Social media for Realtors? Do I need to care about this? Absolutely YES!

18 Jan Social media for Realtors? Do I need to care about this? Absolutely YES!

Every Tuesday the CV Escrow blog will be posting Technology Tips designed to help you, the Realtor, grow your business, keep up to date on the latest technologies, and move you forward into the new era of Real Estate.

I’m recently back from the Inman News Real Estate Connect Conference in New York City where I heard Greg Robertson of Dwellicious state “Buying real estate is an inherently social process”.  So true.  Realtors know this.  Social farming has been a foundation of the successful real estate career since the beginning.  But, the day of networking at the PTA is evolving, and the world of technology has introduced a multitude of new social communities where many clients of today, and definitely the client of tomorrow, gather.  Adult social media usage is rapidly growing – from 8% in 2005 to 35% now with more participating every day.  In order to reach these clients, Realtors are well served to participate in social media.  And, there are many options.  My goal is to introduce you to several of them in the hope that you will find the ones that work for you.

Let’s start with a definition of social media.  I define it as this:  Technologies and digital platforms that foster social interaction, relationships, and feedback between people.  Social media is the use of electronic and internet tools for the purpose of sharing and discussing information and experiences with other people.   Here is a great video by Common Craft titled “Social Media In Plain English”:

There are many social media websites but a few lead the pack – current leading social media sites that Realtors should be interested in include Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, ActiveRain and Twitter.  Each will be discussed in more depth in future posts.

The National Association of Realtors has posted a great Field Guide to Social Networking for Realtors.  This is a great place to start learning more.   It covers the benefits of social networking through social media, has a social media basics section, and has a great overview of the leading social media sites that Realtors should be interested in.  Start there.  Ask questions.  Try things out.

You are already participating in social media by reading this post which is part of the CV Escrow Blog.  But social media goes farther than simply reading a blog.  A conversation can occur if you simply type a comment on this post at the bottom of the page.  Interactivity.  This is the basic concept.  And a great place to start.

There will be much more to come in the weeks ahead.  I look forward to the conversation with you!

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