You build your business one relationship at a time—through word-of-mouth referrals. Social media is how word-of-mouth happens on the internet today. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, are designed for users to converse with their extended network. One shared comment can spur dozens of discussions among hundreds of people. Over 200M people in the US currently use social media sites—spending on average 2 hours per day. To reach new home buyers between the ages of 24 and 35, it’s essential for agents to get smart about using social media.

1. Create a professional presence on multiple sites

By establishing a presence on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, you connect with different communities in the way they like best. We recommend you use the “Big Three”—Facebook (300M people), MySpace (120M people, younger demographic than Facebook) and Twitter (50M people, older demographic than Facebook).

2. Keep your professional presence separate from your personal life

Create new accounts in Facebook, Twitter & MySpace to reflect your professional presence. Be yourself but save the truly personal stuff for your personal accounts.

On Facebook, set up a “Fan Page” linked to your personal profile rather than a second personal profile. You can create a new account on Twitter here.  You can create a MySpace profile here.

Include a professional photo, your contact information, and a link to your website.

Oodle Pro automatically enhances your Facebook Fan Page to showcase your listings.

3. Reach out and make friends

Buzz and awareness is directly linked to your number of connections. Upload your contacts to find your professional relationships. Invite your personal relationships to follow you professionally.

Social media is a great way to stay in touch with your existing clients and prospects. It’s easy to track what’s going on in their lives and periodically check in with them. To find your existing relationship, try uploading your contacts from Gmail, Yahoo, HotMail or AOL.

Facebook HomePage: select Friends, Invite Friends

Twitter Home Page: select Find People, Find on other networks

MySpace Home Page: select Friends, Invite Friends

If you already have connections associated with your personal account, invite them to follow your professional presence. Many of your friends would love to stay up to date on what you’re doing professionally. Moreover, this makes it easy for them to share your information with their extended network.

On Twitter, see who your friends and professional contacts are following. Follow those that you find interesting. Many times someone you follow returns the favor and begins to follow you.

Oodle Pro helps you make new connections by increasing your exposure. Listings featured in Facebook Marketplace and MySpace Classifieds are linked to your professional profile. Your professional profile is also featured in the agent directory.

4. Share and share again

Sharing updates with your extended network is what social media is all about. Keep it light—share observations, links, as well as your listings—and do it often.

It’s helpful to remember that social media sites are set up for lots of sharing. Shared content streams by and people dive in when they see something that interests them—so don’t be shy.

Share new stories, blog posts or pictures related to your local market. Sharing great content is the best way to establish authority and credibility.

Oodle Pro automatically shares all your new listings.

5. Participate in conversations

Social media is a two-way conversation. Watch what your friends are sharing and add your comments. Your comments are as visible and important as what you directly share.

Don’t just talk about yourself. Regularly watch your streams on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace (they are located prominently on the home page). When you see something that interests you, check it out and comment in a supportive way.

It’s important to track what people are saying about your listings. Oodle Pro makes this easy. By visiting , you can see when people are commenting or responding to your listings. As people comment or ask question, jump into the thread.

Search Twitter for conversations relating to your local market. When jumping in on a conversation with someone you don’t know, tread lightly. Identify yourself and offer brief and helpful commentary. Let them decide to follow up.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 11th, 2010 at 5:49 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.