Social Media for Realtors

Its no news that realtors are looking for innovative ways to generate leads these days.  What is different is how they’re able to efficiently leverage technology to achieve their goals and set themselves apart from the competition.  As we’ve discussed in the past, merely having a website is hardly enough to make a difference.  Furthermore, most realtor websites are merely sub-accounts on their parent-organization’s main site.  From a SEO (search engine optimization) perspective, this is troubling in that the individual agents aren’t fully in control of their own site content and are therefore unable to effectively  leverage SEO best-practices.  In most cases, establishing a web presence outside of the parent organization is crucial to distinguish yourself from the pack.

While plenty of SEO and social media experts will tell you that you need a blog to attract search engines to your content, the reality is that most people do not have the time nor the resources to properly maintain a quality blog that would attract search engine attention.  Luckily, there is a simpler solution.  Micro-blogging websites such a Twitter are ideal places for realtors to talk about their listings and easily publish links to photos and MLS information.  This capability is further extended through the use of mobile devices that can post content on the fly to Twitter (especially with plugin apps for the iPhone, Blackberry and other PDA’s).  Once you combine this with the fact that Twitter is FREE and can be automatically linked with a Facebook account, the amount of reach to potential clients expands dramatically.

Another effective, albeit expensive, option is PPC or pay-per-click advertising.  Sure Google AdWords can be very effective.  The issue comes down to advertising budget.  Especially in saturated markets such as the north east, the cost of entry can be prohibitive for individuals.  In cases such as these, it may be more effective to pool money in a co-op or through the parent organization as opposed to individually created advertising campaigns.