Real estate online marketing is a game that every agent and broker around the world is playing now (sometimes despite all of their best efforts at avoiding it). With hundreds of social media and networking sites out there, and a variety of blogging or micro-blogging platforms, the question is how to spend a very precious amount of your own time on ONLY the essential and highest ROI social media activities.

So here are our recommendations on the Top 5 Real Estate Online Marketing Practices:

1. SEO on Your Website

Don't stop reading because you start thinking this is all elementary. The truth is, a lot of people claim to do SEO, and you may have read an article or two on the topic yourself. If you are planning on getting some real real estate online marketing results, you probably won't pull it off with adding a quick little tag yourself, or messing with the Meta Description. You also probably won't get it with the out-of-the-box site from [pick your big-box company].

Plan on either investing your own substantial time or some money into making this happen the right way, and measure the results. Keep in mind it doesn't happen overnight, but you normally don't need to wait 8-12 months either.

2. Google +

If you haven't heard, Google favors itself. Really? Yes, really. So, you want to be sure that you have a really good Google+ profile, that you have set it up and optimized it well, tied it to your blog and site for authorship, and that it gets regular updates. This is something that can help drive more visibility for you. Again, you'll either need to spend some time making sure you do this the right way or get some help in it.

One of the things you will find with this topic, as well as others we often cover, is that there are a couple of levels of social and online interaction that typically can work for a real estate agent. First, you need to have regular, high quality content for content's sake – exposure, optimization and trust come from this. Someone else can do this. Secondly, you need to make sure you are bringing some strong and consistent value to the table in your own, more-specialized content – this is you, and can be a little less regular, but is important for value, trust, and additional exposure.

Moving on...

3. The Rest of the Big 5

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest – these are the biggest players, and you need to have some strategy that includes them without having you stuck to chair.... like me

4. 2-3 per Week

You need to see fresh content hit the web in multiple channels 2-3 times per week. This shouldn't be the same thing every time but should vary. Once a week, at least you ought to be in your social networks interacting with people without pushing your business agenda.

This is a great time to go comment on what people are eating for lunch (we all say we hate it, but let's be honest – there are enough people that are actually posting on it, giving thumbs-up, and commenting, that SOMEONE must like that – so go ahead and indulge them), or post something about a movie you saw, etc.

Remember, don't get too controversial, but at the same time you need personality and opinions online as well – as in real life, nobody likes a person without a personality.

5. There is Content, then Your Content

As mentioned above, there is content that is important and valuable – that can be done by someone else. Then there is content that really needs to be taken care fo by you. Make sure your strategy takes into account how to tie the two of those together so that you can stay consistent and relevant in the market, and that you know where your time is best spent.

There is not point in trying to be everything all of the time, but if you are focused and are utilizing other talent to supplement you, you'll find consistent online results are only a step away.

To view the original article, visit the Inside Real Estate blog.