In the age of social media and 24-hour hour access to real estate information, it has never been more important for REALTORS® to protect their online reputation and business “brand,” says Terry Watson, a featured speaker at the Illinois Association of REALTORS® (IAR) Spring Conference & Expo in Collinsville.
In the session, “The Yelp Effect – Pleasing the Empowered Customer,” Watson cautioned REALTORS® that as they build their presence on Facebook, Twitter and other social media that they not damage their professional brand. One tip: monitor what is being said about you online by searching the monitoring site, Social Mention, and by adding a Google alert for your name.
Watson also had some quick steps to take now to help protect your real estate brand on Facebook:
- Never let someone take control of your brand.
- Make sure no one can upload photos to your page without your permission.
- Don’t allow anyone to post videos to your page.
- Turn your profanity filter to the strongest level.
- Make sure your Facebook page includes your phone number.
- If you are using Facebook professionally, use a business page.
- Block family members from posting on your business Facebook page.
