National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Associate Counsel Katie Raynolds said a social media policy provides a guideline for employees and agents so they know how the company expects them to represent themselves and the firm online. “A social media policy should remind everyone that state license laws should be followed — even online — and NAR’s Code of Ethics applied as well,” she added.

The policy can be as simple or as detailed as the broker wants. NAR’s Risk Management Committee recently drafted a model policy for brokers to use as an example in their own offices.

“It’s totally up to the brokerage what guidelines they want and how they decide to manage their image and reputation online,” Raynolds said. “Most social media policies are general, reminding agents not to discriminate, not to make disparaging remarks, not to reveal clients’ personal information and what the consequences are in the event you don’t abide by the policy,” she said.

As the popularity of social media continues to grow among consumers, real estate agents increasingly use various social media venues. Todd Carpenter, NAR manager of Social Media, said, “REALTORS® recognize the potential to increase their sphere of influence through social media and are adapting to these networks unlike any other profession. Social media is popular because it’s affordable marketing.”

Carpenter agrees that a social media policy helps alleviate potential mistakes. “Social media policies are good to have in place so people don’t make mistakes. They know what they’re doing ahead of time,” he added.

Jim Crawford, a REALTOR® and an online real estate tech/web coach in Georgia, thinks many brokers are ignoring potential problems by not creating a social media policy.

“Many agents don’t understand that if their online presence mentions real estate, they should watch what they’re saying and they must follow their state real estate commission’s advertising guidelines,” Crawford said.

Crawford believes many brokers are unaware of what agents may be posting online. “Brokers are supposed to review their agents’ advertising but many don’t know what their agents are saying online. If an agent is bad-mouthing a client or asking what he should do because he’s in trouble, there’s a permanent record online. The agent is liable for what he wrote and the broker may be liable as well,” he added.

 “The connection between the broker, what his agents do online and his liability will eventually be determined by the court,” Raynolds said. “But having a clear policy, informing everyone in the office you have a policy and educating them about the policy will go a long way in risk management for the broker.”

LinkedIn, known for its lack of Mafia Wars-type apps, is creating apps for specific industries and real estate has been targeted, according Alan Bernier, CEO of Rofo.com, a San Francisco-based real estate technology company that created the app.

Real Estate Pro is the LinkedIn app that allows both residential and commercial REALTORS® to post listings and completed transactions. The app does more than host listings, it enhances the REALTOR’S® profile. And with that enhanced profile, REALTORS® are realizing a higher Google rating.

“LinkedIn ranks high for search engine optimization (SEO) and initial reviews show REALTORS® seeing a lot of traffic being driven from Google to their LinkedIn profiles.  It’s a natural place to promote your knowledge, experience and any active listings,” Bernier said.

“The app isn’t just about marketing the property,” he said. “It’s about expanding your professional profile and keeping in touch with your connections. It’s a good way to remind your past clients that you’re still doing transactions so they remember to contact you when they’re ready to buy or sell a property.

“We looked at what a real estate professional would want to do on LinkedIn,” Bernier said. “We asked ‘how can this app help a REALTOR® connect with more people?’”

From the consumers’ perspective, Real Estate Pro is also a great app for anyone seeking real estate, whether it’s a business seeking office space or someone interested in residential, because it allows them to not only view who is active in their market but easily see which REALTORS® are in their professional network.

View a Real Estate Pro how-to video.

Ted Janusz

LinkedIn is the “corporate boardroom” of social media sites, according to Ted Janusz, a professional speaker and marketing expert in Ohio.

“Too many people set up a profile on LinkedIn and forget about it but there are tremendous opportunities on LinkedIn,” the owner of Janus Presentations said. “You don’t have to be a computer guru to use the features.”

The professional contact social media site was launched in 2003. It has about 70 million users versus the 500 million on Facebook. Janusz said data shows two-thirds of LinkedIn users are male, four out of five are college graduates and the median age is 41.

