What do you think LinkedIn is for? Is it just for people who are trying to find a new job? Should you only visit it if you want to recruit somebody? Or is it one of the best ways to grow your real estate business? If you chose the third option, you are correct. In fact, HubSpot, reports that LinkedIn is three times more effective at generating business leads than Facebook or Twitter. And since leads result in more sales and more money in your pocket, it is clear that LinkedIn cannot be ignored.

Here are 10 ways real estate pros can effectively use LinkedIn to increase their online exposure.

Remember, It’s Not Facebook
First, you should realize that LinkedIn is not like your other social networking sites. LinkedIn is all about business, and you better keep things professional. So no sharing that funny meme your Aunt Linda showed you, and no posting pictures of what you are eating for dinner or your funny cat. There are plenty of other sites for that.

Make Sure Your Profile and Company Page Are Complete
Since you are a real estate practitioner and independent contractor, you have your own professional brand, thus, you should have both a personal profile and a Company Page. Each one should be filled out completely. Not only should every detail be included—like your website, links to your other social media profiles, any awards or certifications you have, and past companies you have worked for—but it should be displayed in a way that is easy to read and engaging.

Include Keywords
Just like you do with your website and blogs, your profile and Company Page should be keyword rich. When people want to find a “real estate agent in Massachusetts,” for example, you want to make sure you show up.

Share Plenty of Content
When you are deciding which content to share on LinkedIn, always have the goal of helping others, but make sure the type of information varies. On one day, post an informative article on a new development in real estate, and on the next, share an opinionated blog post about what agents are doing wrong. Make sure you’re not just sharing your own content. Those who are successful in social media understand that it can’t always be about YOU.

Publish Directly on LinkedIn
Not only should you be sharing loads of information, you should also be writing your own. One thing that makes LinkedIn unique is that it allows you to publish your content for all of LinkedIn to see. They are referred to as long-form posts, and you definitely need to be taking advantage of them. Not only does it make you look more credible when you have them on your profile, but they are searchable both on and off LinkedIn. People do not have to be in your network to view them, and they are able to connect with you directly from the post. This is an invaluable tool for growing your network and establishing your expertise in the real estate industry.

Study Your Analytics
LinkedIn is very generous in the amount of information they provide to you. They tell you exactly which of your posts received interactions and which ones didn’t. You should study these analytics thoroughly so that you can capitalize on what people like and avoid the stuff they don’t.

Connect with Everyone
There has never been, and never will be, a rule that you are only allowed to connect with people that you know on LinkedIn. You should do searches for locals in your area, other agents, home appraisers, mortgage brokers, and anyone else you want. The thing is, there is no such thing as too big of a network. You never know where each connection will lead you. Over the years, I have seen some really shortsighted agents who say, if they don’t know them then they won’t connect. This might be prudent thinking on Facebook, but not on LinkedIn!

Capitalize on LinkedIn Real Estate Groups
One of the hidden gems on LinkedIn is the group feature. They are the difference between agents who really drive traffic back to their website and those who don’t. However, there is a proper way to use them.

You should look for groups within your industry—or groups that contain your target niche or market—that have enough members to get you exposure, but not so many that you get lost in the shuffle. Aim for between 1,000 and 5,000 members. You can also join a few of the larger groups for when you are sharing something of a more general nature.

When you interact within the groups, remember that you are there to add value. You should respond to others’ questions, give your opinions, share advice, and ask questions that make people think. You should not post links to your site unless it is something of value.

Don’t try to be active on too many groups at once, or you will not be able to provide anything useful to any of them. Instead, choose three or four that you really think could boost your exposure and make sure to check-in with them several times per week. Some excellent real estate groups to take a look at joining are The National Association of REALTORS®, Real Estate Professionals Group, and Real Estate Professional Referral Group.

Once you are part of a conversation, don’t leave it unfinished. Always go back to see if anyone has responded to what you said.

After you have established yourself within the group, you can start asking your own questions and solicit feedback. If you ask one that garners a lot of attention, you will even be featured as a top contributor within the group, increasing your visibility tenfold.

Start Your Own Group
If you are really ambitious, it could be time to found your own group. This puts you in the driver’s seat, and, if done correctly, can really catapult your recognition in the real estate industry. In order to set the precedent, you should set up an auto-email that goes out to all new members welcoming them to the group and setting the ground rules (like no soliciting). You can also let them know that you will be sending out weekly or monthly emails with industry resources and tricks of the trade.

Help Others
Finally, you should take a few minutes each day to endorse and recommend other people. They will appreciate the gesture and may even return the favor.

If you need help with your LinkedIn and other social media marketing let REVStaffing help you to achieve your goals and increase your potential! Complete a complimentary needs analysis survey, send us an email, or call 855.REVS.VA1 today!

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Writing for an article directory differs somewhat from writing for your blog or website. While on your website or blog, you can talk about your history, explain why you are the best agent in the area and describe specific properties, these articles have to be informational but free of sales content. Read on for more details about writing for article directories.

Choose Effective Keywords

Good content for article marketing starts with keyword research. Choosing good keywords means your content will be more visible in the search engines, translating into more traffic to the article and then to your website or blog. An effective keyword or keyword phrase is one for which there are many monthly searchers and fewer web pages competing for the traffic. With fewer web pages competing for the same traffic, your article can rank higher in the search engines. The Google AdWords Keyword Tool is free and a good choice for keyword selection.

