This article is a guest blogging contribution by : Rachel Hyun Kim

In a couple of weeks, Facebook’s Timeline will be permanently added to all users’ profiles. Though many users have already opted-in to try the new features, there is still a significant portion of the Facebook population that stays unaware.

Unfortunately, real estate professionals may find themselves in this segment; however, it is important to understand what Facebook Timeline has to offer. When optimized and used properly, Timeline can provide a wealth of benefits to the professional, ranging from lead generation to cultivating relationships with clients. Therefore, instead of frantically figuring out Timeline upon transition, take some time to learn about the imminent change to ease and adjust your profile at your own pace.

A Brief Summary of Facebook Timeline

Facebook Timeline is essentially a re-organization of the events and contents of a user’s profile, following a timeline format. Posts, photos, and memorable moments are shown, replacing the previous Profile and Wall format. The Timeline feature is relatively user friendly, allowing users to quickly edit what appears on their profile. However, there are a number of features that can take some time to learn and use.

5 Tips to Ease the Transition to Timeline

If the real estate professional currently switches to Timeline, they have seven days to privately edit and change their profile before it is shown to anyone else. Take advantage of this seven day period to learn about the following:

1. Cover Image

At the top of every Timeline profile is a cover image, a wide space in which users can place a picture. This picture takes up a significant portion of the profile; therefore, it is recommended that users place a picture that is distinctive and represents the individual. The size of the Timeline Cover image is 851px by 315 px, so make sure that your picture falls within these dimensions.

2. Life Events

Timeline offers a new type of status update, called the Life Event. Life Events allow users to highlight significant events in their lives, such as a marriage, a new job or the purchase of a home.  These events are divided into different categories, including “Work & Education” and “Family & Relationships”.  Once created, the Life Event is featured prominently on the Timeline, serving as a feature of the individual’s activity.

3. Past Events

When the user first signs onto Timeline, their profile is automatically filled with past events and photos, highlighting memorable events from the past. However, some events are not so memorable, and many users may feel the need to hide their past activity. On every status box, there is a small pencil icon, which gives users the option of hiding the event from their Timeline. In this case, the seven day grace period comes in handy: users are able to tweak and edit their profile until they create one that is ready for viewing.

4. Manual Control

Posts are separated into two columns, divided by a line down the middle of the two. By clicking on this line, users are able to manually add events and photos and feature them onto the Timeline. This feature allows for easy use, allowing users to quickly adding events throughout their Timeline.

5. Privacy

The new Timeline takes sharing to a whole new level, allowing users to see their friends’ activities, and look into their interests and media finds. However, if the user does not want their information to become deeply entrenched in Facebook, there are a number of privacy options that can be changed. When a user approves a new app onto their profile, they are given sharing options of whether they want activity to everyone or just a select few.

Understandably, a fair amount of Facebook users are resistant to change, preferring the old to the new. However, this change is inevitable, as Timeline will soon be implemented for all users. Take advantage of the next couple of weeks in order to make the most out of Facebook Timeline.

Photo Credit: guardian.co.uk

Rachel Hyun Kim is a writer on topics ranging from payroll processing companies to document scanning. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including VoIP phone systems for small business owners and entrepreneurs at Resource Nation.

In a previous article about YouTube marketing tips for Real Estate professionals, I shared a shocking statistic that only 12% of the Real Estate industry is present on YouTube!

Recently, I came across even more astonishing Real Estate Social Media stats that inspired today’s article.

According to a recent survey conducted by Movoto.com:

• 26% of Real Estate agents believe that social media is an important source of business
• Only 27% of the surveyed agents maintain blogs
• More than 50% of the agents using Twitter and Facebook do
  NOT update their social profiles regularly

These stats prove without the slightest shadow of doubt that:

Most residential real estate agents don’t feel at home with the money-making potential of social media – technorati.com

You Are Not Alone!

Aaron Eden, Garious founder, and Christopher Porter, On Ramp book co-author, have interviewed many Real Estate professionals in the past months. Almost all of them agreed that social media marketing’s major pitfall is the inability to develop a measurable social media strategy.

If you think about it, most businesses share the same complaint. However, the nature of a Real Estate business presents more challenges but the good news is that, when tackled intelligently, these so-called challenges can become blessings in disguise.

Let’s address some of the setbacks Realtors face on social media and what you can do to make them work in your favor.

