There are a stack of social media marketing tools available for real estate agents. Here are the ones you’ll need to get started.
Your own domain name
No doubt about it, you can start a blog without registering your own domain name. So long as you’re happy with www.[yourblogname].blogspot.com then go for it. But if you plan to make this a long term project then your own domain is the way to go. If at all possible register your name as the domain name, and if that’s not available try something that’s synonymous with your specialty. For example, if you operate in Attadale consider www.theattadalespecialist.com.au.
Blogging software
Blogging software is convenient, cheap and easy-to-use content management for your website. It allows you to create and publish content in (usually) reverse chronological order. A blog is the spine of any social media marketing effort. It’s the content creation factory that fuels all the other parts of the social media engine. There are a lot of options, but the big ones are WordPress and Blogger.
Facebook profile
Real estate agency and Facebook are like peas in a pod. They’re just the perfect fit. Real estate is all about relationships and so is Facebook. What Facebook brings to an agent is the opportunity to connect in ways that just weren’t possible ten years ago. If you haven’t started, stop reading and set up your profile. Right now! To help out here’s The 10 Essentials of a great Facebook profile.
Facebook business page
If you’re the agency principal this is a must-do. Pages provide businesses with a branding opportunity inside the Facebook ecosystem. Unlike a personal profile a page can be administered by an anonymous person. Dell does this. The Real Estate Marketing Maven’s page is updated regularly.
Twitter is the number one tool for social media marketers. It might drive you nuts but it will reshape your thinking about marketing like nothing else. So jump in and register your name as the user name. There’s only one @peterfletcher ever allowed on Twitter. The same goes for your name. If you’re unsure how to get started read Twitter for Beginners – 5 Things to Do as a New Twitter User.
An RSS feed reader
Social media marketing professionals are constantly listening to what’s being said about their agency, their area and their market. But rather than searching the Internet all day let Google do the hard work. Set up a Google alert – or two or ten – and subscribe to them using an RSS feed reader, such as Google Reader.
A web analytics package
Once you get started you’ll want to know where your website visitors are coming from, the pages they’re visiting and the time they’re spending on your site. Knowing these numbers will help focus your content, sharpen your linking skills and get you thinking about smart site navigation. Google Analytics is the most popular (it’s free) but there are lots of other analytics packages available.
These are simple, basic tools that will serve you well for a long time. Leave a comment if you want to know more.
Photo credit: geishaboy500
