Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas Real Estate: May 2008

Corporate America is increasingly using social media to get their message out and increase their marketing presence. In "The New Robert Scobles: Seven Leading Corporate Social Media Evangelists Today", blogger Marshall Kirkpatrick from ReadWriteWeb profiles seven leaders in social media.

Businesses are beginning to realize it's not just enough to have a blog. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Viddler all offer unique ways of connecting with customers and extending market share, and each site brings a unique demographic.

Real estate agents would be wise to adapt a similar strategy. Pick two or three other social media platforms and use those to amplify and augment the message of your blog. Not only will you see increased online traffic, your client base will grow into areas you may not have reached with just your blog alone.

Find out who some of the top social media evangelists are today at ReadWriteWeb. Then think about how you can apply their methods to real estate, and watch your online presence and business grow.

ActiveRain ... Facebook ... LinkedIn ... MySpace ... Twitter ... Flickr ... Gather ... Ning ... the list of social media and networking sites is seemingly endless. Many real estate agents participate on more than one site, but how do we effectively put it all together?

In "Building Your Online Brand with Social Media Tools" Chris Garrett starts the discussion about how to leverage and optimize our online presence. He lays out a plan where several social media sites feed a core blog (such as your blog right here on ActiveRain), and that combination represents your online brand. The comments also contain some great tips.

Each site that you create a profile on positions you in front of a different group of readers. I've met great agents on Facebook and LinkedIn that weren't on ActiveRain. And I've met some awesome people outside of the real estate industry through Twitter. You can see benefits from these sites with just a few minutes a week. Of course if you spend more time, you'll create more impressions, and that can really speed up the connections.

To find out more about "Building Your Online Brand with Social Media Tools" visit www.ChrisG.com. And while you're there, take a look at the Popular Articles in the sidebar to find more great ideas, as well as Chris' free Ebook "Killer Flagship Content."

PC Magazine associate editor Jennifer DeLeo was recently in the market for a home, so naturally she turned to the web. Not finding it easy to sort through the MLS listings in the San Diego area, DeLeo searched further and concluded that

"buyers don't have to rely on the MLS listings offered on Realtor.com anymore to find a home; not when there is a wealth of other online resources available on the Web."

With her involvement in the web and technology, it was only natural that DeLeo gravitated toward sites "that use Web 2.0 to the fullest." What I found fascinating was the spread in the number of San Diego homes on each site -- from just 100 to over 12,800.

Both Trulia and Zillow made Jennifer's alphabetical list, but the other six may not be too familiar to you. Still, these are sites that a tech-savvy consumer found useful in her home search, so they're definitely worth a look.

To see the complete list, read "The Best Real Estate Web Sites" at PCMag.com. And then come back and let us know what you think. Do these sites provide a true picture of the market to the consumer? Which of these sites should agents add to their online marketing plan?

Twitter ... you either get it or you don't, see it as a valuable component to social networking or a complete waste of time. When Jeff Turner first wrote about Twitter way back in March, 2007, I didn't get it ... in fact Jeff even ended his post by saying he wasn't sure he got it.

Fast forward to October, 2007 ... I found a great post on AgentGenius from Daniel Rothamel (The Real Estate Zebra) titled "Welcome to Social Media for Real Estate 101: Twitter." Daniel framed Twitter as a micro-blogging platform and identified three uses for it: an educational resource; a networking resource; and a way to connect with clients. That post was enough to get me to give Twitter a try, and I really saw its potential during the NAR convention in Las Vegas in November.

Today I found a series on Twitter by Jennifer Laycock at Search Engine Guide. Her story is a familiar one:

"It's no secret I'm skeptical when it comes to social media fads ... That's probably why I dismissed Twitter as a fairly silly idea ... I have to admit; I was absolutely wrong ... Twitter also features a vibrant community leveraging the tool in interesting ways and bringing people together the way only really good technology can."

If you're still on the fence or just starting to look at Twitter, I think you'll find Jennifer's insights quite useful. Here's her five-part series "From Twits to Tweeple, Why I Embraced Twitter and You Should To":

• Part One  - What is Twitter?
• Part Two  - Make New Friends But Keep the Old
• Part Three  - It's Not Rude to Eavesdrop or Interrupt on Twitter
• Part Four  - What's With All the Tiny URLs?
• Part Five  - Twitter Is A Useful News Outlet

You can follow Jennifer on Twitter at @JenniferLaycock. And if you're looking for me, I'm @LVRealEstate.

Today's US population has four distinct generations. There is the Silent Generation (born from 1925 - 1945); the Baby Boomers (1946 - 1964); Generation X (1965 - 1982); and Generation Y, also known as Echo Boomers or Millenials (1983 - 1997).

Each has grown up in markedly different times, and each has their own unique set of values. Boomers are more about teamwork, while Gen X favors independence. The Silent Generation grew up with hard work and sacrifice; Gen Y leverages technology to make their lives easier.

In a guest post on Copyblogger, James Chartrand from Men With Pens asks "Are You Talkin' to My Generation?" That's a great question to keep in mind as we build our blogs and online presence.

First-time homebuyers are likely to fall into Gen Y and Gen X. Vacation and second-home buyers might be predominantly Boomers, while the Slient Generation may be the top demographic for active adult communities. By tailoring your content to specific values, you have a much better chance of connecting with your target audience.

To find out more about generational values, read "Are You Talkin' to My Generation?" at www.Copyblogger.com.