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The second of two parts on using social networking to sell new home.
Many in the industry are probably familiar with the social networking site Facebook and sites such as Twitter and Blogger that can cross-post onto Facebook and provide additional visibility and outreach.
But there is one social networking site that every home builder, new-home salesperson and building industry professional should know about and participate in because it is one of the best for selling new homes.
Say hello to Active Rain.
What Facebook is as to general online networking, connecting and interacting, Active Rain is to real estate sales — and then some.
A Focused Real Estate Networking Site That Racks Up Big Numbers
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Active Rain is a dynamic network of more than 181,000 real estate professionals who list properties, generate leads and referrals and share information on their local markets and items of interest.
These industry professionals also help fellow members evaluate software and products, discuss financing and other sales related issues and blog about anything affecting their marketplaces or their businesses.
The site attracts more than 2.3 million visitors a month.
While Facebook and many of the other social networking sites have worldwide scope and appeal, Active Rain is a real estate-specific site with a primarily North American focus, although it does attract some participation from around the world.
Connecting, Interacting, Building Trust — Driven by Point System
Many social sites use some type of a point system — usually based on reputation, recommendations or profile content — to build followings and attract new members.
One of the beauties of the Active Rain point system is that it taps into the natural competitiveness of Realtors® and real estate salespeople to help members connect, interact and build trust.
For instance, Active Rain members earn points for being on the system; for having a profile — the more extensive it is, the more points you earn; for blogging; for commenting on other posts; and for receiving comments on your posts.
Another way to earn points is to invite others onto your network. Because this is a social network, members appreciate when an existing member invites someone new to join. That said, anyone interested in experiencing the Active Rain network is welcome to accept my online invitation.
Two Types of Membership — One Free, One Expansive
Active Rain offers two types of membership — a basic membership, which is free and enables members to post to “members only” within Active Rain; and a premium membership or Rainmaker account, which for a small monthly fee, enables members to post to the wider Internet and is indexed to Google and other search engines so that anything you post is searchable.
With the basic membership, you can use the site’s free blog platform to feature text, photos, slideshows and even clips from YouTube videos. To get started, all you need to do is begin posting.
Active Rain gives members the ability to create a private blog without really needing to know how to set it out. This is a tremendous plus for builders, on-site salespeople or building industry professionals who would like to have a blog platform but don’t want to create one or commit to any regular activity.
Increase Your Visibility
Active Rain enables members to increase their visibility in several ways — without their having to do anything special or difficult. These include:
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Accumulating More Points. The more points you have, the higher you will rank within your city and state, as well as within your general membership group.
Your membership group can include builders and contractors, salespeople, brokerages, stagers, sales agents, trainers, loan officers, mortgage companies, inspectors, appraisers, real estate attorneys, property managers, commercial builders and property managers, architect and other industry professionals.
While having a Rainmaker account enables your posts to be indexed on Google, which definitely will increase your page rank with your key words, your basic profile and contact information are indexed as soon as you join. Then, once you attain 5,000 points — not that hard to do — your entire profile, including your bio or company history, testimonials, awards, community descriptions and anything else you want to write, is indexed.
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Localism. Active Rain has a separate Internet presence called Localism that it says provides an “environment where residents and business owners can create a micro-social network uniquely attuned to their individual communities.”
Think of Localism as an online newspaper article or PR story where you can write about local happenings in your market area, festivals, newsmakers and your community’s lifestyle.
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Sponsorship. You can also gain visibility and additional prominence within your Active Rain group by sponsoring a page. Active Rain allows only one sponsor per page.
Versatility to Express Yourself and Increase Your Visibility
Active Rain provides many possibilities for you to express and present yourself — your profile, blog, search engine presence, networking, referrals, comments on posts, etc.
If you have a Rainmaker account and publish a blog of any length on any subject — as long as it’s your material and not just a copy of someone else’s — you can simultaneously tweet it to your Twitter homepage. Once you’ve done that, you can twitter or cross-post to your Facebook account and then, through Facebook, to you Plaxo online address book wall. From there you can cross-post to your Real Estate 411 wall — another real estate-only networking site.
So, if you want to promote your community, list completed homes, show virtual tours, drive traffic to a special event, connect with Realtors®, drive up your search engine presence, establish a network of professional friends, create an international referral base, connect with consumers, stay abreast of sales and marketing trends, stay atop changes to lending practices, develop a loyal following of professionals and consumers, test ideas and concept with a ready-made focus group, and more, you need to be a member of Active Rain.
Steve Hoffacker, MIRM, MCSP, CMP, CSP, CGP, CAPS, CAASH is the founder of Hoffacker Associates, a real estate sales and marketing consultant firm based in West Palm Beach, Fla. Hoffacker is a sales and marketing coach, business strategist, consultant, photographer, commercial real estate broker, podcaster, blogger, teacher, author, salesman, mentor and motivational speaker with 30 years in the building industry. Hoffacker is an NAHB national director and received the 2007 IRM President's Award and the 2008 Trina Ripley Award for Excellence in Education from IRM. For more information, e-mail Hoffacker, call him at 561-685-5555, or contact him through his social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Active Rain.
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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com, or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. Listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.
© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. All Rights Reserved.
Steve Hoffacker - Consultant, Coach, Author, Blogger, Photographer, Motivator, Teacher, & Strategist - for Realtors, Real Estate Sales Professionals, Home Builders, New Home Salespeople, Entrepreneurs, Small Business Owners, and Independent Sales Representatives.
