Brodie Stephens- Broker Associate Selling Homes in Folsom | Placerville | Pollock Pines | El Dorado Hills | Elk Grove | Roseville | Rocklin

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Realtor’s have naturally gregarious personalities. They can strike up conversations with strangers in the strangest places at the oddest times. They can shoot the breeze with ease and laugh off most situations without hesitation… so why is so many real estate professionals turn into nervous Nellies online?

Is it the change of medium? The uncertainty of who can see the conversations? The fear of mistyping? Thinking they have nothing to say? All of the above?

Since there are typically some hurdles to overcome in translating your offline personality to the online world, below are some helpful hints to get you situated into the world of the world wide web without the worry.

Hint #1: Go places other than real estate forums and be friends with more than just your colleagues. Find people and pages that talk about your hobbies and interests and start conversations there first – you’ll feel more at ease talking about your favorite non-business subject at first.

Hint #2: Observe what others are saying on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and comment back in the same way you would if you were face-to-face. Don’t worry that others can see your comment or what they might think – chances are others will be commenting as well and you might meet a new person through mutual commenting.

Hint #3: Own your expertise. You are the expert in real estate in your social sphere. Remind yourself that this is the area that you shine in and be proud of your knowledge. Look for others in the field to learn from and find ways to educate those who may need advice.

Hint #4: Don’t look at social networking as a means to an end. When you turn friendships into work (either on or off line) it shows. Enjoy your time online and only do what feels natural and all right for you. It make take some time to assimilate, but you should be happy with the conversations and interactions you have, not worried, frustrated or hassled. Social networking isn’t for everyone so if you try it out for a few months and still don’t like it, ask for some assistance on what may be troubling you and if that doesn’t work then use what you like, the phone, face-to-face interactions and other means. Online tools should never replace a firm handshake and welcome smile anyway.

A URL shortener like Bit.ly will not only make your blog posts or links to other sites shorter and cleaner looking (and you can easily fit them into sites like Twitter or text message them) but the service also tracks the number of hits to that particular shortened URL. This means if you write a blog post, then shorten the URL with Bit.ly, post that link to Facebook, Twitter and email it to relevant clients, family and friends – you can track how many people you’re driving back to your site. Bit.ly will remember all of the URLs you’ve shortened and keep them in a simple, easy to use dashboard.

To recap, here are the steps to using a URL shortener to track your social media ROI:

1. Choose URL of page you want to share. A blog post, your website, a news article, etc.
   TIP: If choosing a blog post, be sure you’ve chosen the actual post you’re referencing, not the entire blog website.
2. Go to bit.ly and sign up for an account so it will remember all of your URLs so you can come back and check on clicks.
3. Paste the link you want to shorten in the shaded “Shorten with bit.ly” area 
4. Copy the shortened URL and post it to Twitter, Facebook, send via email, or however else you like.
5. Go back to bit.ly and see how many clicks you’re getting!

Image by laihiu via Flickr

It seems to be a hot topic for debate, which phone Realtors should use in their business and personal life. As cellular carriers have pretty much equalized price-wise, the debate truly becomes about which device best suits you and your lifestyle. For real estate pros, I can’t say enough good stuff about getting a phone that utilizes “apps” or mobile applications. Apps are easy to use buttons that you can download onto your device (and the iPhone and Droid both come with some installed already) that are guaranteed to make your life easier.

Why do you need apps beyond basic Internet browsing? The apps are great on the go and are designed to work specifically with your mobile device. An example, instead of logging into the Southwest Airlines website to check in for my flight, I could do it directly from my application with two clicks. I could also easily check flight status, get reduced airfare notifications and make car reservations. Apps also tend to be faster than most mobile browsing options and require fewer steps to complete the same task – saving you time!

So what apps should you check out? Here are some of my must haves:

• A mapping app like Google Maps. This usually comes installed already and is a real lifesaver when on the road, in an unfamiliar town or if you’re searching for something generic like “Mexican food” it will give you a list of the places closest that fit your search including phone number, website (if applicable) and directions via car, public transit or on foot.
• Mobile banking. I love my mobile banking application because it allows me to easily check account statuses, transfer funds and pay bills from my phone without ever having to log into my laptop. This is especially helpful for busy months or trips out of town when you need to pay PG&E so the lights are still on when you return.
• Facebook and Twitter. The easiest ways to keep up with these popular social networking sites are via your mobile device. Post instant updates, check in quickly, and avoid time sink holes like Farmville by using the easy mobile application that gives a basic version of the more densely populated home page.
• A photo posting app. I use TwitPic and Flickr. Use this app to quickly snap photos of homes for sale, your proud new buyers and much more to get posted in a simple couple of clicks. This will distribute your photos to the web so you can get them out to interested people. If you have the Facebook app, you can upload photos directly from your mobile device to Facebook pages – just remember that your business page should be the only page that you post open house and real estate related photos to, based upon Facebook’s terms of service.
• Yelp! This app will not only help you keep an eye on what consumers are saying about you, but also allows you to make good recommendations to buyers and sellers looking for various services or products.
• Traffic.com or other traffic app. This can save you a bunch of time and frustration by knowing whether the traffic you’re encountering is clearing up (so you can stay the course) or getting worse (so you can get off the road and grab a drink, reschedule meetings, etc.) and construction timetables, hot spots (to check before you leave your current location) and much more. The traffic.com app has an easy to use interface that works well for quick checks.

If you’re worried you’re making the wrong phone choice – take a look at TryPhone.com – a service that will allow you to try out the phone online before you buy it. This service actually allows you to virtually “press” buttons, maneuver through the various screens, etc. so you know if the phone really fits you and your lifestyle.