No matter what social network you prefer, to be successful you’ll need a good network. With that being said, how do you go about getting these friends?

What do you have in common?

Each social network is somehow divided into categories. A great place to start is with the categories you are interested in. For example, if you’re on Twitter, begin following people who tweet about things you are interested in. It is much easier to forge friendship when you have something in common.

What is the secret to friendship?

Social media is a lot like having friends in real life. Think about it. You have something in common. The friendships you have are work and rarely one sided. You have to be there for your friends when you they need you, and by doing so, they are there for you when you need them. Friendship takes time and work. Friendship involves listening and helping.

You know the old saying, “you have to give to get.” It holds true in social media as well. This means showing interest in stories your friends share by re-sharing or commenting.

This takes time and work. This takes consistency. As in real life, you don’t want a friend who is a flake; rarely there and only there when it benefits them. Don’t just help out when you have something you want to share that day. Be there consistently. Try to actually get to know those who you network with and help them. By doing this you will form friendships that will benefit both of you. The more you are there for them, voting, commenting, re-tweeting and conversing; the more your friends will be there for you.

A couple “real world” examples

I’ll share a couple times  where I learned the secret. When I first started out on digg , all I did was submit my articles. They went nowhere! No diggs, no comments. I realized I needed people to see my articles. I started befriending people. I was adding friends and still submitting my articles. Only received a digg here or there.

Still no success.

I then began devoting time each day to digg my friend’s stories. I also started mixing in other interesting stories in with my own. My success began to grow rapidly. It seemed so obvious now. I made it a point to get to know those in my network. I was a dependable friend who was interested in the success of my friends. It paid off. The more I got to know those in my network and the more I helped them, the more they helped me and the more successful I was.

Twitter went pretty much the same way. I started off as a broadcaster. Sending out only my messages and only doing it when I wanted something out of it. Again, I found myself broadcasting to a wall that never communicated back.

I then began to form friendships with those that I had something in common. I began reading their tweets, re-tweeting their messages and sharing links that I thought they would enjoy. I also began jumping in conversations. I started to get to know those who I was networking with. I was interested in my friends and I found that they started to be interested in me. Now, when I mix in something of my own or have a question, I get feedback.

So What Exactly are you Saying?

The main point here is that they call it “social” media for a reason. To get any real value from social media, you need to be social. Makes sense right? Treat your online friends exactly how you treat the friends you have in real life. Devote time, be interested, help and get to know them.

This mindset  is the secret to social media value and success.

To differentiate, contact means connecting with a live person, and qualify is when the lead is willing to enter the sales process (i.e. agrees to an appointment)

Here are a few key points taken away from the study**:

1. Wednesdays and Thursdays are the best days to call in order to contact and qualify leads. Thursday is the best day to contact a lead in order to qualify.
2. 4pm to 6pm is the best time period to call in order to make contact with a lead. 8am to 9am and 4pm to 5pm are the best time periods to call in order to qualify a lead.
3. The odds of contacting a lead with a phone call decrease by over 10 times in the 1st hour. The odds of qualifying a lead with a phone call decrease by over 6 times in the 1st hour.
4. The odds of contacting a lead if called in 5 minutes versus 30 minutes drop 100 times. The odds of qualifying a lead if called in 5 minutes versus 30 minutes drop 21 times.

(**source LeadResponseManagement.org – ‘The Lead Response Management Study’)
Moral of the story here, don’t have a phobia of the black cord! Pick up that phone and call your leads AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!

To view the entire study from LeadResponseManagement.org, please visit here:

THE LEAD RESPONSE MANAGEMENT STUDY OVERVIEW

Hear It Direct is a series of full-day Real Estate Consumer Conferences held in different local markets throughout the country. Created by nationally-recognized real estate experts, the event presents a unique opportunity for industry professionals to hear the unfiltered voice of the consumer, telling them in person what they think, what they want, what they value, and what is a waste of time.

“There has been a missing voice in real estate, ” says Hear It Direct co-founder Sue Adler. ”Although there is no shortage of learning opportunities for the working REALTOR® between all of the great conferences, REBarCamps, MasterMinds, coaches, and bloggers, there is no opportunity to hear directly from buyers or sellers.”

