WHAT IS SOCIAL NETWORKING - I'm sure you've heard that people buy from people they know, like, and trust. Social networking is all about giving people a chance to get to know you and like you so they will want to find out more about you and what you do. Social networking sites allow you to connect with millions of people who would have never known you otherwise.

What's the first thing most people ask when they meet you? "What do you do?", right? People are naturally curious about what other people do. Your answer starts their wheels churning as they begin to make assumptions about you. With Social Networking sites, you can control what you want them to know about you and your business by leaving breadcrumbs (links) on your profile page to where you want them to go from there.

They will begin to trust you in several ways. One is by seeing that someone else they trust has done business with you or is connected to you in a business manner. This is why people have portfolios and testimonials on their sites. Another way people get to trust that you are a good person to do business with is by reading what you write or seeing what you connect to and what your interests are.

I know what you are thinking - you only service a small area, why do you need to connect to millions of people. My answer is, you don't. You can choose to only accept connections to people who fit your ideal client profile, or are only from a certain area, or you can connect to everyone. It's totally up to you.

WHY SOCIAL NETWORK - Think of the world wide web as a giant popularity contest. Sort of like high school, but less drama, lol. In high school people made assumptions about you based on who you hung out with. Online, people are the same. You want to find the groups of people that are similar to who you want to be known as. (Birds of a feather... well, you know.) Once you are in the group and you begin to show your expertise, you will find people coming to you who want to learn about your market. You will then be the expert who helps them. You can choose almost any angle to connect with them.

Sounds a lot like blogging here on Active Rain, doesn't it? Although AR is a blogging site, it's also social. People make relationships here which often turns into business deals. See? You've been social networking and didn't even know it!

WHERE ELSE SHOULD YOU NETWORK - There are several places online to set up profiles. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Ryze, and many more. One is not better than the other. Just choose the ones that you want to be associated with. Remember, you are controlling what you want people to know about you.

HOW SHOULD YOU NETWORK - After you choose which sites you want to be on, set up your profile. Make sure your profile is linked to your website and blog so people can click to find out more about you. Each social networking site does things a little differently. Facebook and LinkedIn are similar in that you set your profile, then you get "connections". LinkedIn is sort of like an online resume. The more information you add about your past, the more people will connect with you. Each of these connections is a potential customer. You need to go in regularly and either add people to your connection or approve their requests to connect. Each of those sites have groups you can join, too, that will help with your exposure.

Twitter is a little different as you are talking to people directly. It doesn't depend on static connections. You can use Twitter to announce things such as a new listing or a price change or something you want people to know. That's not an actual conversation, but it's ok to do it that way. Twitter should be updated at least weekly to keep your info fresh. You are only allowed a few characters so it's not like a blog where you can write an article if you wanted to. As you get into social networking, you may find more social sites that are real estate specific.

On these places you want to cite your credentials to show your competence and show any testimonials you have. You want to show you have good character, that you are someone people want to do business with. And third you need to show your personality so people will want to connect to you. Showing personality online is hard.

You also want each one of these places listed in your blogroll here on Active Rain, and also on your website, so people who found you in a different way can click to your social networking places. The more places you can be found online, the more credible you become.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU NETWORK - Social networking can suck the day out from under you if you let it. Anyone who's said they were addicted to Active Rain knows what I am talking about. On the other hand, you can spend an hour per week just touching on your social networking sites, updating posts, and making connections, and still have good results.