Over the holidays we conducted a survey of members on online networking and referrals. We wanted to better understand how luxury agents--specifically our members--are using social media...
A highlight of the results:
- More than 80% of respondents are using social networks in some way.
- About 20% report having given or received a referral or otherwise generated business via social networks.
- 58% of respondents are on LinkedIn, Facebook, or both—making them the two most popular networks by far, with an almost even split of respondents on each.
- Very few real estate specific social networks were mentioned, though Active Rain was by far the most frequently cited with 3.4% indicating usage.
- Among respondents who indicated that they have generated business via social networks there was a preference for LinkedIn when faced with the choice of a single network for our Member networking group (49% LinkedIn vs. 37.7% Facebook).
Survey Results: Online Networking and Referrals (2009) (PDF 400k)
The survey prompted lots of questions about social networking in general. Watch for links to some additional resources in upcoming posts. If you have some you'd like to share, feel free to do so in the comments.
NOTE TO MEMBERS:
We have idea-sharing and networking groups for Institute Members on both Facebook and LinkedIn. Members--if you are not already part of the groups, you can find more information as well as links to join on the Networking page in the members-only section of our website.
