Social networking is growing up

When the social networking phenomena began to flourish, we were told to look over our kids’ shoulders to make sure they were surfing safely.

Now our kids are looking at our backs. We adults are becoming the force of networking on the Web. The number of adult users participating in social networks has more than quadrupled in the past four years, increasing from 8% to 35%, according to a Pew Internet and American Life Project 2008 survey.

Adults make up the vast majority of users of these sites. There are more of us. But children and young adults still get the most attention in the media when talking about the use of social networks. Think of them as the pioneers. Children and young adults blaze the trail, while we as adults follow to build the towns.

According to the study, we adults more often:

• Use social network sites for personal rather than professional purposes
• Maintain multiple profiles generally on different sites
• Maintain sites to connect with people we already know
• Restrict access to our profiles so that only our friends can see them

There are many “how-to” lists to get you started using social networking. And there are some that attempt to show you how to market on different sites.

If you’re in the real estate business and have access, Listingbook has its own social networking side. And it’s a smart marketing platform, too.

Here’s how:

1. Put everyone you meet into Listingbook. “Listingbook allows me to be able to communicate in a fluid manner with my customers,” says Florida real estate agent Charlene DeWitt, “and to stay in touch regularly with them.” Listingbook also makes it easier to add clients with a new prospect importer that helps you import contacts from just about any source.
2. Share what you like and what you think your clients or other agents might like. With agent favorites and the ability to email properties to groups of people, even those who don’t have Listingbook accounts, you can get the word out about a property. You can even add links to them on your own site. Your clients can also email listings to their friends to get their opinions. It’s nice to have another opinion.
3. Pick your favorites. You and your clients can pick favorites. Your buyers can track the activity of the properties easily (price changes, open houses, etc.). You can choose to pick properties for your clients, which notifies them in their Morning Reports, messaging and in a separate section when they login.
4. Promote your listings to people searching for properties like yours. With lots of people using Listingbook, your potential pool of buyers increases. Promotions are based on the search criteria defined by buyers and promotions go to both a buyer and the buyer’s agent. And you as an agent get to see your promotions’ reach before you spend a dime. You can also pass the results of the promotion on to your seller. It’s a great way to breathe new life into a listing that hasn’t had much activity. “Featured Listing Promotions are ‘THE’ tool to have,” says Dawn Waldrip, an agent in Michigan. “I notice a substantial increase in activity on each listing that I feature.”

Social networking, whether with Listingbook, Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn, should be easy to start up and get going. How much time and effort you as an agent expend on any should be determined by your business goals:

• Getting referrals
• Communicating directly with Internet-savvy users
• Keeping your costs low
• Being better informed
• Building relationships

And don’t think you’re behind. Social networking is still growing. Stake your claim. Make your name. And don’t forget to have a little fun.