, and traffic analytics.

My Follr card (shown at bottom) has 35 social sites (Disclosure: I am a beta tester for Follr.com. I am a wildly enthusiastic beta tester.)

Brokers Manage Big Social Picture

A brokerage based social business card is the secret ingredient for brokers wanting to blend risk and reward with more emphasis on the reward side of the equation.

A Follr brokerage account includes social business cards for all the agents in the firm. Every agent has a personal card to showcase her social media presence.

A broker’s Follr dashboard is the single most important technological advance in years aiding brokers’ recruiting and retention campaigns, and supporting risk management initiatives.

A broker can see at a glance where agents are engaging, blogging, and claiming their listings.

How many brokers today have a spreadsheet or any other list of every social site where every agent engages? Imagine a social media device that makes it easy to check agents’ latest blog feeds, chime in with comments and kudos, share their links in-house and with the public, and join their conversations with area agents who appear on their recruiting prospect list. A quick glance at an agent’s profiles at Trulia and Zillow may catch unclaimed listings where leads are escaping to other agents in town. Live engagement feeds and occasional monitoring may offer a heads up when intervention is necessary to safeguard a company’s legal posture.

If I was a broker, I would be the first in my market area with a Follr social business card in the online billfold of every agent in my office.
Here’s my card, check it out!