More Realtors turning to Facebook, other social media to meet new clients
Premium content from The Business Review - by Michael DeMasi
Date: Monday, June 28, 2010, 12:00am EDT - Last Modified: Thursday, June 24, 2010, 9:52am EDT- TechValley Homes Real Estate President Miguel Berger, left, and Associate Broker Steven Girvin go online to check a Facebook page.
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Jennifer Fortune Gras of Realty USA said her Facebook page helped her land an on-camera interview with a local news station about the federal tax incentive for homebuyers.
And Teri Kraszewski of Realty USA has picked up a handful of clients by using Facebook to stay in touch with people she grew up with in Mechanicville.
“I found coming from a small community that it has definitely helped me,” Kraszewski said.
LeClaire, 35, Gras, 26, and Kraszewski, 38, are among a growing number of real estate agents in the region using Facebook and other kinds of social media to market their services and connect with potential clients.
Personal pages vs. Fan pages
Facebook usage varies, but real estate agents typically post pictures of themselves, along with photos and descriptions of their listings.They can also let people know about upcoming events, post links to virtual home tours on YouTube, share news stories about the housing market, exchange messages, and publicize “The Skinny,” a free video about local home sales distributed monthly by the Greater Capital Association of Realtors.
Facebook requires users to make a distinction between individual profiles for personal use and fan pages to promote businesses, though some local agents are still combining both features as they learn the rules.
Gras and Kraszewski are among those who maintain two separate accounts.
“I don’t think most people know,” Gras said. “I went to a conference and we took a seminar with an attorney. You’re not supposed to sell or do business on your personal page.”
Facebook is a more dynamic format than a typical website. Because of Facebook’s vast online network and instant search capabilities, it’s also easy to amass hundreds—if not thousands—of people linking to a page.
“It’s interactive and proactive,” said Scott Varley, 43, a Realty USA agent who uses Facebook. “I might get some comments going back and forth.”
A recent survey by the National Association of Realtors found more than half of the agents in the United States are using social media, up from 35 percent last year. Other networking sites include Twitter and LinkedIn.
The trend mirrors what has happened in real estate generally as the Internet has become the place that 90 percent of buyers go to when searching for a home. That means less time is spent looking at newspaper classifieds or free home-for-sale catalogues.
Among the youngest segment of the real estate market—typically first-time buyers—having a presence on Facebook, not just a dedicated website, can be critical to reaching potential clients and making sales.
“For the younger generation, they’re on Facebook all the time,” Gras said. “It’s so much easier for them to send me a message. ... In the past they would have to Google my name or get in contact with my office. To be honest, this is much easier. A lot of people don’t want to go through those extra steps to find me.”
Even though many agents have embraced social media, they’re still learning the rules of the road.
Facebook, after all, has only been around for six years, and was first popular with college students. It’s only within the past few years that it has become the medium of choice when it comes to social networking.
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