In today’s world, one of the most practical things any real estate agent can do is engage in online communities, particularly that of Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Foursquare. Of course, these are highly beneficial for many reasons, including the fact that they promote engagement. But what most agents really haven’t taken the time to explore is each community’s capacity in terms of direct conversion.
Checking In Leads to Sales
Sure, you can log into your FB account, check a local real estate company/agents page and find out about homes for rent or sale. Likewise, you will find information about upcoming events and dates, media (i.e. pictures, video, etc…), industry specific news and current trends.
But if real estate agents harnessed the power of GPS, direct sales would become way more efficient. If you’re a seller or agent, you can simply Check Into Facebook Places by making your location/address visible to all of your fans and followers. Once posted, potential buyers now have the knowledge that a phone call could have delivered, but way more as well. Visitors can view home information, real-time updates from current attendees and pricing and availability directly from this newly created location page (Home Address typically).
Location is Everything in Real Estate
Likewise, you can upload your location through your pc via Twitter and Google+. In fact, foursquare is direct vehicle channeling event information to users. Now that the web has gone mobile, smart phone users are relying on their phones for this type of information. Provided your location/GPS are both turned on, you can utilize apps like “find my friends” to search and locate other people using the same app with similar permissions. Provided, FB and Foursquare are much better for giving full access to real-time status updates, comments and media. With the addition of Google+, users can much more easily upload a selected location for which their friends, family and acquaintances (i.e. – real estate agents) can view. Perhaps agents would be interested to know which homes you’re viewing without them!
Realistically, not every opportunity that pops up will get through to you directly from your agent. In today’s busy world, it’s difficult to manage multiple clients and their associated wants and needs. Having said that, the ability to upload this information directly to your fan base is highly beneficial. Of course, not every home will be of interest to an agent’s clientele. FB, Foursqure and + all provide ways to filter updates, events and locations to certain groups of people or friends. In addition, it doesn’t yield favoritism. If you have multiple clients with similar needs, it would be of best interest to present the opportunity to view and talk about potential home purchases, whether or not the communication is digital.
All in all, the power of geosocial location is enormous, particularly in the hands of a real estate agents. For somebody who’s always on the move, FB Places, Foursquare, Google + and Twitter are great messaging services for providing important and relevant content to fans, followers and future clients.
Photo courtesy of Douglas Elliman Real Estate Company, Agents for New York City Rentals.
This is a guest post by Erik Braunitzer of Douglas Elliman Real Estate Company, Agents for New York City Rentals
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Filed under Internet Marketing by on Nov 16th, 2011. 
October 2011 – #NSCAM (National Cyber Security Awareness Month)
The meshing of online with physical environments is best exemplified by the seemingly ubiquitous influx of location-based services. Such services may, in exchange for your announcing your presence (checking in) offer you, their customer a discount, fame as a frequent visitor, or other inducements to announce to your following (and beyond) that you not only use the merchant’s services, but you also are proudly telling others that you are present at their establishment. Clearly makes sense. Merchant builds an identifiable clientele, will to announce on a regular basis their presence within.
From my optic, as long as you know the answers to the following questions, then you have the necessary information required to measure the risk versus gain of announcing your physical location to the virtual/online world.
- Announcing where you are is also announcing where you aren’t, is that a problem? For you or your family?
- How does the location-based service provider store your personal information (profile)?
- What security and privacy surrounds your profile data?
- How is your location data shared with your “friends?”
- Can an individual not known to you access your location without your knowledge?
- If you look at your check-in’s can you discern a pattern of when and where you will be at a given time? Can others?
- How can your data be collated by someone, other than yourself?
- Can your data be collated without your explicit permission?
- If your data is collated or archived by others would you know?
- Are you able to review your check-in’s and remove or edit these?
Location based services are here to stay, have great viability and absolutely increase the interaction between individuals and merchants, as well as serve to identify individuals with similar interest. Know that well-intentioned services have a positive side, but also may also be used to your detriment. If you are satisfied with the answers to the aforementioned questions, then make your decision to share or not to share.
Filed under Internet Marketing by on Oct 8th, 2011.
WhosHere, the popular location app made by myRete, reached a big milestone recently by surpassing 3 million downloads. The app was also helpful in putting a sex offender behind bars, according to Stephen Smith, the co-founder of myRete.
He told WebProNews that because WhosHere does not tolerate inappropriate behavior, it is one of the worst places for someone to try to commit a crime. The app has also been included in FBI presentations to schools regarding online safety.
Although the app is currently only available on the iOS platform, Smith said that it would likely appear on other platforms in the near future.
Filed under Internet Marketing by on Jun 11th, 2011.
