At an REBarCamp this week at NAR headquarters in Chicago, REALTORS® spent the day in informal sessions discussing some of the emerging trends in technology/social networking.  If you haven’t been to a REBarCamp it’s a unique experience where the agenda is “created on the fly” by those who walk in the room to each ‘camp.’ Each person receives a blank note card to write down what they’d like to learn more about—why they’re attending to make sure their time is well spent and they have the opportunity to learn more about social networking and other technology, break-through strategies. With ample time for sharing, REALTORS® can stay on the cutting edge of how to build their social influence at this free conference.

Some of the session topics included:

• Smartphones and tablets
• Business models in 2012
• What’s next in social commerce (ex. Groupon)
• Assessing your online reputation
• How do we communicate with each other
• Automated social media marketing pros/cons
• Internet lead generation and conversion

Some concepts discussed:

With all social media, you can’t lose the personal connection. People still want to connect with you personally and see you face to face.

Technology powered salesmanship is the sales component for future. REALTORS® sell a service not a product—people are looking for engagement.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about strategy, technology and content. You can have a great website but if you don’t have content on it that draws consumers in they won’t find you. The key with SEO is finding balance with valued content.

Is your website an effective tool in converting users into leads? According to Brian Summerfield, Online Editor for REALTOR® Magazine to increase SEO advice, “you want inbound and outbound links on your website and produce not just better content but ‘killer content.’ People are getting better at searching for longer search terms. Understand who you have to write for. If you want to rank in Google, you have to learn to write like Google,” he says. What you write about is what people are looking for, use key terms in your title, URL, description and keywords throughout your website. Look for terms no one else is using. Make sure your website is updated frequently with content. Make sure to use appropriate alt-tag words for photos and video you post.

Create a blog that focuses on your community. Have your blog integrated within your website that delivers fresh content. Integrate to reinforce your brand so your message goes across all platforms and ties it all together.

Ghost writing for blogs is now considered acceptable. If you don’t have time to write for your blog consider hiring someone who can assist you.  The key is updating your blog often with fresh information.

Be creative. Create “stickiness” on your website. Create fun ways to blog or build community building through your website. Consider ways to create a call to action on your website.

Today it’s about social discovery. Continue to amplify your reputation through social presence. Look at ways you can build name recognition through social media.