But you can’t just sit back and let the busy real estate season carry you into lead generation. You’ve got to play a role, too! And staying visible online is a great way to do that.

LinkedIn — If you haven’t gotten involved with LinkedIn yet, we highly recommend it. LinkedIn is a social network designed specifically for professionals just like you. Using LinkedIn, you can network with other real estate agents or professionals as well as promote your business to other users. On top of that, it also acts as a helpful advertising element. With LinkedIn’s recommendations feature, people can leave recommendations about you and your services right on your profile page so that anyone who finds you can see what great things other people have to say about you. Word of mouth is a powerful tool to get leads. Use it to your advantage with LinkedIn!

Facebook — No matter how you feel about Facebook, it’s probably here to stay, so you should get used to it. With over 800 million users, Facebook is clearly the leader in social media and more and more people are using Facebook for a variety of things, not just connecting with friends. People are using Facebook nowadays to search for all kinds of people, things, and services, including real estate. Try engaging with your followers and friends at least once each day. If you have a smartphone, a Facebook app makes this super easy. The more engaging you are, the more likely clients and prospects will be to engage with you. Another way to connect is through Homes Connect on Facebook. Homes Connect is Homes.com’s page for Real Estate Professionals like you. There, you can connect with other agents and Realtors as well as buyers and sellers. It’s a great place to get started!

Email Marketing — Compared to LinkedIn and Facebook, email marketing almost seems archaic. But it’s still a great way to communicate with clients and prospects. You can send out generic emails, if you’d prefer to send out a bunch at once, or you can always drop personal lines to people. Either way, staying in their inbox means you’re staying at the forefront of their minds, so that when they’re looking to buy or sell a home, they’ll think of you!

What are your favorite ways to stay visible?

As the busy real estate season kicks into high gear, you’re probably thinking of ways you can stand out among the rest of your competition and snag more leads.

Could utilizing the third dimension be your best bet? Possibly!

3D isn’t just for the big screen and home entertainment anymore. As of this month, 3D can be brought straight to you via your computer! YouTube is now offering the option for you to upload videos in 3D! Now, you can stand out against your competition quite literally with 3D video home tours.

Here’s how you do it:

> Upload the video in 1080p as usual.
> Click on the “Quality Settings” icon in the YouTube player (it looks like a little gear).
> Select “3D Viewing”.
> Slap on some 3D glasses and gawk away!

Yes, you’ve gotta have the 3D glasses. But that’s not so bad. Since 3D is becoming more popular by the day, there are several places you can find them. Try looking online for cheap ones (Amazon or 3D Glasses Online should do the trick).

Check out YouTube’s blog for more information.

What do you think? Is this something you’re willing to try? What are your thoughts?

Register now to be enlightened by none other than real estate industry big shot Barbara Corcoran!

Not only has Barbara made a huge impression on the real estate industry, but she is also making waves nationally. She can be seen on NBC’s TODAY Show and ABC’s reality hit Shark Tank. And now, she’s coming to you for FREE!

In this free webinar, Barbara will enlighten you on:

- How to create an image bigger than reality.
- How to use the press to get free publicity.
- How to become a leader in your field.

To view a preview of the webinar, click here!

You definitely don’t want to miss out on this FREE webinar with Barbara Corcoran. Not only will Barbara share some amazing knowledge, you could also win a copy of Barbara’s book, just for showing up! So register today because space is filling up fast!

What does this mean for you?

When a potential buyer is interested in your listing, he or she can call your unique tracking phone number. The call will go through as normal, but when you pick up, you’ll hear a “whisper” that tells you you’ve gotten a new lead from Homes.com. This way, you can track just how many leads you get from Homes.com as opposed to other sources.

If you have any questions about this awesome new upgrade to your listings, call the Homes.com service team at 1-866-675-1058.

1. It’s about the client.
It’s easy to get into the mindset that this is all about you, since you’re making everything happen, but it’s important to remember that the home buying process is buyer-centered (or, rather, it should be.)  Home buyers want to be sure they are working with an agent who actually cares about them. While your accomplishments in the industry are, no doubt, impressive, a buyer wants you to focus on them, not about you. So keep that in mind when communicating with them.

2. Buyer-centered dialogue.
Remembering to be buyer-centered is one thing — practicing what you preach is another. Put your buyer in the center of your dialogue. Instead of asking, “When can I come by and discuss listings?” say, “When would you like to get together to discuss listings?” The buyer will learn to trust you once he or she hears how much you value their time.

3. Inbound and outbound marketing.
Outbound marketing (better known simply as advertising) gets your name out there for sure. But I’d argue that inbound marketing is even more effective. Inbound marketing, by the way, is just a fancy way of saying marketing by word of mouth. It’s not rocket science — the better you treat your clients, the better they’ll talk about you! This broadens your reach to others you may have never otherwise interacted with who may seek you out in the future. An easy way to snag some inbound marketing: after you’ve closed on a home, ask the buyer to give you a testimony (video tape it, if you can) and put it on your real estate website. That way, your credibility reaches far beyond the buyer’s circle of influence.

4. Rack up recommendations.
If you haven’t gotten into LinkedIn yet, I’d suggest you do so. One of the cool features of this social media site is the ability for users to “recommend” other users, which, as you guessed it, is another version of inbound marketing. If you want, kindly ask your friends and colleagues on LinkedIn if they wouldn’t recommending you. And don’t worry if they’ve never bought a house from you. Even if they’re just personal contacts and haven’t the first idea about your professional career, they can still offer up useful information about you as a person for prospective clients who view your LinkedIn profile.

What marketing secrets do you swear by?

If you’re unsure where to go from here, ask our expert!

TOMORROW, February 16th, at 1PM Eastern, our online reputation expert Jeremy Rivera will be holding a FREE Facebook chat all about online reputation and visibility.

To join in and to get more information, just check out Homes Connect on Facebook.