Social Media

Join Us At The Inman Agent Reboot Social Media Conference In Boston On Oct. 13th!

by Rich Vetstein on October 5, 2010

in Real Estate Marketing, Social Media

We here at the Blog, through our new company, HubConnected, are proud to be a sponsor of the Inman News Agent Reboot Conference coming to Boston, Hynes Convention Center on October 13th! We’ll be there with a slew of social media savvy realtors from around Greater Boston, some of whom are already part of the growing HubConnected network!

Click here to find out more information about the Agent Reboot Conference–Boston. If you are interested in attending, let us know, and we’ll reserve you a space! It’s only $99.

Here is the agenda:

Must-Have Tools for the Agent with Mobile Mojo (Part 1) Get the lowdown on 10 leading cutting-edge technologies that will help you “reboot” the way you do business.

  • Presented by: Chris Smith, Co-Creator, Tech Savvy Agents, @techsavvyagent

From Clicks to Closings: Turning Your Online Marketing Strategy into a Lead Machine. Video, virtual tours, single property websites – there are dozens of options for marketing properties online. Not all methods are created equal though. Find out which ones will keep your pipeline of prospects full, while saving you time and money.

Panelists:

  • Kerm Foltz, VP of Sales, Market Leader, @market_leader

Mastering Social Media to Expand Your Reach Online. Learn how to develop a comprehensive social networking strategy to grow your sphere of influence. Agent Reboot’s experts will help you sharpen your online marketing skills with proven best practices for using Facebook, Twitter and other online services. Win friends, influence people, and increase sales!

Panelists:

  • David Black, CVO, SocialMadeSimple, @socialmadesimpl
  • Andrea Geller, Hot Property Chicago – Sudler Sotheby’s International Realty, @andrearealtor
  • Greg Meyer, Customer Experience Manager, Gist, @gist

Lifestyle Branding: Why it Matters. The traditional branding strategies used by the real estate profession no longer work. Connecting with today’s consumer is a whole new adventure. The last 8 years have changed the expectations of home buyers and sellers. Learn why life style branding is critical to your success moving forward.

  • Presented by: Sherry Chris, CEO, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate @BHGRE_Sherry

Case Study: Managing Reputation and Content on the Web. Two experts will walk you through their journey towards a progressive Web strategy using social media. They’ll share lessons learned, offer tips, and show you the results of their efforts. Learn how to do it from people who have done it.

  • Presented by: Todd Carpenter, Social Media Manager, National Association of REALTORS®, @tcar

Grow Your Online Presence Presented by Zillow.com

  • Presented by: Michael Botefuhr, Manager, Partner Relations, Zillow.com, @MVBotefuhr

3 Secrets For Turning Internet Leads Into Transactions

  • Presented by: Daniel Rothamel, Founder of RealEstateZebra.com, @realestatezebra

Maximum Exposure: Publicizing Your ListingsMake sure your listings appear everywhere potential buyers are looking. Discover easy methods for syndicating listings across the Web to spread the word about your properties, and get simple tips for tracking results.

Panelists:

  • Charlie Engel, Vice President of Sales – Real Estate, Oodle, Inc, @oodle_RE
  • Chris Smith, Co-Creator, Tech Savvy Agents, @techsavvyagent

Must-Have Tools for the Agent with Mobile Mojo (Part 2). Get the lowdown on 20 MORE leading edge technologies that will help you “reboot” the way you do business.

  • Presented by: Chris Smith, Co-Creator, Tech Savvy Agents, @techsavvyagent

5 Rockin’ Reasons to Scrap Your Static Website and Go WordPress!

  • Presented by: Daniel Rothamel, Founder of RealEstateZebra.com, @realestatezebra

Going Local: What Does It Take to Win in Boston Real Estate?It’s no secret that the industry has had its share of ups and downs in the last year. So, what lies ahead? Hear from leading real estate professionals who are navigating the changing landscape, and find out what steps you should be taking to ensure success in the future.

