Social Media Marketing/Networking for Investors

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Social Media Marketing/Networking for Investors

Monica Breckenridge
Rental Property Investor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2010 · 476 posts · 305 votes

Hi guys, I just created a new group called "Social Media Marketing/Networking for Investors". I'm starting to get overwhelmed trying to keep up with all the changes in social media marketing. I thought this would be a great place for us to all share ideas and strategies.

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Charles Hill
Multi-family Investor · Vancouver, British Columbia · Member since 2011 · 56 posts · 6 votes
14y

I have a Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn account for our real estate business in Canada. I agree with Josh's take, "On Twitter, I think you should absolutely have a separate business and personal account. Use the personal to connect with people personally, and the business to provide service to your customers, to announce news and deals, and to broadcast as the brand." I would love to work with you Monica and others who use social media for our RE business.

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  • Bryan Hancock
    Investor · Round Rock, TX · Member since 2010 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    14y

    You may have more success on the main board. Unfortunately the groups aren't really visited very much on BP for whatever reason.

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  • Monica Breckenridge
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2010 · 476 posts · 305 votes
    14y

    Is anybody here using Pinterest for your real estate business? If so do you have a business account and personal account?

    How about linked in. I have a personal profile which I primary use and I don't really use my business profile. Should I be doing more with my business profile on LinkedIn?

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  • Joshua D.Pro Member
    BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    14y

    I just opened a Pinterest account, but have no plans on using it. I see it as another fad site, despite its popularity. Other than perhaps some SEO benefit, I have no reason to use it.

    As for LinkedIn, I think it is an incredibly valuable resource. I'll utilize groups from time to time for things like hiring, getting recommendations, and connecting, but that's about as far as I go.

    The big question here is "what are you using these sites for?" There's always going to be the new shiny, fancy social site (Pinterest), or social game, but ultimately, most will be irrelevant to you.

    The only sites that matter to me are Twitter (communication channel), Facebook (communication channel), LinkedIn (professional connection channel), Google+ (communication channel, discovery channel), BiggerPockets, and a site for startups that I'm a part of. Other sites will come and go, and some will supplant those eventually, but for now, any more and I'll be spread too thin.

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  • Nathan Emmert
    Investor · San Ramon, CA · Member since 2011 · 1k+ posts · 569 votes
    14y

    I added my real estate company to my LinkedIn profile but it's still mostly my professional job. I did network with a few RE contacts, realtors, agents, inspectors, etc. There are also a few RE groups there but they seem mostly geared towards agents vs investors.

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  • Monica Breckenridge
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2010 · 476 posts · 305 votes
    14y

    My goal with social media is to get more customers for Pink Realty (buyers, sellers, people needing to do a short sale, property management) My goal for my investment company is to buy more houses and to reach out to distressed sellers or motivated sellers.

    I am utilizing facebook heavily, but for linked in business I'm not quite sure. I do utilize my personal profile a lot.

    I'm not really sure how pinterest can benefit our business yet. I'm still looking into it and reading up on it. I do know that mostly women use it and I do attract a lot of female clients due to my PINK marketing theme. I also know that many of the female's in the household make the decisions as far as real estate for the family. They chose the house they want to buy for the most part and they mostly make the choice to seek help when they are struggling.

    I just started to use twitter. I have a personal account for twitter but no business accounts. Should I set up one for Pink Realty and Pink Real Estate.

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  • Joshua D.Pro Member
    BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    14y

    Monica Breckenridge - I think you are thinking correctly about your approach, but again urge people to ask themselves to consider (as you have) how and why they are "using" these different sites.

    On Twitter, I think you should absolutely have a separate business and personal account. Use the personal to connect with people personally, and the business to provide service to your customers, to announce news and deals, and to broadcast as the brand.

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  • Monica Breckenridge
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2010 · 476 posts · 305 votes
    14y

    Ok sounds good. It's so overwhelming because I have 3 business's plus me personally so that's 4 accounts on each site I have to maintain. WOW!!!

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  • Joshua D.Pro Member
    BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    14y

    That's why you pick the 2-3-4 sites that are most appropriate and focus your energy there. Otherwise, you'll very easily get overwhelmed.

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  • Karen MargraveBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Realtor, General Contractor, and Developer · Redding, CA · Member since 2009 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    14y

    Has anyone here used Hootsuite to manage all your social media? I looked at it, and it seemed like it might be good.. but decided instead to just keep social media stuff to a minimum, as I don't want to be a slave to it. I have a website for our business, a Facebook page linked to that (sometimes) and Biggerpockets.

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  • Monica Breckenridge
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2010 · 476 posts · 305 votes
    14y

    I haven't used it but I did see it get posted in LinkedIn under my social media group. They did recommend it there. I see it's free for up to 5 profiles. I might check it out tomorrow.

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  • Keith Lutz
    Real Estate Agent · Hackettstown, NJ · Member since 2011 · 206 posts · 62 votes
    14y

    IMO, I would only deal with One Twitter account. FB is different with personal and business.

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  • Joshua D.Pro Member
    BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    14y

    I respectfully disagree with Keith Lutz on this one. Of course, you'll need to figure out what works best for you. My opinion might change if I were operating more than just one personal and one business account.

    In the age of social media, not having a business account on the major networks is akin to not having business cards, a telephone, or email address for your company.

    I know that if I can't find contact info or a contact form on a company's website (which amazingly still happens), I can always turn to their Twitter, Facebook (etc) profiles to get in touch. If I can't find those, I definitely question the legitimacy of the operation.

