Laura Rubinchuk
By Laura Rubinchuk
Has anyone told you recently that you may sell real estate, but you’re actually in the lead generation business? Yeah, it struck a chord with me too. Your next closing could be, and ideally would come from, your next lead. So how are you generating leads?
I like to the think of it as a big circle with spokes from different methods generating leads. The beauty of real estate is that there are so many different ways to be successful; you just have to find what works for you. So as an example, my “spokes” include:
- My Blog
- Social Media (primarily Facebook, Trulia, and Twitter)
- My Sphere (people I know)
- Open Houses
From Flickr: kr-crew
Your spokes may look different – calling FSBOs or expireds, newspaper ads, etc. But if you take out one of those spokes by not committing to them, the wheel will go flat!! Flat tires mean the bus goes nowhere, much like our business when we stop lead generating. It’s so easy to get caught up in babysitting current clients and contracts when things are busy, but if you don’t lead generate now, you’ll feel it in a few months.
Figure out your strengths and what will work for you and your personality. Stay true to what you pick because things may take a while to take off, but when they do, all the effort will be worth it! Get busy!
Laura Rubinchuk, GRI, is a real estate practitioner with Keller Williams Realty in McLean, Va. Visit her blog at www.ArlingtonRealEstateNews.com or her Web site at www.TheLJRGroup.com.
Jessica Hickok
By Jessica Hickok
I recently got an e-mail from my Flickr photo sharing account stating that a map company had requested to use a photo I had taken. The photo was a tourist-y pic of Fremont Street in Las Vegas that was taken on a recent trip we made there last summer. The map company was requesting to use it for one of their online publication maps promoting the eclectic street.
Don’t get too excited, I’m not getting paid for them to use the photo, but I am getting a credit byline on the interactive online map.
Fremont Street
They asked me for the byline credit link and the default was set to my Flickr user name. Although I like Flickr, I mostly use it for personal photos and I don’t use it that often. So I changed the credit to be given to my Web/blog site instead of my Flickr user name. Within weeks, I was amazed that my Web tracking stats were showing hundreds of hits on my web site that were coming from this online map Web site!
Then it hit me, posting pictures on Flickr (real estate related or not) can be just another way to drive traffic to your Web site. I haven’t received any phone calls from someone wanting to buy that overpriced listing that’s been on the market since last summer, but you never know. Nonetheless I am getting people hitting my Web site and all I did was upload a random photo to my Flickr account.
The moral of the story: Never underestimate the power of social media and a life well lived outside your job as REALTOR®. You’d be amazed at how they all intertwine within themselves. However, be warned young Jedi Warrior, it goes both ways… You must think before posting those “other” Vegas pics.
Jessica Hickok, a self-proclaimed blogging- and Twittering-fanatic, is with Dizmang Properties in Springfield, Mo. Visit Jessica’s blog: www.jessicahickok.com.
Stefanie Hahn
By Stefanie Hahn
LinkedIn- www.LinkedIn.com: This is one social media tool that I recommend for all real estate agents. LinkedIn is your Web 2010 resume. When consumers Google your name – and they are Googling your name – you want your LinkedIn profile to show up in the results.
What is LinkedIn? In a nutshell, it’s your online resume, complete with recommendations. Spend some time setting up your LinkedIn profile and really building out your information, start connecting with your sphere of influence: former colleagues, classmates, group members, vendors, and your past clients; then work on scoring a few solid recommendations.
If you are new to social networking, LinkedIn is a nice smooth way to slide into the hot tub. You have to put the work into your profile initially and then spend some time reaching out to your connections, but after that, LinkedIn can become pretty passive. You can easily manage your profile and connections in just five minutes a day.
There are a few questions/concerns that I seem to get over and over again with regard to LinkedIn that I am addressing specifically in this post. Continue reading »
Recent Comments