RE-SM-Challenge 1: Ever-Changing Market = Mixed Up Brand Messages!

If a marketer is using social media to sell his infoproduct, his task is somewhat simple as he will be promoting one product to his target market but that’s not the case with Real Estate agents.

In his #OnRamp Twitter interview, Aaron Eden noted that: Real Estate pros have a different product they are marketing with each new client.

That’s partially one of the reasons why some Realtors dread using social media as they feel that they have to put on too many hats and keep changing their brand message to acquire clients. There is a way around that…

How Can Real Estate Professionals Unify Their Brand Message On Social Media?

The solution to this problem is much simpler than you think: Take some time to nail your target market definition. Try to get as specific and as detailed as you can in order to paint an accurate picture of your ideal client.

This way, you will be solving similar problems to different customers and the tips and insights you will blog about and share on social media will be relevant and useful to your very “narrow” niche market.

Check out this video tutorial to see a practical example of focused Real Estate marketing.

RE-SM-Challenge 2: Transaction Span Orientation Versus Slowly But Surely!

Real Estate professionals are accustomed to the transaction orientated mentality. In other words, they think short-term but social media marketing success does not happen overnight!

Social media savvy Realtors are well aware that social media works like a charm “slowly but surely”. In fact, one of the agents we interviewed indicated that it takes her blog readers 6 months on average to build enough trust in her to become interested her services which leads us to the third challenge…

RE-SM-Challenge 3: Consistent Social Presence!

As a Realtor, you have probably chosen this career because of the time freedom it offers. That’s why; it may be hard for you to commit to spending considerable time on social networks.

How much time you will decide to dedicate to social media will largely depend on your budget and business goals. If your time is limited, you can always delegate some SMM tasks to social media agencies or you can go for a cheaper option and hire freelancers.

In all cases, you need to maintain a consistent social presence because these are the rules of the social media marketing game!

The Mind boggling Question is…

In our relentless quest to find Real Estate professionals to feature in Garious On Ramp book, we have stumbled upon So many “deserted” social media profiles!

The mind boggling question is: If you haven’t tweeted since last year, how do you expect to stay memorable to your network?

There are so many ways to managing your social media time; delegation and automation (using SM tools) are just two examples. If you want to make the most out of every minute you spend on social media, I invite you to check out these articles:

• From a Mess To Success! 5 Twitter Time Management Tips For The “Twittaholics”
• 3 Ways Social Media Overload Can Help You Save Time!
• Social Media for Business (1) – Top 3 SMM Time Management Tips

A Challenge Or A Blessing Disguise?

After reading the tips presented to overocome the so-called social media challenges for Real Estate professionals, do you still perceive them as setbacks or do you have second thoughts? What additional social media issues you feel are most relevant to the Real Estate industry? Please share your thoughts in the comments

Few days ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Aaron Eden, Garious founder, on Twitter using #OnRamp hashtag as a symbol of Garious On-Ramp book.

Throughout the interview, Aaron will shed light on business innovation best practices, Garious journey, On Ramp book and his vision for the future.

As far as I see it, Garious is a masterpiece in the making and the interview says it all…

(My questions/comments are in blue. Aaron’s answers are in black)

Q1. “Innovation catalyst” whose “passion for discovery brought him on the path of entrepreneurship”. How did your innovative spirit influence your business journey?

I’ve always been a problem solver and an entrepreneur. In fact, I remember selling Ghostbusters 2 posters at grocery stores parking lots. When I started learning about design thinking, I realized that I could help others better solve problems.

Also, for Garious the learning caused us to change directions many times and we are now focused on helping Real Estate pros.

Q2. Interesting insights! Can you further elaborate on when, how and why Garious was launched?

The Garious scheduling tool was created to solve an itch that I had. Working full time plus 2 companies, I was really busy. I needed more time. So about 1.5 years ago I thought the best way to market @atreveteinc was to schedule posts to MANY social networks but I quickly learned this was totally wrong.

Soon afterward, I participated in the Lean Startup Machine in San Francisco, where I learned how to determine product/market fit which I didn’t have. I had built the tool with the wrong customers in mind.

Q3. I love the “product+ market fit” concept. Did your experience with selling Garious scheduling somehow trigger Garious’ recent focus on social media education?

Oh Yes! What I found was that people wanted to use Garious scheduler to automate all of their tweets and turn into robots! I had learned through the process of marketing Garious that bots were bad form, but lots of other business owners had not.

