Lessons From the First Ever Virtual Real Estate Barcamp

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Yesterday was a first in the world of real estate.  The first ever Virtual real estate Barcamp was held with 27 presentations in three simultaneous webinars.  The subject matter was as varied as the presenters.  From Stefan Swanepoel’s enlightening thoughts on Social Media Trends in 2010 to Matthew Fetick’s 10 Tech Tools and Tips.  This was all possible due to the efforts of Jim Cronin and his cronies (he’s probably never heard that before) at the Real Estate Tomato.

Lessons Learned… Ideas flowing

If you didn’t get a chance to get in on the webinars today I’m pretty sure they will all be available for free.  Keep an eye at VREBC.com for updates or follow them on facebook.  I consider myself pretty on top of most things related to technology and social media in the world of real estate but I gleaned a few interesting things from today’s event that I’d like to share…

1. Stefan Swanepoel convinced me that the basics of social media are no longer enough.  There’s too many people in the conversation… too much noise.  To rise above it and earn people’s trust and business you have to do more.  50-90 minutes of purposeful networking per day is what it’s going to take.  He used a great analogy… Become the conductor of your social media symphony.  While one instrument may make beautiful music, a planned, cohesive, concerted effort of will from many different instruments will create a fuller, richer experience.
2. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been neglecting video.  As Howard Hughes would say, “It’s the wave of the future.”  There are so many ways an opportunities to powerfully brand and market yourself and your services with video on YouTube alone that it’s staggering.  Create a branded channel, create playlists, create videos.  Then share them, embed them, email them, and syndicate them.  This is at the top of my list for early 2010.
3. Here’s one for you… add yourself and your business to wikipedia.  It always comes up at the top of search rankings and is a trusted source (even though it’s user generated content…. what isn’t these days?)
4. 14% of people trust traditional advertisements…. 78% trust their peers.  Make testimonials an integral part of your marketing plan.
5. Become hyperlocal in 2010.  Learn about Spatial Match, long-tail subsites, and lifestyle searches.

I could go on but I invite you to take a look at the site and view some of the recordings to get your own take.  I know some of you out there had a chance to watch and interact (there were nearly 2,000 registered attendees) so what did you get out of it?  What would you like to see addressed next time?

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.