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Social Networking - A Whole New Market!

By
Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Cinco Ranch

If you happened to be one of the 106 million people who tuned into Super Bowl 44 this past Sunday, you might have noticed a bit of a difference in the commercial ads you saw between plays. Some of the usual giants, such as Pepsi, scaled back this year on their Super Bowl media campaigns, chosing to focus instead on a two-way social media campaign, promoting it's Pepsi Refresh initiative.

Now, if you are like most Americans that live in houses, instead of under rocks, you would have noticed that these social network sites have been flooding into the lives of ordinary hard working Americans all across the country. I myself have taken to the internet in hopes of keeping up with the times, and my clients. I have profiles on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, LinkedIn and yes, ActiveRain. Add me! (I'll post links at the end).  

My hopes are to open myself up to an entire new class of prospective buyers and sellers, I may not have had access to without the help of these networking tools. I'm new to this, so bare with me. I will attempt to keep you updated with what I have going on, and to keep you posted on the real estate news of the day.  

I'm taking a page out of Katie Lance's book. She says these Super Bowl marketing strategies apply to Realtors in 3 ways:

1. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a lot of buzz. In the past if you wanted to brand yourself you'd spend a lot of money on glossy magazines, park benches, and even worse -- grocery carts. These days all you need is time and a plan. Within minutes you can create a Facebook page, a Twitter account and a LinkedIn account.

With that you are armed to build your brand. You know those agents who put together detailed spreadsheets and calendars outlining their farming or sphere-of-influence strategy? That's the type of detail I'm talking about. To create a lot of buzz you have to get serious about your social media plan.

2. Get creative. I love that some of the Super Bowl ads are getting super-creative with social media -- like Monster.com's campaign. Having a two-way dialogue is key -- asking for opinions, launching a contest, or creating a fundraiser. How can you rally your fans and start the dialog? If you are on Twitter, create your own unique hashtag -- for the first time the Super Bowl had its own official hashtag: #SB44. What could yours be? How about #SoCalRE or #CARealEstate? Make sure you save that hashtag in your search. Respond to everyone who uses that hashtag twice a day -- pretty soon the conversation will be rolling!

3. Pick a few things and do them really, really well. With so many social media options, a lot of real estate professionals get overwhelmed. If you're going to do Facebook or Twitter -- be a rock star at them. Post multiple times daily, post great content, be engaging -- and treat it as seriously as if you were paying thousands of dollars for it!

So take a moment to add me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter. Together we can grow our network successfully!

Twitter: @RickMartinezTX

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KatyTexasRealtor

LinkedIn: Rick Martinez Realtor at RE/MAX Cinco Ranch

Katie's article can be found here: http://www.inman.com/news/2010/02/8/3-super-bowl-marketing-tips-realtors

 

 

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