Panelists:

  • John D’Ambrogio, VP Director of Strategic Development, Baird & Warner
  • Matt Dollinger, VP Company Solutions, @properties, @mattdollinger
  • Andrea Geller, Hot Property Chicago – Sudler Sotheby’s International Realty, @andrearealtor

{ 0 comments }

Social Media Advice & Tips For Massachusetts Real Estate Agents: Lessons From ActiveRain Raincamp Boston 2010

by Rich Vetstein on July 29, 2010

in Massachusetts Real Estate Law, Real Estate Marketing, Social Media

We attended the ActiveRain “Raincamp” seminar at the Boston World Trade Center earlier in the week, and wanted to share some great social media facts and tips that we learned. With 94% of all home buyer consumers starting their search online and Facebook just hitting over 500 Million users, Realtors who are effectively using social media are at a huge competitive advantage over those who aren’t. Thousands of leads are being generated online today, and you have to tap into that to be successful selling real estate today.

Here are a few of the lessons learned from the ActiveRain Camp…

Social Media Sites are Dominating the Internet

  • 74.1% all consumers are online today, spending 32.7 hours/week online!
  • 32% of time online is spent on some type of social media site
  • The fastest growing demographic on Facebook are females over 55. Yes, the grandmothers have figured out the best way to see pictures of the grandkids is on Facebook!
  • The top websites: 1. Facebook  2. Google  3. Yahoo 4. Youtube  5. MSN 6. Bing
  • The top social networks:  1. Facebook (55% market share), 2. YouTube, 3. Myspace, 4. Twitter
  • Facebook has over 500 Million worldwide users and 150 Million U.S. users
  • Facebook has 2.7Million users in Massachusetts
  • 85% of available traffic come from search engines, namely in order, Google, Yahoo, MSN, Bing

Real Estate Internet Traffic

Top Real Estate sites:

  1. Realtor.com
  2. Zillow
  3. Trulia
  4. Zip Realty
  5. Yahoo Real Estate
  • 94% of 24-44 year old’s search online for home buying
  • 32% of buyers found the home they actually purchased online. (I found this to be one of the most impressive factoids).
  • Consumers don’t care anymore about big agency websites. They use Google as their home search start.  They type in exactly what they want: “MA homes for sale”
  • 61% of internet searchers think natural search results are more reliable.  They know what are ads and what aren’t.

Blog Writing Tips

  1. Write for the major search engines. That is, write articles you think potential customers are searching for on the Web.
  2. Position yourself as expert for field or geographic location
  3. Longer search engine searches account for 80% of search engine traffic. Ex: “Bellingham MA homes with waterfront” instead of “Bellingham MA homes.” Write posts that are hyper focused on those longer search terms.

Blog Post Ideas

  • Town School Rankings/District
  • Town Crime StatisticsSocial Media Solutions For Real Estate Agents
  • Town Restaurants
  • Town Home Values/Trends
  • Town playgrounds, park and rec, lakes, ponds
  • Town sports
  • Town traffic, commute to Boston
  • Town neighborhoods/villages
  • Town shopping centers
  • Condos
  • 55+ retirement projects
  • 365 things to do
  • 100 places to go

Feeling A Bit Overwhelmed With Social Media?

Starting a social media campaign for newbies can be very overwhelming and complicated because there are so many options especially for the technologically challenged. It’s best to consult with an expert before venturing out and making mistakes.

Since social media has been so successful for us as real estate attorneys and we have developed an expertise in the area, we have been giving very popular seminars on Social Media For Realtors at real estate broker offices across the state, and we have already helped numerous agents set up their own blogs and social media sites like Facebook Fan Pages. It’s been so much fun and successful that we’ve launched a new and exciting service for real estate professionals called HubConnected where we develop, build-out and manage all the various social media platforms for busy real estate professionals. That way, you can generate tons of online leads while concentrating on doing what you do best: selling real estate! Please contact me at [email protected] for more information, and look for more information here at the Blog.

{ 6 comments }