LinkedIn Used Less but Potentially the Best

According to a recent analysis of its customers by Postling, a company that offers social networking management services, 84 percent of its 7,000 real estate professionals are using social media as part of their marketing strategy. Only 29 percent of real estate agents use LinkedIn. While this is understandable considering the popularity of Facebook and Twitter, it might one day be considered a serious oversight for agents who didn’t get in on LinkedIn’s ground floor. That’s because out of the three social networks we explored recently, LinkedIn is by far the one with the highest demographics of professionals from various industries. What differentiates LinkedIn from Facebook and Twitter is that members of LinkedIn join to improve and grow their careers and businesses. While this means that LinkedIn is treasure chest of quality prospects, it also means you’re apt to face some stiff competition to earn their business. Opening an account with LinkedIn is free, but there is also a paid professional account that costs $39.95 a month, if you pay annually. Many real estate agents end up utilizing this account because it gives them a much wider search range of profiles, allows them to email any of the members directly and shows them who is visiting their profile, including all of the visitors’ demographics. I suggest you start with the free account, carefully complete your profile, join some groups and then monitor them for a while before signing up for the paid membership.