The social networking secret for Estate Agents

Estate Agents up and down the country are now trying their hand at social networking. Some are succeeding and some are failing, so what's the winning formula?

Success in social networking depends on three main factors, each contributing towards an overall strategy that could be the difference between being the King of the Facebook castle or being the MySpace rascal.

• Relationships - The first factor is the creation of Relationships. Try to remember that every online stranger is a buyer or vendor in disguise, but do not treat them as such. By overly promoting your services, these potential buyers and vendors will simply flag you as spam.
• Adding value - The second factor is adding value to the content you share. This can be done by either posting relevant and interesting information or by actively seeking to help people. By helping as many people as possible, Estate Agents can become seen to be the 'local expert'.
• Diverting traffic to your website - The last and final factor and the secret to success in social networking - diverting of traffic to your website. Many Estate Agents forget that by keeping a social networking user on your profile or fan page, you are stopping them view the properties that they would potentially adore.

CTO of Resource Techniques, Troy Stanley comments, 'Do not try to overly promote your services, instead use the 80/20 ratio and only promote yourself 20% of the time. People do not mind a little self promotion, as long as it's just a little.'