Pinterest for Real Estate Professionals
Pinterest is an online pin board that lets its users share photos and videos of things or people they are interested in or they found online. The verb used to describe this sharing process is called “pinning.” Pinterest also lets you browse other pin boards people have uploaded and it gives you inspiration to create better things. Pinterest is still a growing social network and as other networks, no one can confidently say how long it will be around for. For now, it’s still by invite only and if you would like an invitation; Email me at atim@mm4a.com
Most users on Pinterest pin, re-pin, like and comment on pictures of food, home decor, weddings, clothes etc. This site is said to be used mostly by women although a good number of men still use the site.
Pinterest Terminology
A pin is an image that is added to Pinterest either from a website or by uploading images from your computer. Each pin added from a site links back to the site that it came from through Pinterest thereby driving traffic there.
A re-pin is adding an image you found on Pinterest to your own board. This image that is re-pinned grants the original author credit and still showcases on your own board.
A board is a set of pins and can be created on any topic.
Liking a pin shows your appreciation for the pin and automatically adds it to the like section of your profile.
Following someone or a board on Pinterest means subscribing to the updates of these boards and the owner of these boards. You can choose to subscribe to individual boards people have or choose to subscribe to all the boards and you get updates from all of them.
How does this affect the Real Estate Professional?
It has always been said that women are usually the decision makers when it comes to buying homes in a family. Wouldn’t it be a great strategy to focus your advertising on the decision makers?
Imagine this scenario;
- A family is looking to buy a home in the Richmond Hill area in Toronto.
- You the real estate professional service the Richmond Hill area
- You have just joined Pinterest and you have a few listings in this area.
- You create a few boards for the Richmond Hill area. A board on the listing itself, restaurants, schools, hotspots and the neighbourhood in general.
- The wife of the family is surfing Pinterest and types in the search box “restaurants in Richmond Hill. Your board comes up, she follows your board and sees the other boards you have.
- She sees professional pictures of the listings you have in the Richmond Hill area. She is sold on this listing already even before she contacts the real estate professional to ask to view it. Being that she is the decision maker of the home, she convinces her husband that they must buy that home and you the real estate professional has successfully closed a deal.
This is just an example of a strategy that you can use to market your listings which also means that for the real estate professional, you can no longer use average photos to promote your listings as the powerful photos may be the selling point.
What types of boards can you make?
- Make boards with listings you have–> Upload or pin photos of every room in the house, floor plans, amenities in the building if it is a condo etc.
- Staging board –> Upload or pin photos of staging options
- Achievement board –>Photos with clients that you have closed a deal with during the listing presentation. Also upload or pin photos of clients that you have helped sell their home or bought their home.
- Neighbourhood board–>Upload or pin photos of restaurants, schools, hot spots in your farm area etc.
- Video board–>Pin videos from your YouTube or Vimeo account.
- Personal Interest Boards–>Upload or pin photos or videos of things that you as a person are genuinely interested in. It makes your clients know you are still human and you may be able to bond based on those interests and they would be more comfortable listing with you just because they found a common ground to bond with you on.
Tips
- Make sure to add the “Pin It” button to the bookmark section of your browser so it would be easier for you to pin items from your site or any other site you find information from. Instructions are available once you sign up for a Pinterest account.
- Label your boards for search engine optimization. Boards with listings should have the full address and all your keywords on the photos. The initial photo uploaded to your website or on your computer should also be properly labelled for optimization.
- Re-Pin and follow people so they can do the same for you and re-share your own pins. This is the fastest way to get viral within your network and beyond.
Connect with Gabrielle Jeans, CEO of Webtech Dezine
Facebook: www.facebook.com/smartagentnow
Twitter: www.twitter.com/gabriellejeans_
YouTube: www.youtube.com/e2000training
For a complete Real Estate website solution package complete with free SEO and Social media training; Visit www.moneymaker4agents.com
Get trained by Gabrielle Jeans, the Real Estate Trainer that specialises in Internet Marketing; www.e2000training.com
For your Listing Presentation software: www.realprosuccess.com
This is GREAT advice, Gabrielle. We have a Pinterest account (http://pinterest.com/fmrealty) that is a work in progress from a corporate standpoint, but I have also shared our corporate strategy with our management staff and Sales Associates as well. Much of it is in line with this post.
I might also add that to keep in line with North Carolina Association of REALTORS and NAR Code of Ethics, we have added disclaimers similar to – “Disclosure – images from our listings are current at time of pinning. See Listing Agent via link (within the pin) for details on availability.” I have also cautioned our Fonville family to fully research the website links associated with pins they wish to re-pin as well as those they wish to pin directly to ensure the site(s) have approved the use of their content on Pinterest (either via verbiage within the site or through the Pinterest plug-in) as well.
I will definitely be sharing this blog post with our on and off-line community too. Thank you!
Hi Lisa, Thanks for your comment. It is very important to ensure that the sites have approval of the use of their content on their sites. Thanks for pointing that out. Many people have still not read the terms of use for Pinterest. Just followed you on Pinterest.
Just saw that you followed us on Pinterest. Thanks! Now that we’ve gotten over the copyright obstacles (I hope), we’ll be pinning more. See you there!
Hi Gabrielle Any chance of a “Pin it” button being added on our webtechdezine websites next to the twitter, facebook and linkedin icons at the bottom of each page.
Hi Victoria,
Its something the programmers are working on. In the mean time, you can send in the URL, Pinterest provides and we would add it to the left menu.
Never heard of pintrest before. Thanks, will check it out
It’s the newest social network and a lot of real estate professionals are using it as well as potential clients. It’s a great place to get exposure and drive traffic to your site.