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  • Charles Hill
    Multi-family Investor · Vancouver, British Columbia · Member since 2011 · 56 posts · 6 votes
    14y

    I have a Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn account for our real estate business in Canada. I agree with Josh's take, "On Twitter, I think you should absolutely have a separate business and personal account. Use the personal to connect with people personally, and the business to provide service to your customers, to announce news and deals, and to broadcast as the brand." I would love to work with you Monica and others who use social media for our RE business.

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  • Monica Breckenridge
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2010 · 476 posts · 305 votes
    14y

    Give me examples of what you guys are posting to your we buy houses social media. Are you posting market updates? Is what your doing working?

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  • Joel OwensBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Canton, GA · Member since 2010 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
    14y

    Use to I would post to about 50 different social networking sites.

    There was a way to post to all 50 at once with an update with technology we are using.

    I have found though that these social network sites start out free but then when they grow to a certain point try to get money for the site.They want to do this to be able to sell it off.What happens with most is they poop out and lose money.

    I used to have profiles set with a one way back link to my sites from high PR websites.Many either went out of business or cleaned up their profile pages to where you have to pay a few hundred a year to belong.

    I dumped those sites and just let the profile be cleaned out.I have other ways to do SEO now and I don't need those sites.Don't be a slave to a site because then you have no control of your SEO for your business.

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  • Joshua D.Pro Member
    BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    14y

    I think we should probably have 2 discussions . . . one about using social for SEO and another for using social for social sake. I think they are very difference conversations.

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  • Don KonipolBusiness Member
    Investor · The Woodlands TX / Avon, CT · Member since 2009 · 6k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    14y

    Right you are Joshua. I am about to make a modest investment in professional SEO (I HOPE it's professional!), and I have been told that Google now regards links to social networks very important in their rankings.

    I think of social networking as a more powerful version of the physical networking I did 10 - 30 years ago, and SEO as akin to the publicity and advertising I used to use extensively. The main difference being that virtual networking can be much quicker and much more powerful - or it can be quite useless and detrimental if done improperly.

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  • Monica Breckenridge
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2010 · 476 posts · 305 votes
    14y

    I read and heard from social media people that you need to post something at least once a day but it can't be ME ME ME!!! It needs to be informative information which will make the customer want to use your service. The social media expert I spoke to said that it can take sometimes 6months to 1 year to start seeing results. There is a lender in my town that has been posting U tube video's everyday and he said that has given him a ton of business.

    So what to post on my We Buy Houses Social Sites. This is what I was thinking and tell me if I'm off:
    --Every time we have a closing with a person who sold us their home, I'll post of picture of the client and the details of the transaction.
    -We can give tips on selling their home in a down market (with hopes that they come back to us as a last resort if they can't sell)
    -Give informative info on short sales and how it could help them

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  • Joshua D.Pro Member
    BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    14y

    Don Konipol - Just be VERY careful in choosing the SEO company. I've seen FAR too many people get burned. I know a few people that I recommend for SEO, and that's it. I'm happy to provide some recommendations if you're interested. Otherwise, do your due diligence big time!

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  • Don KonipolBusiness Member
    Investor · The Woodlands TX / Avon, CT · Member since 2009 · 6k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    14y

    Thanks Joshua. Please give me your recommendations.

    Private Mortgage Financing Partners, LLC
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  • Monica Breckenridge
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2010 · 476 posts · 305 votes
    14y

    Joshua Dorkin I got burned with an SEO company. I was paying $1000 a month for SEO and the only traffic I got was people actually typing in my company name or links from my U tube Virtual Tour Video's. I cancelled it and am now working with another company to re-build my website's. They do SEO as well, but I'm very hesitant. If you don't mind sharing that contact I would love to call them.

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  • Joshua D.Pro Member
    BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    14y

    Don Konipol & Monica Breckenridge - I just you guys a PM.

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  • Keith Lutz
    Real Estate Agent · Hackettstown, NJ · Member since 2011 · 206 posts · 62 votes
    14y

    Joshua Dorkin, I will take your recommendation too on SEO, if you don't mind.

    For the best SEO advice, follow SEOMOZ, although they do not offer a service any more, I believe they partner with Distiller who does do SEO.

    Going back to twitter Joshua, in my mind, it is a social experience, personal experience, although a 1 to many broadcast, I would prefer to hear it from an individual than from a corporate veil. Once you start bringing all "business" into it, then it is marketing, and I don't want to be marketed too. IMHO.

    Plus, in Monica Breckenridge, who wants to keep up with the supply and demand of "x" amount of accounts/content. I would prefer to follow Monica, then 3 of her companies.

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  • Joshua D.Pro Member
    BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    14y

    Keith Lutz - I'll shoot you a PM.

    As for Twitter, here's the way we use it for BiggerPockets. Of course, we broadcast our articles and important industry news, or content. Otherwise, we also use it to make announcements about our company, we use it if there are ever issues with our website (downtime, for example), and we use it to interact with customers. We don't buy followers and don't just randomly follow people. I'd rather have followers that are targeted and interested, than 100,000 uninterested people.

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  • Joel OwensBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Canton, GA · Member since 2010 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
    14y

    "I was paying $1000 a month for SEO and the only traffic I got was people actually typing in my company name or links from my U tube Virtual Tour Video's."

    Holy crap.How do these people talk you into this stuff??

    Monica best thing you can do is share knowledge without the expectation of nothing in return whatever the medium (forum posts,social networks,bookmarking,videos,blogging,etc.)

    People will naturally be drawn to you by HELPING them.

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