REALTORS® should be using the site to get recommendations and make business contacts, Janusz advised. “The number-one marketing mistake people make is that they don’t use testimonies. People want to read what other people are saying about you. No one cares what you say about yourself,” he said.

Janusz offered five areas to maximize the benefits of a LinkedIn account:

• Groups — Join as many relevant groups as you can to network
• Jobs — Using the “Jobs” link, you can either pursue a new job or post a job. LinkedIn jobs receive an average of 30 applicants
• Companies — Enter a company name and search its profile. You may find a second degree contact and you could request an introduction through your direct contact. This may give you the “in” you need to make a connection
• Answers – Establish yourself as an expert and provide valuable real estate information or advice to other LinkedIn users
• People –   Search for LinkedIn members by name, company, location, school attended or job title.

“LinkedIn is 99 percent information and one percent promotion,” Janusz said. “People don’t connect with you because you’re promoting yourself. They connect with you because you’re providing valuable information.”

Mike Barnett

“Know your demographics,” Barnett, a fourth generation broker in Arizona, said. “If you’re working with your own generation, it’s not too hard. But when you look at the generational diversity, it becomes more critical to understand how they’re communicating.”

As new REALTORS® enter the market, social media, texting and multimedia services are critical to staying in business. “If you’re still working to get your phone on vibrate, there’s a problem,” he added.

It’s important to understand the goal of participating in social media. “Are you looking for buyers and sellers online or are you finding information to better work with your buyers and sellers?” he asked.

“Real estate is a networking game. You network with fellow REALTORS® and with the general public,” Barnett said. “Your social media efforts are different if you’re trying to get referrals from other REALTORS® than if you’re trying to find new customers.”

Barnett suggests one way REALTORS® can communicate with their sphere of influence is to create a group on RealTown.com. A REALTOR® can create a group for his home development which gives him the opportunity to converse with other people in his neighborhood. “You do better business by communicating with people in a conversational, meaningful way,” he added. “You invite people to join and you talk about area activities, yard sales, minutes from the homeowner’s association. By doing this, you build trust and confidence showing your expertise about the area. It’s definitely the ‘meet and greet’ of the 21st century.”

This sharply contrasts to Barnett’s own days of starting in the real estate business. “They used to put us in a van in the morning and drop us off on a specific street and we knocked on doors, talking to people in the neighborhood; then we’d attend a Chamber of Commerce meeting in the evening. That’s how we used to network with people who own homes – it’s different today,” he recalled.

“There are some people who will never embrace technology but I’m not sure that’s who I’d want to go to,” he added. “REALTORS® used to control all the listing information but the public has access to the information now. It’s important to recognize the change and learn to work with it.”

Tricia Andreassen

If a REALTOR® can’t be found on the Internet, he doesn’t exist to most consumers, according to Tricia Andreassen, CEO and founder of Pro Step Marketing, in Denver, NC, a real estate-focused marketing strategy, design and implementation firm.

“Today’s consumers live online. They use the Internet to search for information, to research what they want to buy and who to buy it from,” said Andreassen, a former real estate agent who’s spoken at national conventions for Century 21, Keller Williams and RE/MAX.

NAR’s latest Member Profile shows that just two-thirds of REALTORS® have websites. Andreassen said that’s surprising and a little scary. “Eighty-five percent of buyers found their agents online. A website is a core component of business today. Consumers expect to get information quickly and to make their own assessment about the next steps,” she said.

Targeting consumers is a way to make a website more successful, according to Andreassen. “A website should appeal to the consumer who the REALTOR® wants to work with,” she explained. “It’s about having a targeted niche in real estate and then having your market message support that niche. Buyers and sellers don’t want to work with a ‘Jack of all trades,’ they want to work with someone who is highly experienced for what they need.

“You need to understand how to connect with today’s buyer and seller, tailor your expertise to engage them to work with you, generate more leads and raise the conversion rate,” Andreassen said. “It’s not about having a website; it’s about having a strategy that connects with the type of consumer you want to work with.”