Bots and intelligent social media presence don’t “rhyme” indeed!

Definitely not! Personally, I feel most of the confusion stems from business owners not understanding their customers well.

So I started teaching people about how to put social media and Lean Startup together effectively. I was learning from my customers using these tools and realized that there were a lot of business owners that could use our help with social media

Q4. I guess this explains the practical, hands-on focus of Garious On-Ramp book. What were the criteria/processes/research techniques that led you to target Real Estate professionals in particular?

It was 50% educated guess and 50% existing network. Meaning that the @SmartGroupAZ team and I were putting together a one-day class and we had a lot of connections in that area.

The other 50% was due to the fact that Real Estate pros have a different product they are marketing with each new client. Because of this constant change, we thought it was a perfect place to start.

We found a lot of existing material/surveys that showed that the Real Estate industry was utilizing SMM well about 25% of times. When choosing your customer, start by taking a SWAG. Then, test to see if you were right or wrong. Nothing is permanent.

I know SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis. What does SWAG stand for?

SWAG stands for Super Wild Ass Guess. In other words, take a guess and see if you were right or wrong.

I see That’s hilarious but very true in essence. Successful innovative endeavors must involve “educated” guesses.

The key is to make that guess and then go test it. Typically, business owners make the guess and assume it’s always right.

That’s a critical point. Thanks for clarifying it, Aaron.

Q5. Now I am saving the best for last: What’s Garious vision for the future?

Once the book is finished I envision us providing other social media education products and services. My hope is to go really deep with a handful of industries and help transform their marketing efforts. We will focus on industries where the barrier to entry is really low and the complexity is high.

Honestly, I don’t know what the future holds, but I envision Garious making the lives of business owners better through education and coaching.

I also envision you interviewing @67tallchris about what it’s like to partner up with someone and write a first book!

Your vision is my command, Aaron . @67tallchris let’s setup an interview in the near future. I will email you all the exciting details…

Thanks, Aaron! Awesome interview. I’m sure our happy audience agrees. Am right or right? – A @T_Harv_Eker catch phrase!

I sure hope so I’d love to hear feedback from folks. What did you like, what do you wish was different?

You Heard Him Folks…

Now the mic is all yours. Please let us know your thoughts/comments/feedback…You name it

Did you know that YouTube is the largest search engine behind Google? Did you know that many social media experts (including Chris Brogan) predict that video marketing will skyrocket in 2012?

Here comes a shocker: According to a study by Postling.com, a staggering 73% of homeowners prefer to list with a Realtor who offers to videotape their homes. However, only 12% of the Real Estate industry is present on YouTube!

If you are unhappy with your YouTube presence, this article is for you. Let’s discuss very easy yet very effective tips to turn your YouTube channel into a client magnet!

To make things more interesting for you, we have compiled a list of 25 tweetable (140 character or less) YouTube marketing tips tailored to Real Estate professionals. Enjoy!

25 Profitable YouTube Marketing Tips For Savvy Realtors

Part 1: Awesome Ideas For Real Estate Videos

1. Create Video tours for available properties to help prospective buyers make an informed decision about the property

2. Create a welcome video that showcases your expertise and always keep it on top of your YouTube channel

3. Create testimonial videos featuring previous clients either in person or in writing

4. Turn some of your videos into a media kit to share with potential clients

5. Create video tours to the neighborhood to highlight its major attractions such as schools, community centers…etc.

6. Create videos discussing Real Estate trends in your area.

7. Create how-to videos for home sellers to help them get the highest possible price

8. Create videos for home-buying tips and best practices to increase buyers trust in your services

9. Congrats! We won the Realtor of the year award in your neighborhood. Capture this magical moment on video.

Part 2: Real Estate Video Production Tips

10. KISS: Keep your Real Estate videos short and sweet (3 minutes is good)

11. Take advantage of video annotations to share more videos with your audience or link back to your website

12. NEVER compromise quality! Taking a home-for-sale pics on your cell phone is a BAAD idea! Use a good camera.

13. NEVER compromise quality! Seek WellcomeMat community of Realtors and filmmakers to create full-motion Real Estate videos

