In this day and age it is pretty much a given that you are required to be online.
After the initial internet businesses of the early 2000′s, people have been reluctant to say the least with regard to investing time and money into any internet strategy. Free email like Gmail and Online fax services like eFax and ringcentral are two of the only business models to survive in into the new generation.
Web 2.0 has shifted the attention away from big companies and presented it back directly to the independent user. Web 2.0 gives the person with a computer and an opinion a voice on the Internet.
Are you clear about Web 2.0 and what it is?
Many of you I’m certain are not precisely sure what Web 2.0 is. Well, it is fundamentally an overall term encompassing the websites that have brought us new technology that allows for wider control and handling of content.
This means we now have the power to communicate much more efficiently than previously possible. Newly created content can be transferred to viewers more easily than we could have dreamed of just a few years ago. With a few clicks of the mouse you can bring in content from other authors daily without any further work on your part. Same goes for photos, videos and articles.
There are so many internet strategies covered by Web 2.0 but the principal concepts are writing blogs and setting up profiles on the various social networks like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. A few other forms of Web 2.0 marketing include link sharing with sites like Digg and Reddit and even photo sharing sites like Flikr, Photobucket and iPhoto fall under the Web 2.0 umbrella.
So what does this have to do with Real Estate Investing? Well, one obvious tactic is the sheer number of people you can now get your message across to. Whether you are buying or selling properties, marketing a product or just establishing yourself as an authority, the various Web 2.0 strategies will help create exposure for you and your business. I think you will be surprised at just how many people identify with you and start to follow your flow of information.
Once you have determined yourself as an authority in your market, individuals will begin to reach out to you for available investments and potential buys. In the end, exposure means money. Your friend down the street may be a smarter investor than you but when a stranger Googles “real estate investing Seattle, WA” does his site show up or yours?
Maybe you are thinking, “Great, something more to spend money on.” Hang on, that’s the best part of Web 2.0, the majority of it is free. It will take you a few hours every week to make your posts and whatnot but there is very little to no out of pocket expense. A small price to pay for an equal voice in the real estate investing world.
Once you have been at it a while you will become better and better at creating new content in less time. Keep in mind, once you produce the content you keep getting returns on the information long into the future. But also keep in mind that you need to watch what you put out there as it will probably be around for years to come as well.
After the market crash investors have been searching for distinct ways to approach the marketplace. Even though the strategies may not be completely cut and dry, Web 2.0 and online social networking are the clear winners for the new direction during this down market.