It’s also important to keep content fresh and appealing to consumers. Andreassen suggested re-evaluating a website every six months, determining what the focus will be. The main content pages are the foundation and by adding additional content and weaving in unique offerings, like the homebuyer tax credit, the site will stay cutting edge.

“There is an incredible opportunity for REALTORS® to differentiate themselves in the marketplace,” she added. “Many REALTORS® will get out of the business or pull back from their market and those who step out with a target message and plan will be able to differentiate themselves more effectively than ever before. Now is the time to re-focus, re-invent and re-tool your business. Those who do will no doubt succeed.”

Example of a CAPTCHA box

Answer: You need a CAPTCHA program for your blog. A CAPTCHA program places a box on the comments page (or registration form) with distorted text. The user must type in the letters seen in the box in order to place a comment. The spam comments come from bots which are automated programs that “attack” your site. Bots cannot read the distorted text and therefore the CAPTCHA codes prevent spam on your blog.

PARJustListed.com is programmed by WordPress.org and I have the free SI CAPTCHA Anti-Spam plug-in installed to prevent spam comments.

Another service I recommend (which is also free) is ReCAPTCHA.net.

 Do you have a social media question? Ask Meghan by filling out this form.

Karel Murray

“REALTORS® should take a look at their business and see how changes could help their business improve,” Murray said. “You really should consider whether you are delivering what the customer wants or are you obsolete?”

She highlighted six areas to consider:

• Social networking is transforming how people connect. Many REALTORS® are using social networking but they don’t have a strategy. “Some people are freaking out, especially those who aren’t Internet savvy. If you don’t care about the Internet or how it works in your business, then I guess you can niche-market the older consumer,” Murray said.
• Video is king. “REALTORS® should be using quick audio or video clips to relate to their consumers,” she said. “With the Logitech Quick Cam or the Flip, it’s easy to create one- to two-minute videos and you add a human touch.”
• Tighten the advertising belt. “We’re seeing a shift in the market and you should be considering the cost versus the benefit for advertising. It also translates into going ‘green’,” Murray said. “Most people are getting what they need on the Internet. You need to capture your leads and connect with those consumers.”
• Sales prices are declining but not as rapidly as in 2008. Murray said that means REALTORS® need to close more transactions to earn the same money. “You need to consider how you are going to make up the difference,” she added.
• Be more creative to reach the public. Consider how to capture their attention, identify the target audience and then find the best way to connect with that audience.
• Buyers and sellers need you now more than ever.  REALTORS® should build up their competence and reliability so they can complete a flawless and seamless transaction. “That will help you build a solid foundation on which to create long-term relationships with your clients,” Murray said.
• Focus on what works. “Sometimes you need to slow down in order to speed up,” she added. “Identify what works for you and your clients and what is the most cost effective to have the greatest impact.”

“The real estate market really changed in the last two years,” she said. “Keep an eye on these changes and then implement only those that are truly effective and efficient.”

Answer: This isn’t a text messaging plan for your phone. PAR secured an exclusive Preferred PARtner offer for our members with TxT2Look.com which specializes in SMS (text message) marketing for real estate.

Text message marketing for real estate means each listing has its own mobile website with photos, virtual tours, videos, maps, etc. When a prospective buyer sees a house for sale, he can send a text message to the code on the signage and instantly receive information back about the property. The listing agent receives a notification every time a prospective buyer requests information.

“Today’s market is extremely competitive and it’s important that agents offer buyers the tools necessary to simplify the search process,” said TxT2Look.com President John Gallinaugh. “Over 270 million Americans carry their mobile phones with them wherever they go, including out searching for a home. They use their cell phones for everything from searching the web, to talking, to sending more than five billion text messages per day. Agents who offer mobile solutions, such as TxT2Look, which is texting to get property info delivered instantly and on the buyer’s terms, will quickly separate themselves from the rest and by simplifying the process of getting the information, will be the most successful at attracting new buyers.”

