Social Media Panel | ULI Atlanta | Atlanta Real Estate Forum

With the release of Google+, the latest social network site, discussions about social media have been buzzing! There?s no doubt that you need to get into this evolving world, but there are too many potential starting points. What?s the best channel to use? More importantly, how do you use social media effectively?

These questions and more were answered at an event held by ULI Atlanta, The Evolving World of Social Media in Real Estate. The event was held on Tuesday, July 26 at Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan and was a great success!

The event?s panel was moderated by commercial real estate reporter Doug Sams of the Atlanta Business Chronicle and included John Cantrell, Life @ HOK blog contributor and Sustainable Design Leader; Carol Flammer, managing partner at mRELEVANCE and president of Flammer Relations; and Toby Bloomberg, president of Bloomberg Marketing.

The first topic of discussion was social media tips. Carol advised that the social media mix is always changing, so blogs should be the ?engine? of your program. Plus, blogs create more SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for your website! John, another expert blogger, piped in that blogs should be genuine and connect with your audience. Toby piggybacked this by stating that you have to know who you want your audience to be before you begin blogging.

These tips led to a discussion about the trends of social media in real estate. John stated that one trend is the reluctance to get started. He advised to build a crowd and join a crowd, whether that is by blogging or engaging on other sites like Twitter. Toby suggested that QR (Quick Response) codes, or matrix barcodes that are readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones, are interesting for real estate. With a scan of the QR code, a client can be taken to a site or video tour of homes and can be placed on brochures or other promotional material, such as signs. Carol added to this by saying that promos and coupons are big hits. Sites, such as House Tipper, are even offering Groupon-type deals for houses. She also stated that these types of deals help to build a fan base.

Are you still hesitant about social media? The panelists continued with success stories. Carol gave an example of a builder facing a 75% marketing cut, due to the real estate bubble of 2008. The builder decided to increase its social media program, and sales remained stable. In addition, 22% of traffic in 2010 of home models was due to this program. She also stated that buyers use social media. They even may ask questions and do their research on social media instead of going to an agent.

More ?takeaways? from this panel discussion included tips on managing, creating content direction and having accountability when it comes to social media usage. As John said, ?It?s like Netflix, people can ?watch? or pull it up any time they want.? So, watch what you say and don?t hinder your personal or company?s brand.

Overall, the event taught that social media is here to stay. It?s a great source of ROI (Return on Investment), increases SEO and builds up brands and reputations. Your real estate competitors probably use it. Isn?t it time you do?

Source: http://www.atlantarealestateforum.com/uli-atlanta-hosts-social-media-panel-48282/

malaria boston red sox cac santa cruz wm woodstock marvin gaye