I thought I would spend a week actually discussing how social media could be beneficial to different professions. Today I would like to address how to use social media strategy for real estate investors. Also, if you need additional information on driving more traffic to your real estate business online check out three strategies real estate professionals can use to generate leads on their website. While there are countless strategies, let’s discuss the top 3 that will bring buyers (and sellers) to your door.

Social Media Strategy for Real Estate Investors

1. Join BiggerPockets.com.

This is the king of Real Estate Investor forums. A place where investors discuss everything from Short Sales to REO properties along with how to do deals on everything from Residential to Commercial real estate. This is a great place to meet people that want to discuss real estate investing as much as you do. You can meet lenders, real estate agents, hard money lenders, appraisers, handymen, and more on this site. This is the site to get hooked into all of the different ideas that real estate investors and other real estate professionals have about the business.

2. Youtube is awesome for house showings.

Ever walk through a house and then forgot about some of the features. The great thing in today’s Blackberry, iPhone obsessed culture is that in most cases we have a video camera with us at all times. Most new Blackberry’s, Iphones, Androids, and other smartphones come with a video camera, so you can take video on the go. That means you can shoot a video and then upload it to youtube wherever you are. The best part is that means with the right keywords you can advertise your property on youtube. Do not underestimate the 2nd largest search engine in the world. It can be a great place to drive traffic to your properties and also help alleviate buyers concerns about a property before they even walk through the door.

3. Twitter is great for getting your property out to large numbers of Real Estate Investors.

One of my larger Twitter accounts: SocialMediaREI is composed mostly of Real Estate Investors. Anytime I have a property that I want to advertise I send it over to there as well to provide additional coverage for my properties.  Use the Youtube video of your walk-through and also include the basic address information, such as bedrooms, bathrooms, and price. That way you can double up your exposure for the property by having the property being shown on Twitter and Youtube.

4. Bonus! Also, while the MLS can sometimes be an expensive proposition,

Craiglist is a free option that can sometimes provide amazing returns. I love combining it with Twitter and Youtube for the greatest effect. Sometimes I will get 20-30 calls/emails within 24 hours after posting a Craigslist ad with a Youtube video that was posted on Twitter. Do not forget Craigslist and it’s millions of users.

Social Media Strategy Final Thoughts

Social media strategy is ultimately about leveraging the tools currently out there to get the most from your real estate investment experience. Remember in the end, however, that if you do not find great properties or do not make the right connections there is not a social network out there that can be a solution. With that being said, use these tools to enhance your communication and get the word out about your properties to a far greater degree than would be possible without the internet.