A recent FaceBook group debated the future of professional networking in real estate. Is FaceBook the future of professional networking? Is it LinkedIn? Or ActiveRain?
How do you use ActiveRain, FaceBook and LinkedIn to build your professional network, establish a reputation and trust, and generate referrals?
What is ActiveRain good for vs. FaceBook or LinkedIn?
Enquiring minds want to know!
Photo from pjf@cpan, Flickr
There is no best of the bunch ..... each person works in their own unique way and in their own unique market so what works for me here in small town Ontario would not necessarily be the same for some one working in big city Ontario or any where else for that matter
Richard # 20 said it all.. at least IMHO
ALL sites have a purpose and should be part of our Personal Web of Attraction. The bigger the Web the better. We simply need to define each site's purpose, build the site to do what it's intended to do, include links to Preferred Sites while routinely feeding each site with fresh content.
I was about to say what Joan said Richard comment #20 pretty much summed it up. All four of them are so big and popular it is just hard keeping up with them. Heck it is hard just keeping up with Active Rain alone.
We concur I guess with just about everybody here. They are all different animals with different benefits. All good and all must be balanced to be useful to each and every person in different ways... hmmm was that too middle of the road.? You gotta find a balance and work it.... Believe us they will come if you work the individual sites regualarly.. Just our two cents....
Apples and oranges and bananas. Wherever you interact with people is where networking accurs. Everyone is different and different platforms will have different advantages. I can't blog on LinkedIn, for example.
I use AR so people I don't know can find me. I use FB so people I do know can find me. Linked In I really don't "get". My husband works Linked In and ignores FB but he lives in a different corporate world than I.
Why not use all 3 or 4 or 5? We post to ActiveRain, feed that post to various Facebook Pages, Twitter, LinkedIn all at once or to the pertinent Facebook Pages depending on the content of the post.
Facebook "basic" is certainly my own personal connection to friends, family, even some past clients. But Facebook offers the option of a BUSINESS page that puts your Facebook exposure on a totally different plane of existence. So Facebook can offer us two avenues of expression and reward, not just one.
And LinkedIn can also serve as a lead generation tool, because clients can post recommendations on your LinkedIn page that are read by potential NEW clients. So again, don't discount LinkedIn.
I use them all and have had success via closed transactions from them. I was never a believer of putting all my eggs in one basket but do try and direct everything I do back to my own blog (non AR) when ever possible.
I agree with everyone, but do find that my future clients do come from bl;ogging on AR. So that is where I work the most.
Most of my stuff is on AR, but I try to incorporate all of them and link them together.
I've never used Facebook for professional networking. I use LinkedIn and AR all the time. They both make a lot sense to me.
I read a lot of the comments & agree with most of what has already been said, so no need to say it again. Everything has a time & purpose.
I would go where you find the most benefit, though we think we need to attract the world, bottom line is you service one small part of the globe. I say concentrate there first, then you can expand to the outer parts of the galaxy. The key words should be Focus and Niche...
I have the other two, but not sure how well they are working for me. Don't use them that well. Active Rain is about business and about real estate. It is doing the job for me.
I believe Facebook will be mostly social networking and Active Rain professional networking.
I visit LinkedIn and Facebook, but I spend most of my efforts here on ActiveRain. I have made better connections and have gotten a lot of referrals from my efforts on here
Thanks to everyone who commented on this post! We have been using each of these social networking techniques to market ourselves and its great to know the difference and how theyve helped everyone in different ways.
AR is a great place to 'meet' other agents and real estate related professions. I have recieved and given referrals through this venue and will continue to do so. Blogs posted here get great search engine placement so that another definite plus.
I use facebook to keep in touch with people. It's actually a very good way to keep up with past clients. It allows me to see what is going on in their lives and have things to talk about with them when I make my regular contacts. It's also a way to find out about potential clients that show up as Internet leads. Ifyou can find them on Facebook you may be albe to learn something about them. They are also more likely to respond to an email message THROUGH facebook than one directly from your business email address.
I've yet to get any business or real use out of Linked-In, but I'm there and I do belong to and participate in some of the groups.
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