This is the second in our series of small business Success Stories that we will be featuring weekly leading up to the inaugural GrowSmallBiz Conference on Tuesday, September 29, in Washington, D.C.
Danilo Bogdanovic has been a residential real estate consultant and realtor for over five years. His northern Virginia small business relied solely on word-of-mouth and personal referrals until three years ago, when he first diversified into the world of social media and quickly found cost-effective marketing success online.
According to recent Small Business Success Index findings, technology usage by small businesses is growing despite the recession, and particularly in the area of social media. Over just the past 6 months, the percentage of small businesses using social media has grown from 12% to 17%. Being a relatively early adopter of social media marketing practices has proved vital to Danilo’s real estate business. He estimates that 75% of his current business can be directly or indirectly attributed to his two blogs (LoudounScene.com and LoudounForeclosures.com) and other social media channels like Facebook and Twitter.
According to Danilo, “I started reading real estate blogs in summer of 2006. I realized that real estate marketing strategies and tactics were changing. Consumers want relevant and hyper-local information immediately and they want it easily accessible which to me meant online. Also, consumers wanted transparency and honesty from real estate agents. What better way to meet the demands of consumers than having an online destination where they could quickly and easily find relevant, honest, and easily digestible information about real estate. That’s how I decided to launch LoudounScene.com.”
“I’d already been using social media like Facebook for fun and personal reasons, but in talking with others in the real estate business and watching how businesses in other industries began to leverage these mediums to interact with customers, I knew I had to incorporate these channels into my marketing strategy. I’ve learned a lot…The social media community is very selfless and incredibly good at sharing information and tips with one another. The general mentality is ‘we’re all in this together’. ”
Today, Danilo’s blogs are his primary marketing channel, allowing him to build business relationships with people he would not have had any other opportunity to connect with, providing him with a digital equivalent of “word-of-mouth referrals.” The blogs provide readers with local real estate information and guidance on the purchase/sales process, allowing Danilo to establish and enhance his credibility as a local real estate expert.
In addition to his blogs, Danilo also uses Facebook and Twitter to communicate with fellow real estate professionals, other colleagues and clients, past and current. Twitter also allows him to provide instant updates on properties he is visiting and to highlight great real estate deals. Danilo says he spends a few hours per day on social media efforts, but because he generates so much business through these tools, he is able to cut back on time doing tasks that many other agents do, including broker office functions, Chamber of Commerce meetings, and preparing print ads.
Danilo’s final advice for small business owners who haven’t yet embraced social media: “If you’re nervous, just try it out you’ll be surprised at how others, even your customers will help you figure it out.”
Now tell us your story! As a small business owner, you put your heart and soul into your work, but that effort often goes largely unnoticed. This is your chance to tell everyone about your company and brag about what you have done to make it a success. We will be publishing one story each week leading up to the big event and giving the business owner a free ticket to the GrowSmartBiz Conference on Tuesday, September 29, in Washington, D.C. The next selection will take place on Monday, August 17.
Please submit all entries to growsmartbiz@networksolutions.com by Monday, September 21, 2009. All entries have a 500-word maximum and should include the challenges you have faced, especially given the recent economic downturn, and innovative ways you have overcome them. The earlier you submit an entry, the more opportunities you have to be chosen! All entrants not selected will receive a discounted admission to the GrowSmartBiz Conference.
Disclaimer: All winners will be informed by a Network Solutions representative prior to their story being published on the GrowSmartBiz Blog. Network Solutions is not responsible for the winners’ travel accommodations. If contest winners are unable to attend the GrowSmartBiz Conference for any reason, tickets are not redeemable for cash, merchandise, or any other item of value. In the event the winner cannot attend, ticket can be transferred to another party.