Member benefits include:

• Mobile business card that links your contact information to all of your listings

• Mobile site for each individual listing

• Secure access requiring username and password

• Complete data access and management

• Marketing tips and sharing best practices

• Online webinar training

The monthly price for unlimited codes/listings is $29.95 which includes unlimited free text messages per month per code. The annual registration fee is $50 per real estate agent.

To learn more and sign up, visit PAR.TxT2Look.com.

Do you have a social media question? Ask Meghan by filling out this form.

Question: I pride myself on being a responsive REALTOR®. I have an iPhone which I use to update my blog, text, email and talk to my clients and other people in the industry all day long. The downfall of being so responsive is I don’t want to be rude while going about my daily life (buying groceries, attending seminars, going out to dinner with my family, etc.). What are some etiquette rules I can use?

Answer: Dictionary.com defines etiquette as “conventional requirements as to social behavior; proprieties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion.” To me, this means practicing common courtesy. To figure out if you’re being rude, put yourself in the other person’s shoes.

• When you’re buying groceries, would you be annoyed if you have a line of people waiting to check out and the customer is on the phone, not paying attention while you’re waiting for that person to pay?

• When you’re in a seminar, do you pay more attention to your phone than the speaker? How would you feel if you were that speaker?

• Are your kids allowed to text their friends at the dinner table? Why should the rules be different for you?

Also examine the way you are communicating. A recent New York Times article says cell phones are used more for data than for phone calls but if you’re using your phone to actually talk to a client, does everyone around you need to know that client’s business?

Remember to think about personal safety. If you talk on the phone in your car, wear a headset or set up a Bluetooth connection. Talking on your phone while driving means you are going to be distracted but there are ways to minimize this distraction. If you absolutely must text or respond to an email while on the road, pull your car over. Your life and others’ lives on the road are more important than responding right away.

Do you have a social media question? Ask Meghan by filling out this form.

Answer: If history has taught us anything, Facebook won’t let us go back to the previous look so we’ll have to learn to work with it. If your profile tab on Facebook hasn’t been updated yet, it will soon. You’ll receive a pop-up notice that looks like the image below:

Even if you say no to linking these pages to your profile, Facebook will be persistent until you do so. When I say pages, I don’t mean the fan pages that you are used to. These pages are called Community Pages. According to Facebook’s blog, “Community Pages are a new type of Facebook Page dedicated to a topic or experience that is owned collectively by the community connected to it. Just like official Pages for businesses, organizations and public figures, Community Pages let you connect with others who share similar interests and experiences.”

What I found personally alarming about this was when I allowed my profile to link to these Community Pages, it automatically created one for my specific job title, E-Communications Specialist at PA Association of REALTORS®. As the only person with this title, there’s no reason for a Community Page. The upside of this is I removed my job title and it disappeared but the downside meant Facebook wouldn’t just let me unlink it and I had to remove my title.

The profile also created a Community Page for PAR but since we already have a fan page, this isn’t necessary. From a marketing standpoint, every brand should have control over its own identity. Making a PAR Community Page that gives other people Wikipedia-type control over our brand isn’t an ideal situation.

These new changes mean it’s time to check your privacy settings again. Under Account/Privacy Settings, go through each section (you will also see a new section called “Friends, Tags and Connections”) and make sure your settings are set to the way you want them to be. Personally most of mine are set to “Only Friends.” The only two I have set differently are under Contact Information – Add me as a friend and Send me a message. I have these set to Everyone.

The other privacy setting which is new is under Applications and Websites. The last one should say “Instant Personalization Pilot Program: Control how select partners can personalize their features with my public information when I first arrive on their websites.” This setting was announced a few weeks ago and you’ve probably seen Facebook’s “like” option on other sites like CNN.com and our own PARJustListed.com. This new feature allows you to like or recommend a story on other sites and it posts a link back on your Facebook page. If you don’t want this to be enabled, then uncheck the box at the bottom of that screen.

Do you have a social media question? Ask Meghan by filling out this form.