If you live and work in Silicon Valley, then you had better get into social media marketing because Silicon Valley is "The techiest place on Earth." This was the headline of a San Jose Mercury News article Coldwell Banker REALTOR® Chris Rasmussen distributed at a Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® tour meeting in Los Gatos last week. Social media marketing has become almost a necessity if you want to get more exposure for your business, said Rasmussen.
In fact, the "2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report" published by the Social Media Examiner says 88 percent of marketers surveyed indicated that their social media efforts have generated more exposure for their business. Seventy-two percent said they have received positive results with regard to improving traffic and subscribers to their sites. Two-thirds of marketers indicated a rise in search engine rankings as another benefit of social media marketing. Fifty-six percent said social media marketing resulted in new business partnerships, while slightly more than half of marketers surveyed found social media generated qualified leads.
Rasmussen, who is the association's Los Gatos/Saratoga District co-chair, traced the fast-paced technological innovations in the past decade from access to the Internet and uploading photos to the use of pagers and cell phones. Rasmussen said some businesses shy away from social media because they think it is time consuming and complicated. They don't know how to set it up, how to main it, and how to use it once it is set up.
Here are other findings from the "2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report":
• Ninety-three percent of marketers indicated they employ social media for marketing purposes, stating it is important to their business.
• Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs were the top four social media tools used by marketers. In 2010, Twitter was first place with 88 percent and Facebook close behind with 87 percent. Since then, Twitter has lost 4 percent, Linked In 7 percent, while Facebook has gained 5 percent.
• Second only to YouTube and tied with blogs, Facebook is an area marketers feel they can achieve substantial results - 92 percent of marketers are using Facebook and 75 percent plan on increasing their activities.
• Blogs remain a strong area of focus for social media marketers, with 75 percent indicating they'll increase their blogging activities.
In this day and age, it is critical for businesses in this region to get involved in social media marketing. "Agents need to care about the latest tech tools because we are in Silicon Valley and social media can be a valuable tool for our business," Rasmussen told the real estate professionals.
The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.
The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.
For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.