Crowdsourcing: Tips and Tricks for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Recently, we shared how Pinterest is a great way for brokers to crowdsource their content, but this time around we want to explain how the other social networks we use everyday can be just as helpful. Crowdsourcing is something that every broker should be doing as it allows a collective group of people to assist your marketing efforts by making it simple for prospective clients to find photos, seek advice and learn more about a listing or community from other homeowners in the area.

Is there any surprise that Facebook is on this list? Now having over one billion members, Facebook has proven to be a valuable resource to brokers looking for feedback or that want to bounce ideas off of other industry professionals. Every person has a different story, which means that you can gain insight from other brokers' past experiences.

The real estate industry is very competitive, but it tends to be a friendly group. Crowdsourcing is an opportunity to find out what other brokers think about marketing tactics, home prices or even how to handle those not so fun clients. It's as simple as posting your question and waiting for the feedback to start rolling in.

Although Twitter may not come to mind when looking for ways to crowdsource, but you'd be surprised at how effective it can actually be. Spreading the word about a particular neighborhood, school district or anything else to make a community more appealing can easily be done in a 140 characters or less.

Help promote a community by posting a tweet and asking clients to reply with the best things to do in that area. Associating it with a hashtag will provide prospective buyers with something to refer to when searching for more information on a listing. Don't forget to have your followers re-tweet your messages because they likely have other ties in the community that can help spread the word and contribute to the conversation.

Instagram is different from other social channels because it allows you use pictures to tell your story. Market a community by asking those that live in the area to post pictures of what makes it such a great place to live, so that prospective buyers can see the neighborhood from a homeowner's prospective.

Don't limit your use of social media to directly promote your brand. You can get your followers talking by asking for their personal moving day tips, the best restaurants to recommend in the area or just what their favorite part about being a homeowner is.

Try running photo contests to get your followers involved. Homes.com has created many successful Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook contests that generated tons of interaction. Asking homeowners to share pictures and to prove their "two-cents" helps evoke involvement, especially if there is a prize up for grabs! Take a look at The Coolest Place in Your Space, Summer Staycation and Red, White and BBQ to get some ideas for your own contests. Keeping your followers engaged is an awesome way to keep them interested in you!

To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.