If you struggled to answer these questions immediately, you aren’t alone.

Your first step should be to decide how much time (and content) you will be able to invest in this form of marketing.  Remember, these days most people are online, and print advertising is going out of style.  Do you have the time and creativity to keep up with a blog?  If not, do you plan on joining an already well-established social network or forum?  Which one(s)?  Facebook?  LinkedIn?  Twitter?  What do you plan on sharing with these networks? Your own personal experiences, your schedule, available rentals, open houses, articles you’ve read, your listings, reposts of other peoples’ content, local information, or perhaps garage sales?

You need to decide who your target audiences are.  You might choose to operate in more than one these networks — one for people you know personally, and another where you market actively, posting information about the areas you serve, local news, open houses, yard sales — the sky is the limit.  If you have a special niche like HUD Homes, or Senior Housing, take advantage of that.  Become the trusted resource for new listings of this type in your area.

Another aspect of social networking that many people tend to ignore is participating on the pages of others.  Follow/Like other pages about your town, about the latest and greatest tech gadgets, or anything you and your target audience might be interested in.  Participate on those pages, like, share, and repost anything that you think might be of interest.  Don’t be shy. Engage people.  Repost, comment on, or ‘like’ the posts of your followers.  If someone comments on one of your posts, thank them and write back.  You want to create a presence—you want people to get to know you at some level.  Remember that friends of those followers will then see your name, and perhaps they’ll see your page/profile and decide to add you to their network. It’s all viral.

What you don’t post can be just as important as what you do post.  While you might be proud of your politics, lifestyle, or religion, you might want to keep your online appearance more neutral to avoid alienating some of your followers.  You don’t want to give anyone a reason to stop following you if you can help it.

Lastly, be sure to maintain a certain level of privacy.  While your friends and family may decide to follow your marketing/business page, you might want to keep your potential clients off of your personal page.  Remember that your goal is to market yourself and your services so it is likely that everything you post on the business specific page will be visible to the public via a simple web search of your name or town.  Don’t post anything anywhere, if you don’t want it to be seen. There is a risk that eventually it will be, even if it is in restricted areas of your page, such as Facebook.

When you begin the planning phase, you don’t have to have all the answers.  If you think you do have all the answers before you begin, don’t be afraid to change things.  Try to track what works and what doesn’t.  When did you get the most traffic, who are your followers, and did you post anything that caused people to follow or block you?  Your plan will likely evolve over time, even if your original strategy worked when you first implemented it.  This world of technology changes fast, so try to keep up!

So you like Facebook.  You’re on it all the time but you just can’t get enough.  Facebook Places is here for you!

Now, on top of changing your status updates, checking out your friends’ new photos, and seeing what pages you can ‘Like’, you can check-in on your iPhone to Facebook Places wherever you go.  (Only iPhone for now, Blackberry and Android phones soon to come.)

With Facebook Places you can show your friends exactly where you are, and when you arrived there.  This is an application that allows you to show and share your physical location.  Some may call this just another way for others to stalk you, but most of us don’t think about that.  If it’s new, and it has to do with Facebook, we’re in!

Decided to hit up that trendy new restaurant everyone’s been talking about?  Don’t just tell them, show them!  You can add comments about the Places you visit, and view your friend’s comments to see what they thought of the Place.

Now, some people would rather just bring their friends along and discuss the Place in person, but I have a feeling people are going to be checking in and adding comments anyway.  In this day and age, children (yes, children), will text each other even if they are in the same room as one another!  When did texting become more fun than having an actual conversation with the person right across from you?  But perhaps I’m just old fashioned that way.  But I seem to be getting off topic here.

Right now, Facebook Places is available in the United States only.  When you check-in to your destination, a Place page shows you a map of where that Place is located, a list of friends who are currently checked in at the Place, and a list of your friends that have checked into the Place in the past.  You can post a story about the Place to your Facebook profile by clicking on “Share”.

If you’re familiar with FourSquare, it’s essentially the same thing, but with Facebook running the show.  The big question right now is, how can Facebook Places benefit you.  The Places application gives you a way to promote and grow your business on Facebook.  You can give your customers the ability to check-in at your business, giving them the power to tell their friends about your business.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Launch the Facebook app on your iPhone and click on Places.  Remember, if you do not have an iPhone, Blackberry and Android users will soon have access to Facebook Places.
2. Click on the ‘Check In’ button in the top right of the screen.
3. Facebook uses your GPS location to find nearby Places.  A list of Places will appear and you can click on the desired Place and check-in.  Now if you want to add your own business, click on the + button at the top right of the screen.  This is how you add a Place.
4. Type in your information.  When your done typing in your details and you’re happy with what you have, click ‘Add’ in the top right of the screen.

Your Place is now available for everyone to check-in and tell their friends that they have arrived at your Place.  I mean really, who doesn’t want one person to check in, and now their 482 Facebook friends all see that they are there, at your business.  It’s like letting everyone promote your business just by showing up.

