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Social Media and SEO - 3 Tips To Help You Get Started

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Howard Hanna Real Estate

As we begin new chapters in our lives, there is a need to grow and develop as people and professionals.  In my new career, I am the Director of Digital Marketing for Howard Hanna Real Estate Services.  As the fourth largest real estate company in the United States and #1 and PA and OH, I am very excited about the opportunity and challenges that lay ahead.

I consider myself an expert and student of social media, SEO and all things digital marketing.  As these elements are constantly evolving and changing at an incredible rate,as evident by the recent Google and Panda updates, I maintain everyone is a student of social media.  We constantly are working to learn about all of these the changes and how best to use them in our various professions.  When looking at all the social media information, blogs and so called "experts" in the field, how do you differentiate between the posers and the true knowledgeable people in the industry if you are somewhat new to social media?​

Take everything you read about social media with a grain of salt.  Even the information that I am posting you should question.  Don't look for one specific expert in the field, but instead look for trends and information that is repeated in multiple areas.  Any information that is worth while will be rehashed and reused many times due to the nature of the internet.  Find common themes that resonate with you and you can practically use to help sell and promote homes.

​Personal vs business social media experts.  Understand the difference between the two.  I read information from experts who do an excellent job posting information for personal social media use.  THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS POSTING FOR A BUSINESS.  The strategy, content and overall goals are completely different.  Don't confuse them.  Know the difference between posting for yourself or for a property. Know the differences in your target audience and who you want to read what you are posting.

Social is only part of it.  Some may disagree, but the people who best use social media are those with more than a social media background only.  Understanding the value of social media and the role/place it has within a business workplace is essential for success in today's work environment.  Those who only have a social media background tend to incorrectly identify the role of social media in the overall marketing strategy.  Posting a listing on a blog or social media site only works if you know how to do the other things right.

I will explore and delve into all areas of social media and digital marketing more indepth moving ahead, but wanted to get the first blog in the books.  Thanks for reading  and feedback is encouraged.

Follow me on Twitter @adamjbauer

Comments(6)

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Malcolm Johnston
Century 21 Lanthorn Real Estate LTD., Trenton, Ontario - Trenton, ON
Trenton Real Estate

Good luck with your new career Adam, it is a very difficult field to stay on top of, change happens at an astonishing rate.

Aug 16, 2012 03:52 AM
Todd Clark - Retired
eXp Realty LLC - Tigard, OR
Principle Broker Oregon

Welcome to Activerain and I hope you are learning a lot and if you ever need any assistance, don't hesitate to check out my blog, email me, call me, I will be glad to help you in any way possible. Also, check out the main page of Activerain and look for the Activerain University tab, there are lots of educational webinars to help you build your business.

Aug 16, 2012 05:33 AM
Adam Bauer
Howard Hanna Real Estate - Pittsburgh, PA

@Malcolm thanks!  I definitely agree that the landscape of social media and digital marketing is changing daily.  The best you can do is stay on top of the major players (like Facebook, Linkedin, etc) and make the most out of those opportunities.

@Todd, glad to be here.  Real Estate is fairly new to me, but I have found it has many similarities to other industries.  I hope to learn from all of you and also provide you all information from a marketing perspective.

Aug 16, 2012 07:12 AM
Karen Anne Stone
New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Real Estate

Adam:  I see this is your first post on Active Rain... so... Welcome to Active Rain.  This is a great place to meet folks, to learn, to share, to build relationships... both personal and business, and... if you can get to where you are blogging on a consistent basis... Active Rain can really help you grow your sphere of influence... and your business.

I suggest you write blog posts as often as you can, but also... remember to not neglect commenting on other Rainer's posts.  That is a great way to get the ol' "Reciprocity" ball rolling.

One more thing.  I see you are with Howard Hanna.  Active Rain encourages you to include each of your posts in the maximum of five of the Active Rain groups.  Since you are with Howard Hanna, I might suggest that you select some "area" groups that cover market areas that Howard Hanna serves... and include your posts in those groups, as well.

Here is a tutorial I wrote that might help you.  I Get Lots of Comments on My Posts. Here is my Ultra-Sneaky, Top-Secret Secret.  Ok, I know the title is long, but it really got the job done... LOL.

Aug 23, 2012 10:54 AM
Adam Bauer
Howard Hanna Real Estate - Pittsburgh, PA

Good ideas Karen.  Howard Hanna is extremely large but we are concentrated (essentially overwhelmingly in Oh and PA), so I will definitely look to target these areas moving forward.   I appreciate the tips.  I always comment back as much as I can and will stay engaged.  If someone takes the time to read my blog and comment, the least I can do is comment back right?

Aug 23, 2012 11:05 AM
Karen Anne Stone
New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Real Estate

Adam:  I don't know if you are familiar with what is now Howard Hanna in the Northeastern Ohio area surrounding Cleveland, but I was with Smythe,Cramer in their Mentor office for seven years before I was dragged against my will down to Fort Worth, Texas. 

There are some great people at Smythe,Cramer/Howard Hanna... and even though many of them are "Realtor types"... LOL... I actually miss some of them quite a bit.

Aug 23, 2012 11:10 AM