Social Media Succes Story: Stephanie Pink (Realtor)

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This is the seventh blog post in our series of Social Media Success Stories. I first noticed Stephanie Pink on Twitter in early 2009 when there were very few realtors in Victoria using social media. Steph has continued to leverage social media and integrate new tools into her marketing strategy including video; both for virtual property tours and blogging.

If you are a realtor in Victoria, or anywhere for that matter, you can learn much by following Steph on Twitter and her website.

Chris: When did you first start using social media (blog, twitter, facebook) as a marketing tactic?

Steph: I started using social media in late October 2008. In the wake of the global economic situation, I found myself with a little more time on my hands to thought I would use it to figure out what this Twitter thing was that I’d heard about. My use of Facebook as a marketing tool is relatively minimal, I post our newsletter to my page but for the most part I use it to connect on a personal level with my friends.

AndersonPink.jpg Chris: What attracted you to social media? 

Steph: I really liked the idea of connecting with colleagues and potential clients in a way that allows them to get know you a little before they actually meet you. I was also interested in the open and transparent nature of social media.

Chris: What was your first impression of Twitter?

Steph: At first my impression was that its just one big status update and I wasn’t sure how that would positively impact my business. I soon realized that its value was not really in “what are you doing” but in connecting with other people with similar interests.

When I first started up there were very few local people to connect with but now it seems there a robust Twitter community and pretty well every week there are opportunities (“Tweet-ups”) to get out and meet each other. I especially found it interesting to see how others in my field were using Twitter – some were all business, others mostly personal and a some a mix of both (which I tend to do).

Chris: What social media tools do you currently use?

Steph: Twitter, video blog (I can really improve upon the frequency with which I do this :-), blog and to a lesser extent Facebook, LinkedIn.

Chris: How has using social media affected your business?

Steph: The most obvious effect its had is significantly increased traffic to the website and consequently inquiries via the website. Twitter and REALTOR.ca are the single biggest traffic sources to the website. Social media has also contributed to changing the way we market property – 99% is online. Also, as I touched on above, there are countless opportunities to get out and network with other Twitter users.
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Chris: Do you have a particular success story you could share?

Steph: I was recommended to a fellow from a follower on Twitter whom I had never met. It would appear they felt comfortable enough to refer me to a friend after “getting to know” me from Twitter and the blog. The recommendation became a client who sold their home and purchased another through us.

Twitter also introduced me to Ubertor, a company that provides search engine optimized websites for real estate. This company does a fantastic job and I can’t say enough about how valuable this website has been for my business. What has surprised you most about using social media? It surprised me how easy it is to connect with other people. Especially with Twitter, it seems that most of the people I follow and those that follow me are eager to offer an opinion, help or just conversation.

Chris: On average, how much time do you spend on social media per day? 

Steph: I would say I average about an hour a day on various social media outlets.

Chris: What advice would you give to a company just starting to use social media for their business?

Steph: Do it! And be real. Adding a personal element is interesting to others, I find I’m less interested in tweets that are all about a product or service. Offering a Twitter related deal or discount is a good idea too, Rod Phillips at Liquor Plus does a great job of generating a ton of interest and response via offerings on Twitter.

Chris: What’s next for Anderson Pink and social media?

Steph: I am focusing on blogging! Currently I blog less frequently than I would like so now that I’ve put it in writing I really have to be accountable 🙂

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us Steph. Congratulations on your success and best wishes for more of the same. 

Steph can be found on Twitter as @StephPink

If you would like to propose a company to be featured in our “Success Stories” please contact me or leave a comment below.

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