Write a Good Title and Subheadings

Start your article with a strong title. It should be relevant to your content, short and catchy. You want a title that will draw people in and make them want to read your content. Many people are drawn in by how-to titles, titles that ask a common question and those containing numbers, such as 5 Steps to Selling Your Home.

Include at least a few subheadings in your article. Subheadings help break up long blocks of text and give readers some idea of what to expect from the content below them. Include your keyword or keyword phrase in at least one of your subheadings.

Provide Informational Content

Think about the questions your audience wants answered and the problems it wants solved, and then write your content to provide solid answers and solutions. For article marketing, however, you’ll have to do this in a purely informational way. Provide general answers and solutions without discussing your business at all. For example, you could write about the qualities a person should seek in a real estate agent, but you can’t discuss your experience, skills, business, contact information or anything that could be considered selling your services. At the end of the article, often in a special resource section, you can mention your business and use a call to action to get readers to visit your website to learn more. This is where you’ll include links to your website or blog. Many article directories allow two or three links per article.

Length and Keyword Density

Each article marketing directory will have unique guidelines for article length and keyword density. It’s wise to familiarize yourself with them before you start writing. Generally, articles that contain between 400 and 700 words are good for article marketing. Most directories won’t accept very short articles, and you don’t want to give away too much by writing a very long article. Instead, stimulate readers’ appetites for the information you can provide, and then direct them to your website to learn more and get personal assistance.

Article marketing directories also differ in their preference for keyword density. If you use one keyword for every 100 words, however, you’ll meet most directories’ guidelines. In terms of percentages, many directories prefer a keyword density between one and four percent.

Let REVStaffing boost your productivity. Take the next step towards better organization and exposure for your business. Shoot us an email or give us a call for a free needs analysis.

What Is Article Marketing?

Article marketing is the creation of articles targeted towards a particular industry and then submitted to article directories. Article directories accept these types of submissions and typically sort them into subject-specific categories. Visitors to article directories can read your articles, and if interested, follow the links in them back to your website (or blog). Besides this traffic, article marketing also provides backlinks that boost your website’s page rank. Additionally, articles you submit this way are usually included in the search engines, providing another potential source of traffic.

Why Do It?

Getting targeted traffic to your website often requires a multi-pronged approach, and article marketing can be a reliable addition to your efforts. Most article directories allow you to post for free, which means your only cost is the time it takes you to write and submit articles or the money you pay another writer to do this for you. If you choose high-quality article directories with good page ranking, you get excellent exposure for your articles, backlinks that boost your own page rank, and search engine indexing for each submission. Additionally, other website owners can use your articles on their websites as long as they keep your links and bio in place. This means more backlinks and increased views each time your article is used.

What Type of Articles?

Most directories do not accept articles that are obviously salesy. To have your articles accepted, you’ll need to provide content that is informative and relevant to your subject. Articles that provide real value to the reader and stimulate interest are the most successful. For example, rather than write all about your particular real estate business, you would write about real estate in general (tips for buying and selling, advice for choosing an agent, or guidance for preparing a home for sale). You would use the links and bio the article directory allows to draw readers from these general articles back to the business-promoting content on your website.

The Resource Box

This is where you can be a bit more salesy. The resource box is a section at the end of the article in which you CAN promote your real estate business. Usually, you are allowed two or three links here. The idea is to write a short but compelling pitch that makes your reader want to learn more by clicking your links. For example, you might answer some important real estate questions in your article but leave readers hungry for more. In such a case, the pitch in your resource box should make it clear that they can learn more by following your links.

Let REVStaffing boost your productivity. Take the next step towards better organization and exposure for your business. Shoot us an email or give us a call for a free needs analysis.

Agent Profiles

A YouTube video can be excellent for showing a little personality and giving prospects a reason to choose you as their agent. The text profile on your website gives prospects insight into your expertise and experience, and your profile photo helps them put a name to your face. But with a video, you can use your smile, facial expressions, body language and winning personality to attract potential clients. This allows prospects to get to know you in advance and feel more confident about choosing you.

Neighborhood Tours

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video can be worth 10 times as much. It can be difficult to do a neighborhood justice with static photos and text. With a high-quality video, however, you can bring a neighborhood to life. The key here is to do more than use a video to “show” a neighborhood. Instead, create a video that tells the neighborhood’s story. It should demonstrate the best the neighborhood has to offer, show off some key points of interest and give the viewer a feel for the local flavor.

Property Tours

You can also use YouTube to post videos of featured properties. Of course, you’ll want to present each property in the best possible light, which means creating videos that are free of clutter, out-of-control foliage and anything else that could be a turn off. You can include pricing and other important information in your video and provide links back to the related listing.

Question-and-Answer Sessions

Real estate buyers and sellers are full of questions, and you can use YouTube videos to answer them. As with your agent profile, these videos allow viewers to get to know you and get a feel for your personality. Viewers will benefit from the informative answers you provide and learn whom to contact for more information. When they’re ready to get started with the buying or selling process, they’ll remember how helpful you were and contact you!

Let REVStaffing boost your productivity. Take the next step towards better organization and exposure for your business. Shoot us an email or give us a call for a free needs analysis.