Rochester Real Estate | LOCAL Homes For Sale https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com Rochester Real Estate | LOCAL Homes For Sale | Homes for sale in Rochester, NY, LOCAL Rochester real estate listings, market data, REALTOR® info, and high quality content updated every 15 minutes! Wed, 25 Jun 2025 11:50:30 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/cropped-SITE-LOGO-512-x-512-1-32x32.png How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate – Realtors® Guide To Pinterest – Rochester Real Estate | LOCAL Homes For Sale https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com 32 32 June Home Maintenance Checklist: 40+ Must-Do Tasks to Prepare Your Home for Summer https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/june-home-maintenance-checklist-summer-prep/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=20501 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


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About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
May Home Maintenance Checklist: 30 Essential Tasks to Prepare Your Home for Summer https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/may-home-maintenance-checklist/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=20484 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
April Home Maintenance Checklist: How To Prepare Your Rochester NY Home For Spring https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/april-home-maintenance-checklist/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=20364 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
March Home Maintenance Checklist: Get Your New York Home Ready for Spring https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/march-home-maintenance-checklist/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=20338 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How to Buy a House in New York https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/buy-a-house-in-new-york/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19906 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How to Sell a House in New York https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/sell-a-house-in-new-york/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19905 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Risks of Buying a Non-Warrantable Condo In New York: What You Need to Know https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/non-warrantable-condo/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19796 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What Builders Should Know About Spec Construction Loans In New York https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/builders-spec-construction-loans/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19795 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Moving To The Finger Lakes Region Of New York | Guide To Relocating To The Finger Lakes https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/moving-to-the-finger-lakes-region/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19875 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Navigating the Numbers: The Pros and Cons of Using Online Home Value Estimators For New York Real Estate https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/pros-cons-online-home-value-estimators/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19794 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
The Role of Location in Home Valuation In New York https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/role-of-location-home-valuation/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19768 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Lowe’s vs U-Haul: A Review of Truck Rental Companies https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/lowes-vs-uhaul/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19758 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