Hear It Direct is hosting their latest event in Dallas, Texas today (May 21, 2012). Visit HearItDirect.com for details on upcoming event locations and follow the Twitter chatter at today’s conference: #HearItDirect!

We love Jillene’s approach to the real estate business. She says, “Real estate is a progressive industry. What got me here, won’t necessarily get me there. I am continually looking for the next cutting-edge solution to challenges encountered in the industry. Each day I look to refine systems, create an amazing workplace, educate myself by leveraging other brilliant minds, and operate efficiently with my time.”

Jillene has been utilizing the BoomTown system for lead generation and management for several years and we are honored to see her representing the rising talent in today’s real estate industry. She is also a shining example that facing adversity makes you stronger. Check out her full story at RealtorMag.Realtor.org and prepare to be inspired.

“This year’s group of young professionals exemplifies the ingenuity, dedication, and prowess that’s raising the bar in real estate today,” says REALTOR® Magazine. ”Each May/June, we feature 30 rising young stars in the real estate industry. In determining who makes the 30 Under 30 list, REALTOR® Magazine staff looks for candidates who are successful in the real estate business and have demonstrated skill, success, creativity, and leadership in their careers.”

A few weeks ago, several of us traveled to Atlanta to attend RETSO, a real estate conference that brings real estate’s brightest minds and innovative technology companies together. This year’s theme focused on becoming a “doer.” One of the sessions we attended was Road Warrior – Taking Your Business Mobile hosted by Shannon King. This session provided some great insight into tools you can start using TODAY that will not only aid your real estate career, but also free up your time so that you can become more of a “doer”.

If you’re a Realtor, you know what it’s like to be on the go.  You’re constantly juggling reaching out to new leads, following up with your lending partners, hosting open houses, looking up directions to your next listing appointment… all from your mobile device. You are faced with the challenge of making your office mobile in order to maximize your time on the road. While this may seem overwhelming to manage, there are some great mobile apps that you can start using today. Many of these apps will not only assist with time management but set you apart from the crowd as well.

Maximizing Voicemail

Have you ever needed to get in touch with a client with only 3 minutes before your next appointment and wished you could just leave them a message? With Slydial, you can! Just dial 267-slydial then after the prompt, dial your client’s phone number and you’ll be sent to their voicemail directly. Download their mobile app for even faster dialing! You’re able to make it to your appointment and your client receives the information they need in a timely manner.

And what about those tempting voicemails that you’d love to listen to but the client you’re with might find it rude if you step away? YouMail is a free app that offers a number of voicemail solutions including transcription, which will convert those voicemails into texts. Now with just a few quick seconds, you can glance at your phone to read the message without taking attention away from your current client.

Safety First

It can be tempting to try and work while driving but it’s critical to keep your safety in mind. DriveSafe.ly is an app that will read your text messages and emails aloud as you drive. Just activate the app as you enter your car then toggle the app off as you exit.

You can never be too cautious when meeting new people. MyForce is your mobile bodyguard. If you ever feel uneasy about a location or situation just arm the app to place it in ready mode. If you feel threatened, with a click of a button you can alert MyForce of your location. They’ll instantly listen to the audio from your mobile device should you be in a situation where you can not speak with the operator. Because you’re pre-registered, emergency personnel know your description, emergency contacts, and even known medical issues.

Mobilizing Your Office

You’re most likely accessing your email from your mobile device but there is so much more you can do with a smart phone! Track your mileage with Milog, a mobile app that keeps a record of your mileage for reimbursement or tax purposes. While you’re at it, store those records in shoeboxed.com. Shoeboxed allows you to scan receipts and business cards from your phone or computer and documents them in a safe and secure online account. If that’s not enough, you can even stuff an envelope full of receipts and shoeboxed will scan, upload and shred the originals for you all at just 9 dollars a month.

