Active Rain, the Social Network for Real Estate Agents

Social media is spreading like bunnies and consuming the world. Just as the major platforms keep growing and engulfing every possible internet user in the world there is a growing fatigue of the same old. Facebook is not the best for professional networking, LinkedIn is completely diluted with people in the different professions and jobseekers, and it is pretty hard to carry on a long conversation on Twitter. The general focus of the many social media platforms has spawned many smaller social platforms designed specifically for special interests.

Active Rain is one of those niche platforms that focuses on networking, needs, and interests of real estate agents. The real estate market varies from area to area as do the laws governing the sales of real estate form each state. However the fundamentals of a realtors job remain the same, providing value to the home buyer and seller. Real estate agents assist you in what is probably the biggest purchase and debt in your life, your house. As the work is incredibly competitive and each agent works on commissions it can be complicated for an agent to find help or advice. Active Rain attempts to fill those gaps in knowledge by linking together real estate agents with each other to share advice, write blogs, and answer each other’s questions.

Average name, Better Network

Whether you think Active Rain is great name for the social networking site or not, the platform itself is pretty good. The website boasts over 300,000 users who contribute within the platform, although it is a bit hard to tell how many are active. Active Rain is the largest social media platform aimed at connecting real estate agents. Although there are a number of other networks, none of them had the number of members or aimed at simply connecting real estate agents. There are a number of other networks that are specifically aimed at connecting realtors and builders, or realtors and lenders.

Blog Section on Active Rain

 The platform functions a bit different than what a typical social media platform. There are no huge scrolling feeds of cat pictures and daily lunch updates. Instead the network is almost a huge collection of shorterblogs. Although this seems a bit strange at first it is an interesting option and  interesting departure from the typical. Users post their “blog” entries either in groups or just to the community in general. From there on users earn merit badges, comment on posts, answer to comments on their posts, and follow each other’s posts just like a real blog. The entries range from short posts about a daily gripe to long thesis about low ball offers. There is also a question and answer section where anyone can pose a questions and one of the members will answer.

Active Rain Group

There are a range of functions that are similar to traditional media channels. Users can message and follow each other. There is a great function where you can ask a question and direct it at any user for them to publicly answer. The website also provides resource tab which lists companies that an agent may use. These companies range from lead generation to printing business cards. Just like everything else on the website users are able to review the businesses and provide their comments on the services. Only the businesses with the top ratings are retained under the resources tabs.

The platform does suffer from a few minor setbacks. The lack of a traditional post feed is a bit strange. Although the feed of blog posts takes its place it does not have the same visual appeal as it lacks the images and videos typical to most social media. This may because I am so used to the traditional social media look and there just has to be a minor adjustment period. There are also some minor design issues. Although there are many fans of the simple white backgrounds the layout of the page is not optimal, the layout feels slightly convoluted. At first trying to find each feature on the site can be a bit complicated. The question and answer section is not well indexed or laid out, it can take some time to find the right questions and answer.

Q&A Section

Proximity Marketing

There are numerous opportunities for proximity marketing in real estate. It is surprising to see that some of the major real estate websites have not created an app that allows agents to provide info on their listed houses whenever a potential buyer comes to see it. I don’t know whether it would be economical to add a blue tooth or WiFi emitter at each property but a GPS enabled app would work perfect. Whenever a potential client would come close to a property for sale they would be alerted through an app that there is additional information. This could be a video, financial information, or specific details about the property. Additionally the app would provide information on how to contact the selling agent, information about the agent, and provide similar listings. Actually I might be on to a million dollar idea.

The Integrated Approach to Marketing and Real Estate

Since there is no specific demographic or social network for people who buy houses real estate agents can utilize almost anything alongside Active Rain. The major social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are a given for reaching a wide audience and building a brand. Traditional mail outs, print advertising, and Google AdWords. The insights and advice gained from other agents can be applied to all of the mentioned forms of advertising. An agent could send out letters with buying tips, buy AdWords based on others advice, or use the tips to better describe their homes on Zillow and Trulia.