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About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Understanding the Importance of a Seller’s Property Condition Disclosure https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/property-condition-disclosure-statement/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19632 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What are Delayed Showings and Negotiations in Real Estate In New York? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/delayed-showings-negotiations/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19547 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
8 Viable Tactics to Selling Your Home and Moving Out of State https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/selling-home-moving-out-of-state/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19542 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Unconventional Methods for Selling a House: Thinking Outside the Box https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/unconventional-methods-for-selling-a-house/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19519 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Should I Sell My House Off Market: Pros and Cons Explained https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/sell-house-off-market/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19503 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What is PITI and How Does It Affect Your Mortgage https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/what-is-piti/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19498 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How To Set A Home Renovation Budget https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/home-renovation-budget/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19490 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How Does A Co-Borrowers Credit Scores Affect A Home Purchase? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/co-borrower-credit-score/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19474 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
New Construction Final Walk-Through Checklist: Ensuring a Seamless Home Inspection https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/new-construction-final-walk-through/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19458 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Essential Tips for Pumping a Septic Tank: What You Need to Know https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/pumping-a-septic-tank/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19450 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Can You Submit Multiple Offers On Homes At Once – A Legal And Ethical Analysis https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/multiple-offers-on-homes-at-once/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19414 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How to Get Your Home Photo Ready for Real Estate Listings https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/real-estate-photo-ready/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19409 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What Does a Home Builder’s Warranty Cover? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/home-builders-warranty/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19394 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
July 2023 Greater Rochester NY Area Real Estate Market Update https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/july-2023-rochester-ny-real-estate-market-update/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19403 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Who Pays Real Estate Commission When You Buy or Sell a Home https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/real-estate-commission/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19366 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Quitclaim Deeds: What You Need to Know https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/quitclaim-deeds/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19358 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What to Know About Selling a Home As Is for Cash https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/selling-home-as-is-cash/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19347 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How to Know if My House Has Paranormal Activity https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/is-my-house-haunted/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19342 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Why Find The History of a House https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/find-history-house/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19316 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
June 2023 Greater Rochester NY Area Real Estate Market Update https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/june-2023-rochester-ny-area-real-estate-market-update/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19313 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What Does a Real Estate Lawyer Do? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/real-estate-lawyer/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19181 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
May 2023 Greater Rochester NY Area Real Estate Market Update https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/may-2023-rochester-ny-area-real-estate-market-update/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19162 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What to Know About Buying a Home For The First Time https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/buying-home-first-time/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19058 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
<strong>What Should a Buyer Look For at a Home Inspection?</strong> https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/what-look-for-home-inspection/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18983 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Companies That Buy Houses For Cash Reviewed https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/companies-buy-houses-for-cash/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18889 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Does Home Staging Work and What is The Cost? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/does-home-staging-work/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18814 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What to Avoid When Getting a Mortgage https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/avoid-when-getting-mortgage/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18797 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
<strong>5 Options For Replacing a Roof Reviewed</strong> https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/replacing-roof/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18771 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What Are Restrictive Covenants in Real Estate? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/restrictive-covenants/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18714 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Can The Court Force The Sale of Your House in Divorce? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/court-force-sale-divorce/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18693 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Real Estate Agent vs. Broker: What&#8217;s The Difference? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/real-estate-agent-vs-broker/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18650 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How To Determine Square Feet In Your House For More Accurate Property Estimates https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/determine-square-feet/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18167 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
3 Things That Often Results in a Real Estate Agent Getting Sued https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/real-estate-agent-sued/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18133 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
The Top 5 Types Of Home Inspections Buyers Should Consider https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/5-types-home-inspections/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18119 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
The Pros And Cons Of Rent To Own Homes: What You Need To Know https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/pros-cons-rent-own-homes/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18104 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
5 Smart Things To Do Before Moving That Will Help Ease Your Transition https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/things-before-moving/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18084 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How to Become a Real Estate Agent https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/become-real-estate-agent/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18071 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Renting A House Or An Apartment: Which Is The Better Option https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/renting-house-apartment/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=17871 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
The 5 Most Important Factors To Consider When Buying A House https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/5-factors-buying-house/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=17851 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What Buyers And Sellers Need To Know About An Appraisal Gap https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/appraisal-gap/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=17827 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Pros And Cons Of Renting With Roommates – What You Need To Know https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/renting-with-roommates/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=17794 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
6 Things You Should Know About Buying Land https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/things-know-buying-land/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=17773 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How Long Should Home Sellers Wait To Respond To An Offer On Their Home? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/home-sellers-wait-respond-offer/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=17745 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How To Buy A House With A Low Credit Score https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-to-buy-a-house-with-a-low-credit-score/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16819 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Things To Consider When Shipping A Car https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/things-to-consider-when-shipping-a-car/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16248 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Home Depot Truck Rentals: What to Know Including Pricing https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/home-depot-truck-rentals-what-to-know-including-pricing/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16156 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