We’ve all been there – you have a document that you need to submit but you’re nowhere near your office. Godocs is a handy app that will let you use Google Docs on the go. With it you can view, edit, and share your Google documents. But what about hard copy paperwork? With Turbo Scan, your phone becomes a scanner! You’ll be able to scan and email receipts, business cards and even larger items like documents and reports. Need something printed? EuroSmartz connects your mobile device to any wifi, bluetooth or network printer. Now you can access your Google docs and print them from any location. You’ll truly have a mobile office after integrating these apps!

Going The Extra Mile

Trying to convince a prospective client that you’d make a great listing Agent? Why not offer a free floor plan sketch? With Magic Plan, a free mobile app, anyone can create a floor plan drawing within minutes! Magic Plan measures a floor plan from the pictures you take then converts them into a PDF, HPG and DXF drawing.

Once you’re the listing agent, you know how important great photos of the listing can be. If your client doesn’t have the budget for professional photography, you can still help them out with Instagram. Instagram is a FREE app that allows you to snap a picture on your mobile device then use photo affects to change the look and feel of the image. With Instagram you won’t have to worry about bad lighting and in addition to having great photos of your listing saved to your phone, you can quickly share images to social sites like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. While you’re at it, use Animoto to create photo stream videos set to music that can be used on listing pages and social sites. Have some time on your hands while the inspector is around? Your clients will love the video of their new house that Animoto helps you create. Make sure you use a picture of your Agency sign so their friends will know who sold them the home when they share the video.

We hope these tools help you to become a road warrior! We’d also like to offer a big thanks to Shannon for hosting such a great session on this topic at RETSO. For more great tips on taking your business mobile, pick up a copy of her book,  Real Estate Road Warrior: 101 Technology Tools For Business On The Go.

2012 is off to a strong start with 10 Boomers named among the Top 100 RE/MAX Team Leaders for first quarter 2012!

Marti Hampton – Raleigh, NC
Barry Ezerski – Lawton, OK
Lonnie Bush – Virginia Beach
Lars Hedenborg – Charlotte, NC
James Nellis – Burke, VA
Brad Korb – Burbank, CA
Danny Burks – Tyler, TX
Lee Tessier – Bel Air, MD
Adrienne Lally – Kapolei, HI
Bob Sokoler – Louisville, KY

We can’t forget our 2011 rock stars! 13 Boomers made the top 100 RE/MAX team leaders list in 2011. 

Marti Hampton – Raleigh, NC
Marsee Wilhem – Tucson, AZ
Pam Marion – Lawton, OK
James Nellis – Burke, VA
Lonnie Bush – Virginia Beach, VA
Brian Flynn – Boston, MA
Brad Korb – Burbank, CA
Lars Hedenborg – Charlotte, NC
Joshua Suess – Valencia, CA
Danny Burks – Tyler, TX
Lee Tessier – Bel Air, MD
Buddy Blake – Wilmington, NC
Adrienne Lally – Honolulu, HI

BoomTown is a RE/MAX Approved Supplier.

This year we took the action indoors and played a mad game of musical chairs to determine the winner. We used an online randomizer to pick out 25 survey respondent names. Then we placed those client names on BoomTowners who were all fighting for an extra vacation day. Check out the “friendly” competition that ensued.

Congrats to Tammy Brown on winning an iPad from BoomTown and to John for taking home the musical chairs champion title!

Focus only on what you can handle rather than doing a little bit on each platform without making an impact. Video is a great way to increase your SEO and will be a time saver once you’ve created a few basic videos to have on hand.

While attending the Real Estate Tech South conference in Atlanta this April, Amy Smythe Harris, (@amyoutloud) provided some great tips on Video for Real Estate Agents. She recognizes the challenges that most Agents face (i.e. “not having enough time”) and gives us several ways to utilize video as a marketing tool to stay in touch with clients while in the field and on the go.

Why video?
Great for SEO (Google now owns YouTube, therefore loves video and ranks video higher on search results.)
People don’t always read your email but they may listen to your short video as if it’s a voice mail.
Easy to do.

Getting started.
1. Set up a Gmail account
2. Create a YouTube channel where you will upload your videos.