Happy networking!  I think I’ll go ‘check-in’ somewhere with an ice cold refreshment.

by Ryan Martens, Education Specialist

I only ask that you mind the house rules: no spamming other guests, wear an appropriate avatar, and of course no trashing my site!   There is nothing worse than having to clean up after a party gets out of hand – especially when our nosy neighbors on the web and any passing consumers can see everything.

I guess what I am trying to get at with this extended analogy is that your website is essentially your home online. All the shiny “web 2.0” tools (comments, user created content, etc) that facilitate two-way interaction are the things that keep the party hopping.  Social networking outlets assist in attracting guests, but at the end of the day – is your ”home” going to be trashed because of it? 

In 2010, your personal website is the one of the last things that is totally controlled by you.  You design it, you personalize it, and you choose what is displayed and what isn’t – could adding too many pieces of interaction be a bad thing?  Well, let’s look at couple of case studies on other sites.

I remember when Myspace was the rage, back in the internet stone age of 2005-6.  I devoted every ounce of my time building the perfect space – and conducted most of my personal communication through the now (essentially) defunct service.  Then, real communication started to dwindle, and it became a spamming free-for-all since there was no mechanism to moderate/block comments or messages.  My inbox became bombarded with nothing but automated messages, group invites, applications – whether I wanted to see them or not.  Now, I haven’t logged in to my account in months.  It’s less of a ‘my’ space, and more of a robo-space. 

The same is beginning to happen with Facebook.  I still use it to chat with friends, but the amount of real communication taking place is steadily declining as Facebook drags its heels on limiting unsolicited marketing messages (both direct and in-direct) which may be the exact opposite of what your brand is trying to project.  How many times have you seen a photo comment or a wall post that you just know the original author probably doesn’t want associated with their content?  I know I’m not the only one. 

While we’re on the topic, I also don’t want a zombie hug, and I don’t care if this pickle can sell more homes than such-and-such real estate agent, or find out who was voted braver than me?  That’s okay; I think I know the real truth.  And for the last time – stop poking me!

Call me a cynic or a purist but I believe social networking applications should be kept real.  When you go to conferences and tradeshows for ‘networking’, you don’t network with applications and play a round of Farmville – you interact with real people.  Considering the amount of time is now spent in the world online – can we keep communication real?

Buyers look for real communication.  They come to your website for contact with you, that is why it is important to keep your website relevant, personalized, and accessible – without being too freeform – less you run the risk of things getting out of hand, just like Myspace or Facebook.  Here are a few tips for adding social content to your site:

• If users are given access to site files (such as downloadable pdfs) make sure they do not have access to alter or delete the files in question.
• If you have access to an instant chat or click-to-call application, make sure that it does not show you as available when aren’t (aka in the middle of the night).
• It is best practice to make sure that any sort of audio or video on a page does not auto play by default.  There is nothing worse than going to website with audio and not realizing your speakers are at full blast!
• Make sure all forms have some sort of CAPTCHA form (such as reCAPTCHA) less you become swamped by spam.
• Make sure any commenting application has a moderation process.  In addition, make sure you have a commenting policy readily available to refer people to.

Now, if you’ll excuse me…I have a party to attend.

Do you ever find yourself struggling to find enough time in a day to accomplish everything?  Perhaps you feel like you can keep up with what you currently know, but feel like you are falling behind on what’s new.

If you feel this way, you’re not alone.  I know I do.  I would wager a guess that almost everyone does at some point, in any field of work.

The other day I was talking with a co-worker about how difficult it can be at times to ‘keep up’.  We work for a software development company.  It’s almost a given that we should be hip to the newest tech gadgets, gizmos, and applications.

How does one keep up with what is new and how do we know which of the newest of the new is going to be something we can actually make use of, benefit from, and even help us save or make money?  Because, let’s face it, no matter what the economic situation is, we could always use a bit more money in our pockets.

This led me to consider some practical ways that we can manage our daily lives to prevent information and application overload.

The whole world in your hand

Well, almost.  If you haven’t already taken a look at the amazing features, tools, and apps available with most of the smartphones these days, it’s probably about time you did.  Judging by a recent informal poll we did on the Point2 Agent blog, we see that the majority of real estate professionals feel that their smartphone is the one gadget they simply could not live without.

And for good reason.  Consider that in most cases a smartphone provides you with web access, email access, an address book, a cell phone, a lockbox remote, a GPS, and a digital camera in a pinch.  Then think of how you’d ever manage to carry, let alone remember, all those individual gadgets at any given time – usually 24 hours a day.  (Note: this isn’t to say that your smartphone camera should replace a decent quality digital camera for listing photos.  We wouldn’t want to endorse less than the best for listings at Point2.)

Also becoming a more compelling reason to use a smartphone is the ever-growing list of neat, useful, and sometimes not-very-useful-but-quirky apps available from various application stores.  Of course, if you have an iPhone you can download a variety of apps for your phone from the Apple App Store.  If you have a BlackBerry, you can also access apps for your smartphone from BlackBerry AppWorld, including some of the more popular ones orginally made for the iPhone.

