Real Estate Is Still About Relationships
by Brandon Barker on Jun 25, 2012
Smartphone: check. iPad: check. Social networking accounts: check. Real estate agent marketing has adjusted in leaps and bounds since the days of newspaper ads and bus stop signs, and as you go out into the world showing real estate and giving listing presentations, you might feel a little like the Terminator or a character out of Star Wars as you tap screens and walk clients through virtual tours, but as new search engine studies show (not to mention the stock-value struggles of Facebook) it’s important to remember that real estate is still about one thing: creating and building relationships.
In a new article on Tech Savvy Agent, the head of social media for Realtor.com discusses the situation of SEO or “search engine optimization,” which is the thing we all worked so hard on several years ago (and continually) to get our blogs and web sites at the top of search-engine ranking results. As the author points out, however, SEO is kind of a moving target, since the algorithms are always changing, and that there is no guarantee that your efforts will yield results.
So, how is one to use social media as an effective real estate agent marketing tool? Don’t worry so much about connecting with Bing, Google or other search engines and dedicate your creative energy to connecting with your audience. What are your real estate clients looking for? What’s important to them? How will your point-of-view and experience help them. And go from there in updating your blog and social media accounts.
As the author says, “it’s time to stop chasing Google’s search engine spiders and bring the focus back to what really drives real estate: relationships. This has always been and will likely always be a relationship business. The relationships that Realtors form with clients, with other agents, and with other real estate professionals are what power this business. Realtors should definitely be involved in social media, to share, to communicate, to help, to advise, and yes, to showcase the great properties they have listed.”
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