This is my last 30 days and it works for me.  4 contracts as a direct result currently.

Social media is all about engagement. As a realtor you just can't continually plaster sh*t against the wall and hope it sticks. You have to continually converse with your audience and keep them engaged in topics that are of interest to them, not you, them!

It's kind of like upgrading an older home in a sea of newer ones. You have to upgrade it not to bring a greater return on your investment, but to be competitive with the ones that are shinier and brighter. By the same token, if you don't participate in social media, you may be lost in a sea of shinier and brighter things. Does it give you an automatic edge? No.

I've gotten new clients and referrals from ActiveRain and my web site.  But I often think if I dropped it all, I'd spend more face time in front of buyers and sellers - at least older ones.

I have gotten NEW clients and NEW agents through my social media networking activities so until "they" come up with something better;

I'll continue to use it. 

The numbers don't lie ! I see SM only as a way of touching people you might otherwise be ignoring . Trying to maintain top of the mind awareness (Mike Perry = real estate)

If you put a business card size ad in the local paper and it took eight months to get a call and results in a good commission does that mean it is not good!

If your name is not out there they have no chance of finding you.

David Barr I have a tendency to agree with you. The public is bombarded with social media. Then again someone, as you stated may stumble upon something you've posted.

Yes social media sites work to get your name and information out to many more buyers /sellers than newspapers.  I shre in groups, people do notice. 

It seems the people who really focus on SM are successful.  I have never liked Facebook and my lack of people knocking on the door, from FB reflects that.  I stay in AR because I enjoy the people and worth more to me than watching 1/2 hour or hour of sitcoms in the evening.  I agree with you that the saturation point is here and a select few will prosper.  Same exists with face to face, a select few who commit to it and do it faithfully will be the ones succeeding.  Mark

I think it depends on the product David.  Homes, heck no.  It gets interest but the home and the agent sell the product.  For knick-knacks, body armor, diet plans, firearm accessories... I'd say yes.  I've bought all those things through adverts on social media.

I am on AR because I enjoy it and it only takes a few clicks to send it over to SM so I do it. 

I just went over my social media receipts for last year and wow! I spent alot of money and got a zero return on it. I will keep using it, but am not spending advertising dollars until I can get a program that works. I need to follow Joy Bender's advice.

We are over saturated and everyone wants to convince us to buy into their program. It gets tiring. 

For real estate SM has some impact to inform or reinforce their presence. The reviews, Tru, Z, Yelp, Google all help as strangers want to know if you have lots of complaints.  The least liked agent review-wise in our area, is the top agent doing several $100sM yearly. She has the card-listings.

Social Media DOES work to sell product.

It does not work for everybody.

If effort is not made to position yourself, the product and the audience. it can not work. Like all things, to work well, a bit of experience, research and effort is required. Buying ads and ranking is NOT the same thing.

Interesting question and answers.   

parked and reading

 Interesting statistics. I do not track my online  statistics. Perhaps I should.

It works with millennials. But it does take styling and has to fit the culture of that forum. 

Well, I gently remind members of all my network what I'm doing for living. As you mentioned, it is free and help us to reach out. Everyone is Googling everyone these days.

Thanks for question & discussion back & forth in the comments

Glad to see it works for some people.

i have made sales directly because of social media, so I say it works.

i am not a big fan of what social media does for product....but... real estate is different than.. many other items

I don't feel there is any really right or wrong answer

I hear stories that it works for some people.

I'm noticing some Pinterest pins are actually starting to show up on page one of google with certain longtail keywords.  

For my FB business page I'm targeting page likes and posts to my farm that I spent up front for 2016, "don't ask how much" for mailings with smartzip.  These are the 4 filters I'm using

1. Zip Code

2. Homeowners

3. Value of home owned

4. Likely to move

My intentions are to bridge the offline mailings with the online presence.  Instead of bus benches, grocery store carts or receipts, or the grocery store sanitary wipes for your cart stand. 

You have to work it to make it work.

Yes, it can work.

Depends on the product, and the buyer - it's a tool

My analytics has organic searches as the top percentage as well.