There are few businesses that the internet and social media have changed more than that of real estate. As soon as it's time to move, the first thing home buyers and sellers do is hop on the web. They look at homes, or find out sale prices in their area. They can look for real estate agents to list their house or help them find a new one.

Of course, none of this is news. What might be is how much the web, especially social media, can affect a home buyer or seller's decisions. The web and social media give instant access to resources and information that normally take a lot of time and effort.

Here's just one example from Facebook. When a home buyer chooses a neighborhood, they can find the Facebook page for the neighborhood association or community groups. There, they can get in touch directly with others living in the area and see what it is really like.

It isn't just about having a presence on social media. Real estate professionals must offer useful, relevant interaction and information in the social media communities where potential customers might be.

Here are just a few ways for real estate agents to maximize their social media marketing efforts.

1. Be Professionally Present – Sure, you can respond to comments made on a Facebook page or retweet, but do so from a professional account. Make sure the Twitter account you use to reach potential clients represents you as a real estate agent and links back to your website. Your agency should also have a dedicated Facebook page and a LinkedIn page too.

2. Stay Active – It might be worse to have an inactive presence on a social platform than no presence. You might be forgiven for not having an account, especially if you have other social media accounts, but inactivity makes it look like you don't care.

And by "active," we mean at least daily interactions with a community or regularly posting content that a community might find interesting and useful.

3. Find High Quality, Relevant Information for Content Curation – If "content is king," nowhere is that more true than on social media. A regular stream of high-value content can turn your social channels into reliable go-to places for your customers to find the information they're searching for.

Content curation or posting links to helpful articles, videos, infographics, etc. found elsewhere online offers a great way for you to always deliver sought-after news and information.

To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.