14. Take advantage of YouTube create page to add special effects to your videos but do NOT overdo it!

15. Purchase royalty-free music for video voiceover from Royaltyfreemusic.com,istockphoto.com orMusicbakery.com

16. Make sure to include your full contact information in the video

Part 3: Real Estate Video Marketing and YouTube SEO Tips

17. Include search engine friendly keywords in your video file name Ex: “tucson-arizona-real-estate-agent-yourname.wmv”

18. Create a compelling title for your video and “sprinkle” keywords on it. Do NOT overstuff keywords!

19. Link to your personal website at the beginning of the description of ALL of your YouTube videos.

20. Use your targeted keywords in your YouTube video description and make it readable in bullet format.

21. YouTube video tags are very important. Make sure to include high traffic keywords there.

Part 4: YouTube Networking Tips For Real Estate Professionals

22. Treat YouTube as a social network & interact w/ ppl by subscribing to channels & sending friendship requests & private message

23. Respond promptly and informatively to people’s comments on your videos.

24. Thoughtfully comment on videos that are interesting to your target clients to increase your channel’s visibility.

25. YouTube Video response is a very powerful feature if used wisely. Send RELEVANT video responses to people.

Spread The Love <3

What’s your take on these tips? Which ones are you already applying and which are your absolute faves?

If you choose to tweet individual tips, please include the following hashtag in your tweet #OnRampRETips. Thanks in advance for sharing

We fell behind on our plan to release a new section of the book each week, but we will now continue our journey of helping real estate agents utilize the lean canvas to determine if they have a viable business model and create a social media marketing strategy through the same process.   Below is a section from our new “On-Ramp: Your Social Media Roadmap” book.  You can read the other sections of the book as well.

Have you ever wondered why most people make purchasing decisions based on friends’ recommendations and product reviews?

Because friends and reviews are neutral third parties, so when the say: “this brand rocks”, they are sincere about it. They are speaking from the heart without any hidden agendas or personal gain. That’s what makes the whole idea of creating and nurturing brand advocates so appealing to many businesses.

My bold claim today is that YOU, as a brand owner, can become equally credible to your potential customers. In other words, you have the capacity of becoming your own brand advocate. Don’t you love that thought?

My second bold claim is that reaching this worthy goal is super-easy if (and only if) you can…

“Internalize” The Value of Your Brand

As Mike Stelzner beautifully puts it, your brand message should be: How can I help you NOT what can I sell you?.

(This statement is in chapter 1 of his book “Launch”. For more information, you may check out Garious review of Michael Stelzner ‘s book)

As more businesses are coming to realize that social media is all about business humanization, I am seeing many people “decorating” their brand message with the “How can I help you?” flavor! The big question here is: Is it just fake icing on the cake or do they really really mean it?

In other words, some businesses are adapting to the rules of a new game and only “pretend” that they are eager to help others in order to fool prospects into buying their products and services. At the end of the day, they are NOT coming from a position of helping!

The problem with these “players” is that sooner or later their phony masks will fall and they can lose customer’s trust and respect in a heartbeat!

If you want to become your own brand advocate, you must be sincere about helping your customers. You must live, smell and breathe your brand’s value until it becomes ingrained in every aspect of your business. This way; people will easily trust your brand message because it is coming from the heart.

If my argument resonated with you but you are still not sure how to apply it, this tip will help you out.

Infuse The Word “Help” Into Your Target Market Definition

In his masterpiece “Awaken The Giant Within”, Anthony Robbins argued that changing your vocabulary can change your life. So, if you choose your target market segment based on the premise of: “Which niche market can I sell HELP the most?”, you will be headed in the right direction.

For example, if you are a Real Estate agent and also a parent, you may realize that your ideal customers are people with new born kids who need to move to bigger houses. Why would you consider them your ideal customers? Because you had the same experience and you know the ropes so you that you can offer them superior service.

You CAN Get The Best of Both Worlds…

If you take a close look at the legendary Stephen Covey, you will realize that he helped millions and made millions in the process. Enriching people’s lives and making a fortune can go hand-in-hand.

Compare Covey to some celebrities who make billions by sheer luck, without contributing something worthwhile to the world. Both of them are rich but vain celebrities are so miserable and some of them fall prey to drugs or end up committing suicide.

The tragedy of these celebrities is that they have no sense of purpose! The whole world is raving about them but they feel so empty inside. Sad but true!

The point I am making here is that helping others is a source of immense pleasure and the rush you feel when you put a smile on some one’s face is priceless. Do yourself a favor and give your brand a “sacred” value. Approach people as a giver, as a selfless helper, as a sincere advisor. You will be that glad you did!

What do you think? I love to know your thoughts in the comments.

