Posted by Annalisa Burgos | August 7, 2009
Inman News’ Real Estate Connect conference in San Francisco has been great so far, and tomorrow, August 7, we’d love to invite all our fans and followers to listen to the president of our parent company Scripps Networks Digital, Deanna Brown, talk about “How TV, the Web, Your Phone and the Social Universe are Colliding.” It’s at 9 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom.
In case you didn’t know, HGTV’s FrontDoor.com and the entire Scripps Networks family are actively engaging consumers through blogs and social networking services like Facebook and Twitter. On FrontDoor, we’ve also integrated Facebook Connect to allow readers to comment on articles on the site.
To spread the word about all the cool stuff we’re doing, we brought in our Segway-savvy social director. Check her out in this video!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | August 5, 2009
None of my friends are real estate agents. And a lot of my friends’ friends aren’t agents either. They just never happened to roll in my social circles. Not really sure why that is. Perhaps it’s because I’m naturally skeptical of people who make a living from selling things — be it a house, insurance, a car or a story pitch.
So you’d understand why people like me who don’t normally socialize with real estate agents in our personal lives would feel weird about “friending” an agent on Facebook without having met him/her in person and establishing some sort of relationship. Even now, as a homebuyer, I’m not going to search for agents to friend.
So it was especially interesting to listen to a panel for real estate agents about using Facebook as a professional tool.
(The FrontDoor team is in San Francisco this week for a real estate and technology conference called “Real Estate Connect,” hosted by Inman News.)
FrontDoor, for one, has a Facebook fan page (thanks to those of you who’ve joined it!) and is doing some interesting things with social media, such as integrate Facebook Connect on the site so readers can comment on articles through their Facebook profile.
At the panel, Craig Donato, CEO of online classifieds site Oodle, talked about their service, which would allow agents to automatically load their listings into their news feed and their friends’ feeds. Someone in the audience quickly pointed out that that was the “fastest way to get me to de-friend you.” Indeed. I know I would.
So that begs the question — what is the proper etiquette, for any business, to build relationships on social networking services like Facebook and Twitter, without scaring away people? We’re discussing that here at Inman Connect. If you’ve got an idea, please share it!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | July 23, 2009
Ever wonder what really happens behind the scenes of an HGTV show? Now’s your chance to find out!
FrontDoor.com is giving you a virtual backstage pass to the new series “Real Estate Intervention,” through Twitter and Facebook.
During a special episode this Sunday, July 26, HGTV real estate expert Mike Aubrey will give you the inside scoop on his show LIVE through tweets and status updates. Tune in at 8:30 p.m. Eastern (7:30 p.m. Central).
But the best part is that you can join the conversation too!
Maybe you have a suggestion for the seller. Or you didn’t agree with Mike’s advice. Tweet and post your opinions and share them with other viewers. No more talking to the TV set alone! I’ll be adding my two cents too.
To join the interactive fun, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HGTVFrontDoor or fan us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FrontDoor.
You can also follow along through the Facebook and Twitter streams on FrontDoor.com.
Don’t you just love social media?
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | July 21, 2009
I’m looking for a home to buy in New York City. I learn about local market trends through TV and the Web, search for homes for sale online, use my BlackBerry to get listing information in the field (still haven’t bought an iPhone yet), and share my real estate adventures with my social media universe, i.e. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Like many of today’s savvy buyers, I expect the real estate agents I work with to understand the ways I “consume” and “experience” real estate.
Let’s face it — why work with an agent who isn’t taking advantage of all the platforms available to market my house? Advertising on Craigslist is great, but it’s standard practice now. The question these days is — what added value does this agent provide?
On Aug. 5-7, many of the big players in the real estate industry will convene in San Francisco for Inman News’ Real Estate Connect, a conference focused on the convergence of real estate and technology.
On Friday, Aug. 7, at 9 a.m., Scripps Networks Digital president Deanna Brown will host a presentation called “How TV, The Web, Your Phone and the Social Universe are Colliding (In A Good Way).”
Brown will talk about what’s happening in real estate with the use of social media, video, TV, etc. and how this is changing the way people are searching for properties.
The entire team of HGTV’s FrontDoor.com, along with yours truly, will be at the conference, so please say hello if you’re going!
You can register for the conference here: http://www.inman.com/events/real-estate-connect-san-francisco-2009/register
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | March 26, 2009
Now that Twitter is mainstream — with politicians and former naysayers now regularly tweeting (moi, for one) — every industry is trying to figure out how to use this tool to its advantage.
The news industry, for one, is finding it very useful when reporting and finding sources, especially during breaking news events like the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
Real estate, meanwhile, is still trying to figure it out. Most real estate professionals have a Web site (maybe with a blog) and a Facebook profile, but many will tell you that they are too busy to Twitter or don’t see the value in doing so. After all, if you Twitter four or five times a day about yourself or your brand, don’t you risk diluting your brand, or even worse, turn off people with your constant self-praise?
Yes, and that’s the problem. Companies — real estate and otherwise — shouldn’t be thinking of social media networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter as straight-up advertising and marketing vehicles, where you plaster your name and expect clients to flock to you. Most people are like me — they’re not going to scour Facebook for a Realtor. But I may tell a friend of a friend that I’m looking to buy a house, and if you (the Realtor) have a relationship with that friend, I may get referred to you.
Think of it this way — you’re at a networking event and you meet that guy who is pushing his business card in your face as soon as you say hello. No one likes that guy. On the other hand, you’re more likely to reconnect with the guy who explained the ebb and flow of mortgage rates to you.
So think broad reach and long-term — think of these social networks as bridges to a ginormous audience, bridges that never existed before, but have the huge potential of helping you build relationships. They are called “social networking” services, not “marketing” services, after all.
Millions of people are on these networks having genuine real estate conversations. Whether it’s a person complaining about the buying process or a seller trying to hawk his home that’s been on the market for 8 months, people are talking about real estate.
And some agents are generating leads by joining these conversations and sharing their expertise, without the in-your-face marketing tactics. Find out how they did it in FrontDoor’s article “Twitter Your House and Friend a Realtor on Facebook.”
Speaking of social networking, you can follow FrontDoor.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HGTVFrontDoor and join our fans on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/FrontDoorcom/18669721826.
Posted by Vicki Moore | September 10, 2008
There are two keys: Time and attention. How much time to devote and where to put your attention. If you have questionable time management skills social networking is the ultimate arm pin. Since there’s only one player in the game, you lose either way.
Weight Classes
Social networking is broken down into weight classes and figuring out who you want on your team is a fairly easy decision – at least for the moment. As far as I can see Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are the heavy-weight must-do follows. But as more and more come on board, it’s going to become more difficult to sort out. Hopefully these guys will play fair and link – no pun intended – well maybe – as Facebook has done with Twitter.
Hello?
As an agent I spend way to much time on the computer as it is. I get lost in the momentum of typing and reading – typing and reading. You’d think – at least as I write this, I’m thinking – the last thing I’d want to do is flit around checking to see what arbitrary comments are rolling across the screen on Twitter. But it’s one of the easiest, most fun ways to keep in contact. I can pick up a laugh or throw down a snarky just as quick. A nation of like-minded thinkers has opened up to me and I’m unwilling to let go of my grip.
Referring A Friend
Who do clients refer? The people they know, like and trust. Who do agents refer? People they know, like and trust.
So throw down and get back to work!
Subscribe to this blog
Friend us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter