When I entered the commercial Real Estate industry in 1984 I was told Real Estate is a numbers game. I never forgot that. The more people I reached, made a connection with, then provided solutions; they would turn into buyers and sellers. Simple, huh? I was young, and eager to succeed.

I called a minimum of 50 people every day from the yellow pages. I ran as many newspaper ads as my pocket book would allow. I sent out fliers. I sent out postcards. I had a booth at our state Home and Garden show. I did TV commercials. I continuous tried to reach as many people as I could.

I spent more money then I made, but thought I was building an empire and someday it would pay off. It never did.

In 1998 I still understood the power of numbers. I also changed careers, from a commercial real estate agent to a mortgage broker. I could no longer afford the newspaper and other traditional means to reach my new customers. The internet was gaining speed. I cannot recall the numbers of people on the internet then, but something happened when I made a decision to seek alternative avenues for marketing. I was spending less money and making serious money. People were coming to me by the hundreds. Then by the thousands. It hit me. Numbers still work. But instead of me reaching out to people, they were reaching out to me. I was able to reach millions of people through the internet! My business marketing world changed forever.

Let’s look at some number today. According to Quantcast:
1 google.com 142M+ U.S. monthly people. The site attracts a more affluent, more educated audience.
2 yahoo.com 123M+ U.S. monthly people. The site appeals to a more educated crowd.
3 facebook.com 95M+ U.S. monthly people. The site appeals to a more affluent, young adult, very slightly female biased following.
4 youtube.com 82M+ U.S. monthly people. The site appeals to a more youthful following.
5 msn.com 80M+ U.S. monthly people. The site caters to a adult, more educated audience.
6 live.com 77M+ U.S. monthly people. The site appeals to a more educated crowd.
7 microsoft.com 74M+ U.S. monthly people. The site is popular among a skewing older, slightly male slanted following.
8 wikipedia.org 70M+ U.S. monthly people. The site is popular among a slightly male slanted, more educated audience.
9 ebay.com 64M+ U.S. monthly people. The site is popular among a more affluent, slightly male slanted audience.
10 myspace.com 58M+ U.S. monthly people. The site is popular among a slightly female slanted, teen and young adult audience.
Between Google and Yahoo alone there are over 275,000,000 monthly visitors in the U.S. Social Media sites such as facebook and You Tube have made the top 10 list!

Twitter gets around 4,419,413,000 tweets per hour. See “live” results here http://popacular.com/gigatweet/

NAR states that over 80% of home buyers and sellers begin their search online. Because numbers do not lie, I decided to see how the Real Estate industry was stacking up utilizing the power of internet marketing via social media.

According to the 2008 Realtor Technology Report, Realtor participation in Social Networking or Blogging showed…

33% participate in social networking sites or blogs for real estate business purposes, 7% were not sure and 60% said NO.
I was startled to uncover this data. If real estate is about numbers, why do only 33% participate and engage buyers and sellers in their local market place online? Real Estate is a numbers game and about conversations.
As I reflect back on my last 9 real estate home purchases (both investment and primary) I used the internet for research. When I was ready to see homes, I sought out the agent or real estate company that provided me with the local real estate information I was seeking. It was that simple. I did not need to talk to someone until I was ready. The internet proved to be a valuable resource. I was able to identify local trends, school information, community info and everything I needed to make an educated decision.

The internet, whether it is your website, a blog or social media campaign is about numbers and conversations. When the 2009 report comes out, I hope this numbers are larger.

Real Estate is about numbers. Social media and search engine numbers should be enough to grab the attention of all Realtors.

Randi Thornton is the SEO Social Media coach for PCMS Consulting.

If you are in Real Estate, share your numbers with us! We want to hear from you. SocialMediaRE.com

What I learned:

I had the pleasure of personally meeting the people behind the new Real Estate Company, Pedal to Properties this week. It was so refreshing to engage with such an innovative forward thinking real estate group. They have  embraced technology and PR and have witnessed a tremendous response nationally and in their local market. They have been identified by CNN and The Wall Street Journal. How powerful is that exposure? It is simply brilliant.

I also truly enjoyed the debated conversation about social media and SEO with Tim Majors, president of  Pedal to Properties. Conversations lead to thoughts, ideas and new concepts.

Keep up the great job!