Types of video for Real Estate.
Listing video – Forget writing long paragraphs, you can do a Pan & Scan or Virtual Tour video to showcase the home. While speaking about the home’s features, be sure to show what you are talking about. Sell a lifestyle!

Virtual Tour- Take 3 shots of each room:  1.) zoom in and out  2.) wide angle shot  3.) panoramic shot.

Biography videos – Stop talking about you. Shocking to say about a bio video, right? People are looking for homes and they want to know how YOU can help THEM. Be yourself and your personality will show without having to explain yourself.

Recruiting – Looking to build your team? This is a great way to show your company culture and life outside of work. Play music that reflects your team and what you do outside of the office such as team building events, barbecues, or happy hours.

FAQs – Create a short video addressing the topics you are constantly being asked about. You can be proactive by sending your brief videos to clients, which may answer future questions before they arise.

Community videos – Sell the area/town/city. Go to a park or community event and do a brief video on things happening around town. You should make yourself the Mayor of your area and be “in-the-know”. People want to see what it will be like to live in the area.

How to prep for taping.
Write a script – try TelePrompTer app on iPad
Practice but don’t over practice. Remember to be yourself.
Length – Don’t overdo it. Keep is short and to the point.
Abide by code of ethics/MLS rules
Ladies – wear HD makeup & spray light hairspray on your face. This keeps your makeup on all day long.

Video/Photo Applications + Websites
Once you’ve recorded your video, use these FREE apps and websites to piece your video together. Many of these can be used on-the-go with your iPhone, iPad or Droid.

Animoto – Video editing application.
Tourwrist – Shoots panoramic pictures with your phone for a 360° view.
Pixeet360 – Creates panoramas and shoot with a fisheye lens on your iPhone.
Hdhat –iPhone attachments for creating videos (Lenses, lighting, cases, etc.)
Photos That Move Houses – Photography tips for the Real Estate industry. Learn how to take photos that sell houses!
Vdownloader  - Free download that lets you watch video without advertisements and captions on your phone, laptop, and tablet.  Vdownloader also converts your video’s format to transfer it to another mobile device.

Creative type?  Xtranormal videos allow you to create an animated movie!

More tools to consider:  iMovie, Windows Live Movie Maker, and Pinnacle studio.

Equipment
Not all of these things are needed but this grocery list will get you headed in the right direction. Your smartphone and iPad can start as the base and with attachments and phone applications; you can create quality video to help your business grow! Money saving tip: Check out eBay for purchasing equipment at a better price!

- iPad, iPhone, or Droid
- Camcorder
- Lighting
- Canon TSI or Nikon camera – (beware that Nikon may not have audio input)
- Green screen – Think newscaster style.  Use the screen to share market info + rental rates.
- Microphone – Brando mic, Sony wireless mic, dual input microphones.

Video Emailing Tools
Eyejot  - iPhone app.
Iwowe
Bombbomb

Now that you have all of your equipment, let’s start using your videos to build your business!

Within seconds of getting a new lead, email a welcome video. This video should be saved on your phone and sent to the lead within 5 minutes of registration.

Update your community videos as seasons change and new events come up! People should consider you to be the expert on things happening around town and top of mind when referring someone to an agent. Happy Filming!

If you are a BoomTown user, be sure to reach out to your Success Manager for more tips on integrating video on your BoomTown website.

We can all agree that social media gets all the attention. Social media has a lot of potential for your business, it is also really easy to become distracted. You can also turn off prospective clients too.

People are using social media to see what friends are doing, network and for timely updates, not to hear your sales pitch. With this in mind, tailor your social media strategy around this. Be social, not salesy.

Quick ideas on how to use social media effectively - create a brand account, share recent blog posts and website articles, connect with expiring contracts, share listings, market updates, funny stories, local events and information, restaurant and business reviews, network and make new friends.

Use social media as an extension of your brand. Be sure to have brand accounts on the major networks – Facebook page, Twitter, YouTube channel, Flickr and Google+.

Remember to be yourself. Be transparent. You definitely don’t want to bombard your network with your promotional broadcasting, but you also want to make sure they know what you do.

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