When you think about social media, you’re often thinking about what markets it can be used for. You might think it’s better suited for conversations for brands to interact with customers, customer support, or just to hold a contest. But rather, it can be used across all industries and used in many different ways. Even those in real estate are finding ways to exploit social media to their gain and to the home buyer’s benefit. One such company that’s taking advantage of this web 2.0 technology is Roost.com – an online search site that is designed to help you find “the perfect search for your perfect home“.
Roost.com is not just a search engine that will pull up results and place you on your merry way. On the contrary, it’s a library of information – a resource for people interested in buying a home. The site contains a blog, video interviews, has widgets, uses Twitter to respond to questions and has interesting contests, and even gives insights on the market. Way better than your regular realtor’s website.
Based in San Francisco, Roost.com’s social media initiatives are handled by Derek Overbey and I had a chance to speak with him about what the company is doing:
Network Solutions: What is Roost and what service does it provide its customers?
Roost.com: Roost is a leading residential real estate search engine which directs consumers to a hosted network of real estate broker and agent “IDX” websites. Our mission is to provide the perfect search for your perfect home. To make this mission a reality we provide an easy to use, yet powerful user experience to enable you to get the information you’re looking for. But as with any search engine, the experience is only as good as the data it provides. In the real estate search arena, this is where Roost.com really shines. We partner with local Multiple Listing Services (MLS), RE brokers, builders, data providers and more to help ensure you’re getting the freshest, most comprehensive data possible.
NS: You recently underwent a website redesign and rebranded the company but still under the Roost banner. What have you discovered from your old website that you have improved upon on this new site?
Roost.com: We have made the user experience even simpler that before. We have made the website less cluttered and have improved some of the functionality…especially the mapping. Real estate is all about location so we have made it easier to find the listings and where they correlate to a particular location.
NS: What qualities do you think websites need to possess to be a good website?
Roost.com: Be easy to use and provide complete data. This is especially important in real estate because no one wants to miss out on their perfect home.
NS: You are responsible for the social media activities within Roost. How has that helped your business?
Roost.com: It has provided Roost exposure to an audience that a few years ago would be very challenging to reach. It has elevated the Roost brand in a relatively short timeframe.
NS: What do you use social media primarily for at Roost (e.g conversation, sales leads, troubleshooting, etc)?
Roost.com: I use social media for a little bit of everything. PR – we get the word out on new product updates, new markets and new partners. Sales – I engage with brokers and agents to educate them on our marketing platform and the pros of working with us. Evangelical – I am one of the human faces on the Roost brand and I tell everyone that will listen what we do and how we are different.
NS: Are your employers supportive of social media?
Roost.com: Our CEO, Alex Chang, believes in social media. He uses it himself and our development team is incorporating more social aspect in our upcoming product updates. How have you convinced them that it’s a good form of communication and source of business? Fortunately I didn’t have to do this as this was one of the reasons I was hired was to oversee our social media efforts.
NS: Are your employers supportive of social media?
Roost.com: Our CEO, Alex Chang, believes in social media. He uses it himself and our development team is incorporating more social aspect in our upcoming product updates.
NS: How have you convinced them that it’s a good form of communication and source of business?
Roost.com: Fortunately I didn’t have to do this as this was one of the reasons I was hired was to oversee our social media efforts.
NS: What specific social media tools have or are you using to help grow business?
Roost.com: My main aspects are Twitter, Facebook and our blog: A Bird’s Eye View. But I’m on dozens of other sites and I attend both industry and technology/social media conferences and events to expose myself and the Roost brand to as many people as possible.
NS: Is there any specific issues in the real estate business that you must take into consideration when using the web?
Roost.com: You have to be careful when talking about or highlighting specific homes without the permission of the owners. This could get you in some trouble. How can other real estate companies take advantage of social media? They really should have someone dedicated to it. Unfortunately, some companies are trying to share the responsibility but the effort always takes a back seat if it is not part of their daily duties. Some companies also just need to step in and try it. It might not work for everyone but don’t scoff at it if you’ve never take a chance.
Brought to you by Network Solutions®
