This document discusses how real estate agents can use social media to benefit their business. It defines key concepts like Web 2.0 and social media platforms. It provides examples of popular social media sites for activities like file sharing, bookmarking, visual sharing, blogging, social networking and explains how real estate agents can use each to connect with prospects, build relationships and credibility, and generate leads and sales. The document advises setting up appropriate social media profiles and pages, joining relevant groups, providing valuable content for customers, and limiting daily time spent on social media to one hour.

1. Untangling the Social
Media Web
Joan Murphy
May 20, 2009

2. What is Web 2.0?
The idea of using the world wide web at it’s best—
as an instant interactive communication forum.
• Web sites • Web services
• One way • Participation/Collaboration
communication
• Page views/screen • Interactive facilities
scraping
• Retrieve Information • Sharing information
• Control over standards • Trust participants

3. Social Media includes:
To make Web 2.0 work, new platforms,
dubbed Social Media, were created.
Web-based communities
Hosted services
Applications
Social networking sites
Video Sharing sites
Blogs
Wikis
Folksonomies

4. File Sharing
www.google.com
www.box.net
Uses: Share, edit, access and collaborate on files
both within your company and with external
partners. In addition you can create and
organize multiple folders, or synchronize
them to a hand-held.
Great for transaction management or
inhouse file sharing

5. Bookmark/Aggregator
www.del.icio.us.com
www.technorati.com
www.digg.com
www.stumbleupon.com
Uses: Bookmark web pages, articles, blogs,
forums that you want to find again, and “tag”
for better organization. Some also collect
sites and have ratings by other viewers.

6. Visual Sharing
www.youtube.com
www.flickr.com
www.slideshare.com
Uses: Share photographs, videos or presentations
with others. Post virtual tours, photos of
properties or presentation material. In
addition, post instructional or marketing
videos.

7. Blogs/Microblogs
www.blogger.com
www.twitter.com
www.activerain.com
Uses: Set yourself up as an expert in your area, and
in the industry. Write and share pertinent
articles with consumers/others in the industry.
Use Twitter to send links or add short
comments.

8. Social Networks
www.facebook.com
www.linkedin.com
www.mylife.com
Uses: Network with other realtors. Keep in the flow
with people you know; post listings,
photographs, videos of properties; post
resource information such as articles and
updates.

9. Benefits
Connect with
prospects
Build relationships
Gain leads through
connections
Build a sense of
community

10. Benefits
Extend the Reach of
your Business
Build Credibility and
Trust
A Recognized
Expert/Source of
Knowledge
Free PR that can save
you thousands
Generate sales

11. Use the POST Method
People: Assess your customers’ social activities
and understand if they even participate in social
media.
Objectives: Decide what you want to
accomplish.
Strategy: Plan for how your relationship with
customers can change.
Technology: Decide which social media
technologies to use (Networking, blogs, twitter,
etc)

12. What do you need?
Content that is:
Interesting and helpful
Information you want
to share
Something that might
engage the reader

13. Join & Use Facebook
Keep in touch with people you know/Meet new
Categorize your “friends”
Join relevant groups
Provide articles and updates
Use your page as a resource for information
Links, videos, notes
Put your listings on your page
www.postlets.com
Use events for Open House Invitations
Add appropriate humor/warm fuzzies

14. Setting Up Facebook
Use Discretion (this is business)
Remember, this is a business site
Create an appropriate profile for business
This becomes part of your reputation and personal brand
Be selective on what shows on your wall
Full disclosure is not best
Add photos to enhance your page
Successful move photos
Join relevant groups and networks
Use privacy controls
Use E-mail notification controls

15. Business Oriented Networking
Profile: Online version of your resume
Public profile is “Googleable”
Easy way to investigate credentials and
affiliations (Yours and others)
Join relevant groups; very active on LinkedIn
Great place for recommendations to be
posted
Add content, such as listing presentations

16. twitter
You can either
answer the Q
[What are you doing?]
or just state
whatever it is
you want
everyone to
know.
70-20-10
70: provide resources & value for others
20: chit chat, friendly comment
10: promote yourself

17. Don’t get carried away!
No more than one hour a day
Set up feeds/newsletters
Post them to sites
www.tinyurl.com
Comment on blogs
Spend time on Facebook
Activity stemmed from visits

18. Thank you for attending!
For more information, additional questions or training
opportunities, please contact:
Joan Murphy
Jmurphy@starckrealtors.com
847-485-2355
And be my friend on Facebook!