Leverage your social media toolbox

Consumers have found their voices and REALTORS® need to understand how to participate in the conversation. Over 500 million people worldwide are using social networks.

“Social media is not technology,” said social media expert Brad Hanks in his presentation Social Media: What’s In It for My Business? “It’s a fundamental change in how users interact.”

Hanks spoke at the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS® (PAR) business meetings in Harrisburg on Monday. He encouraged the audience to utilize their social media toolbox particularly with the three most popular sites: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

The average age of the LinkedIn user is 42 years old, has been in the industry for nine years and is the decision maker of the household. Hanks described LinkedIn users as the “suit and tie crowd.” Users create a worldwide referral network with LinkedIn. More connections equal an even larger extended network.

Facebook is the “golf shirt and khakis crowd.” The average user is in his mid-30’s and logs onto Facebook multiple times per day. Hanks advised the crowd to create fan pages to promote their real estate services instead of using personal pages to conduct business.

According to Hanks, the average Twitter user is educated and in his mid-30’s. Twitter doubles in size every 90 days and is the fastest growing social media site. He recommended using TweetDeck to manage one or multiple Twitter profiles.

Hanks said, “Social media gives REALTORS® the opportunity to engage consumers and expand markets without a financial requirement.”