As I was following up on the smashing success of Smart Trust book co-authored by Stephen M.R. Covey (son of the legendary Dr. Stephen R. Covey) and his partner Greg Link, I couldn’t help but think: Like father like son!

To get a feel of his latest masterpiece, I encourage you to listen attentively to Stephen’s interview with Bob Burg. You will be glad you did!

As I read through some of the book reviews on Amazon, they got me thinking about how businesses can apply the same principles to social media.

What People Are Saying About Smart Trust

According to Rodger Dean Duncan

This book is both amazing and important. It’s amazing because it thoughtfully analyzes the most critical issue of our time – trust – and does so in a way that’s easily digested and understood. It’s important because exercising the practices it espouses can produce profoundly positive outcomes.

Covey and Link elaborate on five specific actions that produce Smart Trust:
1. Choose to Believe in Trust
2. Start With Self
3. Declare Your Intent … and Assume Positive Intent in Others
4. Do What You Say You’re Going to Do
5. Lead Out in Extending Trust to Others

Mark Goulston, on the other hand, adds a very interesting insight:

The key to trusting more smartly is by doing what Covey and Link call a Smart Trust analysis which involves three variables:

1. Opportunity (the situation – what you’re trusting someone with)
2. Risk (the level of risk involved)
3. Credibility (the character and competence of the people involved)

So Far So Good! How Can “Smart Trust” Techniques Apply to Social Media?

If you think about it, social media marketing success is directly proportional to the degree of trust you can establish with your target market.

If you dig deeply through 99.99% of the social media experts tips you come across, you will notice that they all revolve around trust one way or another. (Some of the examples that come to mind include Chris Borgan’s Best Seller “Trust Agents” and Mari Smith’s “Relationship Marketing”.)

So, if you focus on cultivating “Smart Trust” on social media, the sky is your limit. Here are some tips to help you out…

1. Ace the Smart Trust Analysis Test!

Your entire social media presence (profile and interactions) should invite trust! Be transparent. Include a real picture of yourself, detailed contact information, have a brag moment and share your notable accomplishments, but don’t forget the “human” factor.

(Here is an interesting article that shows Real Estate professionals what makes great versus mediocre Twitter bios)

Looking closely at the 3 elements of smart trust: opportunity, risk, credibility, I would say that you need first and foremost to cultivate credibility.

In addition, you must work hard on eliminating the “risk factor” and highlighting the opportunities (services) people can enjoy by doing business with you which brings us to the next tip…

2. Nail Your Unique Value Proposition!

In previous articles we discussed, Lean Canvas business model and one of the sections that must be filled there is titled “Unique Value Proposition”. In plain English, it means that you must figure out what sets you apart from your competition.

You need to think long and hard about this part, and make sure to communicate it clearly to your target market. If unsure, the next tip can help…

3. Start With the End in Mind!

Define your ideal customer based on your own likes and interests. It is much easier to build trust with like-minded people because your interactions will be very natural and authentic.

In addition, you will easily find ways to offer them unconditional help which is the most effective trust “magnet” I can think of.

(Aaron Eden, Garious founder, details this process and gives specific exercises in his must-read article On Ramp: Determing Your Customer Segment).

Do You Trust Me?

What’s your take on the tips presented here? Did they resonate with you? What additional social media trust cultivating practices would you recommend? Your valuable contribution is much appreciated.

Last week, we shed light on Jay Thompson’s (@PhxREGuy) Twitter success story and I was impressed by how he fully grasped the unwritten rules of social media and used them to attract clients on Twitter.

Today, I will be sharing precious lessons, tips and insights inspired by his story. They can be summed up in the following equation:
Targeting + Soft Selling = Massive Social Media Success

This article is in built on Jay’s success story. Please make sure to read it before proceeding. You will be glad you did!

How Does “Phoenix Real Estate Guy” Attract Clients On Twitter?

Are you blown away? You are not alone! If you want to follow Jay’s tracks and turn Twitter acquaintances into brand advocates, you must…

1. Nail Intelligent Targeting

Jay was proactive in his approach as he tracked down a potential client and initiated a conversation with her. Using HootSuite to search for tweets including “moving” and “Phoenix” was Jay’s intelligent Twitter targeting technique.

From the first interaction, Jay knew for certain that he was starting a conversation with someone in his target market. Thus, all the time and effort he spent in nurturing this newly born relationship was an investment in place.

