Social networking becomes less complicated when you break it into simple steps. Last week, I presented this concept at NAR to a predominately broker owner audience. As promised, I am sharing an edited version of the presentation right here.
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The four categories, as we see them are:
Social Media Profiles… or more simply put, personal profiles on the various sites such as Facebook, Linkedin, MySpace. Building your profile is the first step.
Text Platforms… blogging, microbloging. The second step is creating a platform to speak from and collaborate. WordPress and TypePad provide blogging platforms. Twitter is great for microblogging.
Visual and Imagery Platforms… add videos and photos to make your message more engaging. You Tube and Flickr bring your networking and your story to life.
Use Listening and Sharing Tools. Listen to what’s going on and spread the word. RSS, Digg are two of many tools that accomplish this.
If you are serious about using social networking as a business tool, some of the same rules of general networking apply. For example, always give more than you receive. And if you make a commitment, be sure to stick to it. Better not jump into this arena if you are only prepared to go halfway.
There are a growing number of examples of social networking being used effectively as a strong business tool. As the next wave of home buyers and sellers engage in the real estate market, smart agents and broker owners will have a strong presence on all of these sites. It is all part of truly being a real estate agent or brokerage of the future.
