Okay, so lately, everyone and their brother has been telling you how wonderful Facebook is for making meaningful connections within your sphere and attracting potential clients. And even though you’re still trying to adapt technology from the 90′s, you reluctantly relent, and join the ever-growing masses of Facebook friends.
Suddenly, you’re overwhelmed with an avalanche of questions:
- What’s the difference between a personal profile and a facebook page?
- Can everyone and God see my pictures or what I write ?
- Do people really care about what I’m doing? (Status Update)
- Why would I want to ‘Poke’ someone? And if I do, will it hurt?
- Does my profile picture make me look fat?
While I am personally a HUGE fan of Facebook and a firm believer that it can be effectively leveraged to grow and promote your business, I also realize that it can tend to be a bit overwhelming to those who are new to social media/networks.
Enter the beauty of Roost.
Roost is a San Francisco-based technology company that helps local real estate professionals get more business from social media, and in particular, through Facebook. Roost was founded in 2007.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of chatting with Derek Overby, Senior Director of Marketing & Social Media at Roost. I’ve known Derek for a number of years through my involvement with various national events and conferences. He’s a 14-year veteran of the real estate and technology industry, having previously served as Vice President of Marketing for Intero Real Estate.
Derek is passionate about social media/blogging, but also understands how it can be practically applied to everyday business. Additionally, he is also responsible for broker and agent training on the Roost Social Media Toolkit which includes teaching webinars and producing training materials to help users better understand and implement the Roost tools.
According to Derek, Roost currently boasts over 23,000 users of its FREE basic level product.
During the recent NAR Convention in New Orleans, we offered attendees a discounted advance access to our Premium Toolkit (the official launch isn’t until November 23rd). We signed up more than 70 agents right there on the spot during the expo. People kept coming to our booth, listened to the value proposition, and pulled out their credit cards! Since the convention, we’ve had a couple hundred more who have signed up.
The Roost Social Media Toolkit, built for use within Facebook, empowers real estate agents, real estate brokers and other local service professionals who rely on word-of-mouth marketing to approach social media with greater confidence — and better results.
(Double-Click Images for Enlarged Viewing)
It consists of 1) a Real Estate Tab for your Business Page:
This tab allows you to import data from Altos Research, Zillow, Education.com, and WalkScore. You can also upload four (4) of your own listings.
2) A Publishing Feature that allows you to syndicate and time release content to your Page:
3) And access to the Roost Academy, where you can attend FREE webinars, watch informative videos, or find helpful FAQ’s:
The Roost Academy offers FREE instruction on Facebook basics, not just Roost tools.
The Premium Roost product offers a number of value-added enhancements that easily justifies the reasonable monthly subscription fee:
The Roost Social Media Toolkit enables professionals to:
- Establish a professional, brand-enhancing presence on Facebook
- Deliver relevant, engaging data to their connections (and their connections too)
- Expand their sphere of influence & connect with new prospects
- Convert prospects to clients
- Leverage existing clients for online referrals
- Save time, rather than waste it
The Social Media Toolkit makes these processes simple and measurable so users can focus on what works. It is sophisticated enough for social media masters and easy for new users to understand.
For additional information, go to the Roost Website, or follow the Roost Blog HERE!
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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing Relentless Representation and Knowledgeable Empowerment for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SoundBiteBlog, Everyday CK, HomeByHarbors and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail: kitsapagent@gmail.com