Walking into spider webs

Social networking and social media – a veritable web of contacts and friends and acquaintances.  Simply put, social media is the way of the future.  To be successful in any kind of business the need to be connected to your consumers is more real than ever before.  This raises the question: How do I know what is important?  And how do I keep track of it all?

Knowing what is important can be as simple as recognizing what is important to you and to your business.  Not all social media or networks will be suitable for every business.  Fortunately for you, the real estate industry is a very consumer-centric, people-oriented business.  This means that for the most part you should want to follow and participate where your consumers will be participating.  If you are able to reach them and connect with them on any level then you can succeed.

It’s true, some social networks have the potential to fizzle out without much success or following.  Because of this, some may be hesitant to ‘jump on the bandwagon’ because they don’t want to invest time or energy in building up a network on a service that may we useless in a few months.  Sound like you?  That’s okay, just take things a bit slower.  If you are interested in the potential of a specific service or tool, give it a few months to ‘prove’ itself in the flurry of all the other social media services.  It’s probably safe to say that if the social network or social media tool has made it into the mainstream successfully (i.e., mentioned in the news frequently, celebrities use it, etc.) then it is likely to remain for at least a little while and could warrant your participation now.

I can’t hear you!

As new services and tools arrive on the scene you’ll probably need to start managing all your profiles and networks.  The whole point of being involved in social media and networking is to connect you with other people, those who may be potential clients, and to help build your brand and reputation.  In order to convey this about yourself, you actually need to participate.  Setting up profiles at every social networking site is not going to net you business if you don’t actively participate there.  The more you have to say the more people will want to listen.

There are applications available that allow you to manage multiple – more popular – social networking services in one place.  Consider testing these applications out to find out which one best suit your needs and your social networks.  One that I’ve personally tried with some success is AlertThingy, where I can manage my Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, and Yammer accounts all in one place.  It won’t allow you to do everything you could normally do on each of those services independantly, but it does make life a bit easier.

There are also applications and services (such as Ping.fm or HelloTxt) that allow you to update multiple social networks with one post or entry.  If you are truly too busy to add a personal tweet or status update to your individual profiles, consider utilizing one of these automated services.  However, don’t neglect to post and update with real words and thoughts as often as possible.

You are busy.  We all are busy.  Sometimes it feels like we can’t ever keep up.  Hopefully with these few suggestions you’ll be able to relax just a little and feel like you are in better control of one aspect of your busy lives.

What do you think?

I tried to think of this with the real estate professional in mind and barely skimmed the surface of managing time and energy.  No doubt, since I am not out there buying and selling real estate on a day-to-day basis, I have missed some valuable tips or suggestions.  Please join in the discussion and share your practical advice with the rest of us in the comments below.

Social media is quickly becoming a critical area to an effective online marketing plan.  But how many of you know how to do it already?  I am extremely interested to find existing Point2 Agent users that are currently employing social media as part of their overall marketing strategy.  If you are willing to share some of your experiences and tactics with me I would love to hear from you.

Add your comments below or direct message me on Twitter @jennianderson.

>>Jennifer Anderson is Syndication Account Manager at Point2 Technologies, Inc.

Just recently, he also mentioned a service called TweetBeep that allows you to set up notifications when anyone on Twitter uses specific words in their tweets.  For example, I set up my TweetBeep to notify me anytime the word ‘Point2′ is used in Twitter. 

I think it is in human nature to want to know what people are saying about you, and these types of social media tools certainly help us keep tabs on our reputation.  But, it can actually provide a benefit to your business as well by helping you connect with your customers and engage them.

Imagine this: As a customer, you are unhappy with the service you received from a company.  You mention your disappointment casually on your blog or social network of choice.  The following day (or maybe even that afternoon) you receive an email or phone call from that very company to apologize and expressing interest in making things right.  How would you feel after that?

Or, on the flip side of that coin, if you mentioned something you felt was outstanding about a service received or product you have used, and the company called you to say ‘Thanks!’ and give you some love by way of free products/services, how would you feel after that?

I certainly don’t mean to suggest that everyone begin tweeting, commenting, and blogging about every negative or positive experience they have in the hopes of getting props and free stuff out of every company.  I guess my point is to show just how powerful social media and social networking has become in the business world.

This is no less important in the real estate business world.  If you’ve provided excellent customer service to an individual and they tell their followers on Twitter, or blog about it, it is likely you may gain some referral business from them this way.  The same goes for any negative feedback that might surface on the internet about you.  You might lose some business if it goes unchecked.  Do you know what is being said about you?  Do you take it a step further and engage those who have something to say about you?

Real estate is a customer-service oriented business and it makes perfect sense to interact with and engage your customers at the same level they are at.  You better believe that the likelihood of your customers using Twitter and other social media tools is growing daily.  Consider that Twitter recently reached over 1 billion ‘tweets’, has about 1.45 million unique visitors, and boasts some pretty impressive numbers.

Make sure you don’t neglect the opportunity to truly engage your customers with the help of social media.  I welcome everyone to share your experiences of how social media has impacted your real estate business and how you have been able to use social media to engage your customers.