4 Social Networks Agents Shouldn’t Ignore In 2011

I know what you’re thinking. “Oh great, here comes more marketing work my way…thanks Ryan”. Well, I’m sorry to say that I do have more to throw at you, but these tips will be worth your while. As some of you know, my companies approach to marketing is all about building relationships online, and social networking is the key to it all! The best part is you don’t have to leave the house (but it does help).

These four social networks I’ve personally been getting a good ROI with both for my business, and for my clients. A lot of your efforts may not lead to a home sale, but they sure can lead to a link or a strategic business partnership that was definitely worth the effort. Besides the social networking aspect, there is of course room to score some links and traffic out of it as well! I hope you enjoy the tips and I spared you all a bunch of rambling this time because  this post will be shorter than most.

LinkedIN.com

I’ll talk about the most obvious social network for business first, but there’s a lot more to LinkedIN that your profile. While I sometimes hate statistics, it seems like nearly most of all our real estate clients barely put any effort into this B2B social network. Having a LinkedIN profile is a great way to further extend your brand, provide references and act as a resume of sorts. The gold mine that I see huge potential in is are the groups, and there are plenty of local and global ones you should most likely be involved with. By involved, I mean actually participating because you don’t want to come off as unprofessional.

How does LinkedIn group participation actually benefit me business wise? Well it lets you certainly target certain demographics, but most importantly you can really build yourself up as a brand. If you start to do this properly, you can open up all sorts of connections to obtain links, social media shares and other business opportunities that normally wouldn’t present themselves.

If you see a local of local groups you’d like to network in then you’re off to an even better start. Being a group moderator has its benefits, and while it takes a bit to get going it will be worth your time. Being a moderator also allows you to easily more connect with users, and having a big(targeted) referral network is what it’s all about.

http://www.linkedin.com

ReferralKey.com

While you may be thinking, isn’t this just LinkedIn? Well sort of….but not quite! This is a small business social network that has been blowing up quite a bit lately and it is on my must use list at the moment. While LinkedIN is for networking globally, this is great for getting referrals from trusted contacts only. I’ve been personally using it in the local arena and I’ve been really impressed with what I’m seeing! Check this out;

http://www.referralkey.com

Quora.com

I’m sure some of you have noticed Quora within your search results lately, and their is a good reason for that. Two former Facebook employee’s are backing this venture and it is steaming its way to the top of the web. While I didn’t think we needed yet another Q/A social network out there, I was quite wrong. This one is more focused on no spam, high quality and answered by professionals in the industry(well that’s the goal). I’ve been using it quite a bit lately, and I think real estate agents should as well. I foresee this website becoming an extended arm of your professional presence online, and if you don’t your competitors will take advantage.

Answering questions doesn’t take a whole lot of time, and you can do this over your morning coffee, or on the porcelain office chair via  your mobile phone…whatever, I won’t judge!

http://quora.com

Meetup.com

I saved what I think is the best for last. Raise your hand if you’ve been to a Meetup.com event…..ok so I’ll guess at least one of you has their hand up. This social network is free to sign up and attend, and for real estate agents it can be a “pretty big deal”. While attending events is great to spread your business card around and schmooze it up, creating an event is where the magic happens.

If you do decide to start an event, then it will cost you around $25 USD per month which I know seems annoying at first, but run three meetings and see how you feel afterwards. As a real estate agent you’re going to have to pick your group topic in a smart way, something that will eventually make you money of course. We’ve ended up helping nearly a dozen of our real estate clients start groups already in 2011, and all of them are still doing at least one or two a month!

So, what kind of group do you need to target? That totally depends on your area and market, but here are some of the things we’ve recommended and have received many thanks for them. You’re the agent though, so these should just get your juices flowing and expand on our ideas to lock down something awesome within your local market.

- First Time Home Buyer Meetup Group
- Real Estate Investing Meetup
- Group For People Relocating To Your Area

http://www.meetup.com

Go To It!

I hope this helps you folks bring in more clients this year! Make sure to manage your time properly and focus on the sites that start working for you rather than plug away endlessly on the duds. Each local market is different so there is no telling what to expect, although my money is on Meetup.com working really well for everyone no matter where they are. If you’re in need of some help, then check out our real estate social media services over at Linkbuildr.