16 Things To Do Before Listing Your Home For Sale https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/16-things-to-do-before-listing-your-home-for-sale/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16138 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
The Biggest Home Inspection Mistakes to Avoid https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/biggest-home-inspection-mistakes-to-avoid/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16112 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How Your Credit Score Impacts Your Ability To Buy A House https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-credit-score-impacts-buying-house/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16086 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Top Winter Home Selling Mistakes | 7 Errors Made While Selling A House During The Winter https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/top-winter-home-selling-mistakes/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16051 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Top Winter Home Buying Mistakes | 11 Errors Made While Buying A House During The Winter https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/winter-home-buying-mistakes/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16013 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What Address Change Form Should I Use At The Post Office? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/address-change-form-post-office/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15981 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What Does Contingent Status Mean in Real Estate? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/what-does-contingent-status-mean-real-estate/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15956 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
DIY Renovation Ideas For Your Backyard https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/diy-renovation-ideas-backyard/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15937 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How to Rent Your First Apartment Guide https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-to-rent-an-apartment/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15931 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Tips For Selling A Home Virtually https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/tips-selling-a-home-virtually/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15907 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
The Complete Winter Storage Checklist For Your Belongings https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/winter-storage-checklist/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15885 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Should I Waive My Home Inspection When Buying A House? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/should-i-waive-my-home-inspection/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15870 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
The Biggest Self Storage Companies Reviewed https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/biggest-self-storage-companies/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15836 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Earnest Money and House Deposits Explained https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/earnest-money-house-deposits-explained/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15760 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Moving Mistakes To Avoid https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/moving-mistakes-to-avoid/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15568 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Top Mortgage Myths | Demystifying Common Home Loan Misconceptions https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/top-mortgage-myths/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15102 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
First-Time Home Buyer Mistakes to Avoid https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/first-time-home-buyer-mistakes/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=14815 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
10 Tips For Adding Appeal To Your Home This Summer https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/10-tips-adding-appeal-to-home-this-summer/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=14237 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Exploring The Merits of Smart Home Technology When Selling a Home https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/smart-home-technology-selling-a-home/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=13782 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Top Frequently Asked Questions From Home Sellers https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/top-frequently-asked-questions-home-sellers/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=2424 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
First Time Home Buyer Programs In Rochester NY &#8211; Updated January 2025 https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/first-time-home-buyer-programs/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock http://rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=580 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How New Doors &#038; Windows Can Boost Your Home Value https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-new-doors-windows-boost-your-home-value/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=13643 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Top 5 Things To Know When Flipping Your First House https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/5-things-to-know-when-flipping-your-first-house/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=13574 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What Are The Best Mortgage Options for Self Employed Borrowers? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/mortgage-options-for-self-employed-borrowers/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=13450 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Top 10 Best Places To See Christmas Lights In Rochester NY https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/top-10-best-places-see-christmas-lights-rochester-ny/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=10236 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What Are The PROs And CONs Of Multifamily Homes? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-multifamily-homes/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=13219 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
What Low-Cost Home Improvements Should You Make Before Selling Your Home? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/low-cost-home-improvements-you-should-make-before-selling-your-home/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=13114 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
15 Things Millennial Home Buyers Look At While Buying A House https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/15-things-millennial-home-buyers-look-at-while-buying-a-house/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=13028 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How Does A Fence Increase The Value Of Your Home https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-does-a-fence-increase-the-value-of-your-home/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12995 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
5 Simple &#038; Low Cost Fixes To Make Your Home More Appealing To Buyers https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/5-simple-and-low-cost-fixes-to-make-your-home-more-appealing-to-buyers/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12779 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How To Improve A Homes Curb Appeal In Rochester NY https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-to-improve-a-homes-curb-appeal-rochester-ny/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12665 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
7 Ways to Create an Energy-Efficient Home While Conserving Your Budget https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/7-ways-create-an-energy-efficient-home/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12633 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Hiring Movers Vs. Moving Yourself | The PROs &#038; CONs Of Each https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/hiring-movers-vs-moving-yourself/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12592 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Should You Pay Off Student Loans Before Purchasing a Home? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/pay-off-student-loans-before-purchasing-a-home/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12531 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Should I Build A New Home Or Buy An Existing Home? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/should-i-build-a-new-home-or-buy-an-existing-home/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=2497 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
Buying A Condo Vs. Renting A Condo | What Are The PROs &#038; CONs? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/buying-a-condo-vs-renting-a-condo/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12402 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
9 Money Saving Moving Tips | How To Cut Costs When Moving https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/9-money-saving-moving-tips/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12341 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
How to Create a Proper Home Maintenance Checklist https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-to-create-a-proper-home-maintenance-checklist/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12300 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
5 Tips For Tenant Screening | How To Weed Out Bad Tenant Applicants https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/tips-for-tenant-screening/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12291 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
The Best Social Media Blogs For Real Estate From 2017 https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/best-social-media-blogs-2017/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12045 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
The Best Home Improvement Blogs From 2017 | Advice For Home Remodeling https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/best-home-improvement-blogs-2017/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12044 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

