This document provides 8 tips for using social media to grow a business. It discusses communicating directly with target audiences on sites like Trulia, Zillow, and LinkedIn, controlling your brand online, focusing on niche marketing to real estate investors locally, developing thought leadership, leveraging reviews, and communicating with existing owners and tenants on social platforms. The key message is that social media return on investment equals the time invested squared, so businesses must consistently provide rich, educational content.

1. Social Networking 101
8 Social Media Tips to help grow your Business
Dan Daugherty
rentbits.com
September, 2011
Dan Daugherty
rentbits.com

2. Who am I?
● 2002 - Google
● 2005 - Founded Rent Marketer
● 2008 - Launched rentbits.com
● 2010 & 2011 - Named Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest Growing
US Company

3. What is Social Media?

4. What is Social Media?
To me, social media is utilizing your 6 degrees of separation to
communicate, find and explore.
The Dentist Test
1995 and Before- How did you find a dentist?
Today - How do you find a dentist?
Tomorrow - How will you find a dentist

5. Why Social Media?

6. Why Social Media?
Social Media Popularity around the World
SEO Moz - Users who have created a social networking profile

7. Why Social Media?

8. Why Social Media?

9. Why Social Media?
Search engines and social media are becoming one.

10. Vertical Trends
Search has become more vertical
Broad Search Engines
Vertical Search Engines

11. Vertical Trends
Just like search - Social media is becoming more vertical
Broad Social Media Sites
Vertical Social Media Sites

12. Why Social Media?
Search engine ranking formulas are incorporating
social media signals.

13. Search is becoming more Social
Google +1
Recommendations from
your friends and
others.

14. 8 Social Media Tips to help grow your
Business

15. But first....
Social Media for Business:
● is Not Easy
● is Time Consuming
● is Tedious
● is Boring
● is Monotonous
● is worth it.
Social Media ROI = Time put into it

16. Tip # 1
Reach More Owners - Not (Renters)?

17. Tip # 1 Reach More Owners
Does Social Media mean more renter leads?
In total, guest cards from Social Media sites accounted for the
following percent of all activity:
.05%
Source: aim

18. Tip # 1 Reach More Owners
Does Social Media mean more Owner leads?
1. Referrals (Scored 8.7 out of a possible 10)
2. Featured Listings (4.8)
3. Email Campaigns (4.7)
4. Postcards/Mailers (4.6)
5. Blogging (4.1)
6. Online Lead Generation Services (4.1)
7. Facebook / Blogging / etc. (4)
8. LinkedIn (3.6)
9. Outdoor advertising (3.6)
10. Print Ads (3.6)
Source: HomeGain Survey of 1300 Realtors - 2010

19. How?

20. Tip # 2
Communicate Directly with Target Audience

21. Tip # 2 Communicate Directly with Target Market
● Utilize Q/A Services

22. Tip # 2 Communicate Directly with Audience
Trulia

23. Tip # 2 Communicate Directly with Target Audience
rentbits

24. Tip # 2 Communicate Directly with Target Audience
Zillow

25. Tip # 2 Communicate Directly with Target Audience
Linkedin
- Over 10,000 members in this group

26. Tip # 3
Control your Brand

27. Tip # 3 Control your Brand
Type in your company name, or name into Google, what
shows up?

28. Tip # 3 Control your Brand
1) Google Profile Page
2) Linked Profile Page
3) Twitter Profile Page
4) Crunchbase Profile Page
5) Facebook Profile Page

29. Tip # 3 Control your Brand
Monitoring your brand
● Use Google Alerts
● Use search.twitter.com
● Use Google real-time search
● plus.google.com

30. Tip # 4
SEO Benefits

31. Tip # 4 SEO Benefits
How are websites ranked?
● Page Rank - (0 - 10)
● Over 100 variables to
determine ranking
Data from SEOMoz.org

32. Tip # 4 SEO Benefits
Part of social media is blogging on a consistent basis.

33. Tip # 4 SEO Benefits

34. Tip # 4 SEO Benefits

35. Tip # 4 SEO Benefits
Promotion of content - Likes and Links are good.

36. Tip # 4 SEO Benefits
Promotion of content - Likes and Links are good.

37. Tip # 5
Niche Marketing

38. Tip # 5 Niche Marketing
Target Real Estate Investors In Your Area

39. Is your company on local sites?

40. Tip # 5 Niche Marketing

41. Tip # 5 Niche Marketing
Top 5 Local sites to Add Your Business
Google Places (free) - google.com/places
Yahoo Local (free) - local.yahoo.com
Merchant Circle (free) - merchantcircle.com
Local.com (free) - local.com
Superpages (free) - superpages.com

42. Tip # 6
Thought Leadership

43. Tip # 6 Thought Leadership
● Builds credibility
○ Owners want to know you are promoting them
● Build it and they will come
○ Local and national News and RE Blogs
● Speaking Opportunities
● Local Expertise
○ Local rental data
○ Local rental scams
All of this hard work means more traffic, links, referrals and
business.

44. Tip # 7
The new Referral Industry (social graph)

45. Way # 7

46. New Social Media Technologies

47. New Social Media Technologies
SocialBios.com

48. Tip # 7
The new Referral Industry (Reviews)

49. Company Reviews
● Reviews will continue to become a larger part of search
engine algorithms.

50. Tips for Reviews (positive and negative)
● What do you do?
○ Crowdsourcing Exercise

51. Tip # 8
Communicate with Existing Owners and Tenants

52. Tip # 8 Communicate with Existing Owners and Tenants
● Friends (FB)
○ Groups
● Followers (Twitter)
● LinkedIn Groups
● Developing your own Ecosystem

53. Tip # 8 Communicate with Existing Owners and Tenants

54. Tip # 8 Communicate with Existing Owners and Tenants

55. Social Media Formula for Success
Social Media ROI = Time Put In (Squared)
● Blogging
○ Tweet your posts
● Answer Questions on QA Sites
● Adding Business to Local Sites
● Start a Facebook Page
Consistent Rich Educational Content is King

56. Questions?
Contact Us:
Dan Daugherty
dan@rentbits.com
twitter.com/rentbits
303.640.3160