In a previous article, I argued that people who believe that social media is time consuming, shouldn’t spend too much time thinking of quick fixes or time management techniques. Instead, they need to have a solid social media strategy and a clear definition of their target market in order to focus their SMM resources on the right people.

As Mari Smith beautifully puts it, you need to be “particularly discerning people and brands (1) whose content you choose to share online, (2) with whom you choose to interact, and (3) with whom you choose to associate.”

(This statement is in chapter 2 of her book “The New Relationship Marketing”. For more information, you may check out Garious review of Mari Smith book)

The point I am making here is that social media is all about business humanization, but “business” is a keyword here. In other words, you need to think strategic and focus on associating with people who serve your business objectives and that’s exactly what intelligent targeting is all about.

If you want to dig deeper into this important topic, I recommend these articles:

• On-Ramp: Determining Your Customer Segment
• Garious S.M.A.R.T. Group Presentation: How To Identify Your Target Market (B2B/B2C) Using Social Media
• Social Media Sales Tips (5) – Master Intelligent SM Targeting!

Before we move on to the next point, it is important to note that Jay wasn’t the only one who initiated a conversation with the same potential client. Other Phoenix-based Realtors were also eavesdropping on Twitter conversations including the same keywords. So they were also successful in the targeting part but the client complained that they were harassing here! In other words, they failed to…

2. Offer Genuine Help and Use “Soft Selling” Techniques

According to BussinessDictionary.com, soft selling is defined as:

Sales philosophy oriented toward identifying the customer’s expressed and tacit needs and wants, through probing questions and careful listening. It contrasts with hard selling which promotes application of psychological pressure to generate a relatively quick sale.

If you take a close look at Jay’s language, you will notice that from the very first interaction, he made it crystal clear that he is offering genuine help by using the magical phrase “no obligation”. He also uses the same term on his Twitter background image to invite trust and encourage people to seek his unconditional help.

The rest of his inspiring story bursts with soft selling tactics such as “no pressure”, “no constant follow up”. Jay made it clear that his role was Just being available to help when she needed help..

Jay proactively initiated a conversation but he didn’t impose his services on his potential client. He waited until she asked for a link to his website but he saw it coming because he knew from day one that she was moving to Phoenix.

Here comes the golden rule of the prefect combination of intelligent targeting and soft selling:

Do NOT shove your services down your potential client’s throats!, Wait until they ask for it on their own and rest assured that they will if you targeted them effectively.

Final Thoughts

Eventually, Jay’s potential client didn’t move to Phoenix but they became his loyal brand advocates and referred other clients to him. Again, this proves that offering genuine help on social media is the fastest shortcut to massive success.

Do you agree? What are your thoughts on Jay’s story? Have your tried using soft selling techniques on social media and how was your experience? Your valuable contribution is much appreciated.

I am very excited to present our first top 20 picks for 2012. January’s social scene is brimming with great content that we assimilated from several resources (including but not limited to Business Insider, Customer Think, Mashable, SME, SoftwareAdvise) for your reading pleasure.

~*~ Feel free to nominate your favorite posts for our February top picks by commenting below. Also, you can reach us on Twitter (@garious1) ~*~

(Posts are presented in descending chronological order)

1. Online Marketing News: Women Dominate Community Management, Google Privacy, FBI Social, Twitter Censorship, McD Hashtag Gone Wrong
Publisher: TopRankBlog.com Author: Ashley Zeckm

2. The Cofounder Of Lady Gaga’s Startup Says It Will Be Bigger Than Facebook And Google
Publisher: BusinessInsider.com Author: Boonsri Dickinson

3. Ramit Sethi Exposed: How He Earns Millions Blogging
Publisher: ProBlogger.net Author: Michael Alexis

4. Pope to Social Media: Please Be Quiet
Publisher: Mashable.com Author: Sarah Kessler

5. 9 Tips for Integrating Social Media on Your Website
Publisher: SocialMediaExaminer.com Author: Mallory Woodrow

6. 4 Simple Steps to a Facebook Timeline that Tells Your Marketing Story
Publisher: copyblogger.com Author: Andrea Vahl

7. CRM’s Next 5 in 5
Publisher: SoftwareAdvice.com Author: Lauren Carlson

8. 11 Ways to Get Smarter & Stay Current in a World of Social Information Overload
Publisher: TopRankBlog.com Author: Lee Odden

