What Does Social Media Marketing Have to Do With Real Estate? Social Media has been in existence for most of us for less than a decade. Remember 2004? That was pre-Facebook. Pre-Twitter. Infancy of LinkedIn. In a few years, social media sites have attracted so many users that they rival large nations. It didn't take long for marketers to jump on board. Social Media Marketing is the buzzword for all types of businesses today, including real estate. Wherever you find a collection of human beings...marketers will be there too. social media marketing Social Media Marketing was a $6.1 billion business in 2013, according to UnifiedSocial.com. Naturally, real estate marketing is going social. But how does social media really fit into the real estate space? I'd like to explore some myths about real estate and social media marketing, as well as some of the truths as I see them. Myths About Real Estate and Social Media Marketing That Sellers Should Know Promises I've Heard from Real Estate Agents: "I'll share your listing on all my social media platforms...Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn..." While sharing your listing to their social media contacts sounds like a good way to broadcast your home, let's stop and examine that for a minute. Facebook: The average agent has 172 likes on their Facebook business page. Of those, only about 10% ever see the posts, due to Facebook's push toward monitization. With advertising and sponsored posts, your listing can be seen by specific demographics who might be actually interested in your home. But the jury is out on whether people come to Facebook to look for real estate. While 92% of homebuyers are looking online, most are looking on real estate specific websites, like Zillow, Realtor.com and Trulia. Many agents are friends with other agents, those who already see your listing on the Multiple List Service. It's also safe to say, as with most people on Facebook, high school friends and friends of friends from other parts of the country probably aren't interested in your listing. By tweeting your listing on Twitter, again, the average agent will get your listing in front of 10% of their 200 contacts...for about 18 minutess. If they are savvy about using hashtags your listing will stand a better chance of being found by someone who is looking for #realestate in #yourcity, but that will most likely be another agent. 2. "I'll blog about your listing and get it in front of thousands."Blogging is an important part of the overall social media strategy of a real estate agent. Producing consistent, getting your home ready for the markethelpful content on a website will get that website found in local searches that homebuyers are conducting.

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6. 1. The average Facebook real
estate page has 172 likes.
Only about 10% of fans will ever
see the listing that is posted,
unless it is a "sponsored post".
Social Media posts have very
little real reach.

7. 2. People don't go to Facebook
or Twitter to find a home.
While 92% of buyers are looking
online, they tend to look on real
estate specific websites, like
Zillow and Trulia, or Realtor.com.

8. 3. The average Twitter post has
a lifespan of 18 minutes*.
Without a ReTweet, the lifespan
is less. A social media marketing
plan is more complicated than
"tweeting a listing".
(*moz.com)

9. 4. Over Sharing real estate
listings on social media is the
sure way to be "unfollowed".
Without followers, friends and
circles, Social shares go into thin
air. A social media strategy is
much more about being social.

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11. A blog or website will seldom
be found by online real estate
searchers.
Without a robust Social
Media/SEO (seach engine
optimization) strategy, your
listing will go virtually
unnoticed.

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13. Paying for sponsored social
media posts can be a great
way to get your listing in
front of potential buyers.
Just make sure that is what
is really happening.

14. Advertising on Social Media
sites through sponsored
posts must be targeted to
likely home buyer
demographics and
geographic areas to be
effective.

15. Ask your potential listing
agent to explain their
marketing strategy.
Getting in front of the right
people is more important
than getting in front of
thousands.

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17. There is So Much to Say About Video
Marketing
O YouTube is the second largest search engine
O Video shows up on page one of a search
O So many statistics about video marketing...like this
article,
O And This and This.
O And this extensive white paper.
O I could go on about the growth of the "Visual Web"

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20. Some Quotes
From Realtors Who are
Doing an Exemplary Job
at Social Media Marketing

21. Circle Bill Gassett

23. Circle Connor T. MacIVOR

25. Circle Debbie
Drummond

29. Circle Karen Highland Chris Highland

30. Frederick Real Estate