9. [Infographic] What are the Best Times to Blog?
Author and Publisher: DanZarrella.com

10. Comparison of 100 Top Companies on Social Business and Corporate Culture
Publisher: ConvinceandConvert.com Author: Jay Baer

11. Defining Hashtags for Local Business
Publisher: SearchEnginePeople.com Author: Chris Marentis

12. 5 Social Media Lessons from Steve Jobs
Publisher: Likeable.com Author: Frank Ramblings

13. 3 Content Marketing Ideas You Should Steal from Coca Cola
Publisher: copyblogger.com Author: Sonia Simone

14. How an Alaskan Mom Brings Millions to Her Carpentry Blog
Publisher: SocialMediaExaminer.com Author: Casey Hibbard

15. 50 Best Twitter Chats for Business Students
Author and Publisher: BestCollegesOnline.com

16. Where Social Media Marketing Fits In Your 2012 Budget?
Publisher: CustomerThink.com Author: Maria Pergolino

17. 10 Essential YouTube Tips and Tricks
Publisher: Mashable.com Author: Amy-Mae Elliott

18. Ten Social Media Strategies to Define a Successful 2012
Publisher: SocialMediaToday.com Author: Brian Solis

19. 872 Subscribers in 24 Hours?!
Publisher: ProBlogger.net Author: Danny Iny

20. Altimeter Report On Social Media Management Systems Will Help Your Brand
Publisher: SocialMediaExplorer.com Author: Jason Falls

When it comes to social media marketing, many are still in the dark as to where and how to connect with leads, prospects and customers to ensure that business goals are met.  Is it all about a question on management, branding.. or both?  Can real estate professionals get down to the bottom of social media engagement by mixing best practices with SEO?  Two things are certain though: Your online reputation matters a lot and measuring the impact of your campaign is very much real.

theBrokerList for Commercial Real Estate Professionals
( Source: AG BEat )

Commercial real estate has a small segment of innovators that are pushing for transparency in the industry, some focusing on data, others focusing on listings, and others focusing on connecting brokers… READ MORE

Zillow Lets You Ask Facebook Friends for Neighborhood Advice
( Source: ZDNet )

Online real estate database Zillow this week announced the launch of Neighborhood Advice. The new feature helps buyers and renters learn about neighborhoods from their Facebook friends (without giving away their exact location, of course)… READ MORE

5 Social Media Management Tips for Real Estate Businesses
( Source: Social Media Today )

For Social Media freelancers  the real estate industry will be the source of some of your most lucrative clients. Social Media platforms hold enormous potential for Realtors to grow their business, sell and let more property and promote new listings… READ MORE

Where the Real Money is Made with Social Media
( Source: Geek Estate )

We all need to make money from the activities we spend our time on. Social media is no different. Every so often, there is talk about social media being a waste of time and the ROI not being… READ MORE

Tools to Avoid a Social Media Disaster
( Source: Inman News )

Before social media, the words of a dissatisfied real estate client had considerably less power than they do now, according to Jimmy Mackin, a Facebook trainer and founder of The MLS App… READ MORE

Real-estate Pros Hopeful About Apps, Social Media in New Year
( The Seattle Times )

When Cynthia Nowak was buying her first condo 10 years ago, her Realtor drove her from neighborhood to neighborhood and buffeted her with a huge stack of papers for every property they looked at… READ MORE

And more Social Media Sizzling News..

Why Online Reputation Matters to Small Business
( Source: Small Business Trends )

You’re a small business owner. Most of your customers are the people who live within 25 miles of your storefront. Why does it even matter what the Internet has to say about your brand? That has no impact on your bottom line… READ MORE

How to Pick Between Two Logical Options
( Source: INC )

Ever find your team debating a decision in which there are two very different yet justifiable solutions to a given problem?  We all have. Very often these are the most contentious and most complicated decisions… READ MORE

10 Lessons in Brilliant Marketing
( Source: Entrepreneur )

During the height of her popularity, Paris Hilton once fired this retort at critics: “It will work. I am a marketing genius.” Sadly, those of us who aren’t as blessed must face the fact that creating a campaign that captures millions… READ MORE

Social Media Marketing: Measuring Impact For Real
( Source: CMS Wire )

Let’s say your brand has ten thousand followers on Twitter and an even greater number of fans on Facebook. Congratulations! Now what? While fan base growth and engagement were high priorities in 2011, a majority of companies… READ MORE