Other Top Resources For Social Media & Real Estate


Subscribe To Our Blog (it's FREE) & You'll Receive All The Top Real Estate Tips, Trends, News, and More in your e-mail inbox!:Delivered by FeedBurner

About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>
The Best Mortgage Blogs From 2017 | Advice For Home Financing https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/best-mortgage-blogs-2017/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:15:53 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12043 Killer Pinterest Tips For Realtors® [caption id="attachment_10115" align="aligncenter" width="450"]How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success How To Successfully Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtor Guide To Pinterest Success[/caption] If you're in the real estate industry you've definitely heard the buzz surrounding social media and how real estate professionals are killing it on social media.  With the abundance of real estate marketing techniques to choose from, it's important that real estate professionals put their eggs in the right baskets. One of the most underutilized social media network by real estate professionals is Pinterest.  I'm often asking myself why Pinterest is so underutilized by real estate professionals and often come up with the same likely reason.  Pinterest isn't a social media network that is going to generate dozens of buyer and seller leads so real estate professionals assume that it's a big waste of time. This assumption is wrong for so many reasons, many of which you'll learn about in this article.  Pinterest may not result in dozens of buyer and seller leads, however, there are so many benefits that Pinterest can provide real estate professionals. In this article you'll find out some eye opening statistics about Pinterest, why Pinterest can be beneficial to real estate professionals, some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate, and also some real life success stories of real estate professionals who are crushing it with Pinterest. If you're more of a visual learner there is also an excellent infographic below and you can also find me on Pinterest to see how I'm leveraging Pinterest.

All About Pinterest

The majority of real estate professionals who don't believe Pinterest is worth their time and effort don't realize the type of users that Pinterest has.  Below are some eye opening statistics about Pinterest. Please note that many of these statistics are directly from Pinterest, while others are being delivered from reputable digital marketing agencies, so there maybe slight variance from source to source.
  • Founded in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 150 million active monthly users
  • 70 million of these 150 million active users are within the United States
  • 67% of Pinterest users are millennials
  • 14.2 minutes is the average time spent on Pinterest per visit
  • 18% of Pinterest users have an average yearly income of $75,000 or greater
  • 93% of active Pinterest users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases with 87% actually purchasing something because of Pinterest
  • Each Pin results in an average of 6 visits to the respective Pins website
  The above statistics are just a handful of the unbelievable statistics regarding Pinterest.  As you can see, Pinterest has seen a huge growth in users since it began in 2010 and the projected growth numbers are incredible.  There are tons of other Pinterest statistics that are eye opening and can easily be found by completing a simple Google search.

Why Pinterest Can Be Beneficial To Real Estate Professionals

[caption id="attachment_10116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic Exclusive Realtor Guide For Crushing It On Pinterest In Real Estate - Infographic[/caption] As mentioned above, if you're thinking about getting started with Pinterest and you're a real estate professional, don't expect that using Pinterest will result in boatloads of buyer and seller leads.  If that is what you're expecting, Pinterest is sure to disappoint. There are many benefits of using Pinterest in real estate though.  Below are some of the top benefits you can expect to receive from Pinterest if used properly.

Improve Online Visibility

One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest in real estate is that it can greatly improve your online visibility.  Pinterest provides real estate professionals another website where they can be found. One of the smartest steps for a prospective buyer or seller to complete while beginning their home search or sale is to inquire with family members, friends, or colleagues to see if they have any recommendations to a top real estate agent. The internet has drastically changed the way referrals and word of mouth work in real estate.  The days of getting the name of a real estate agent and picking up the phone to call the agent are over in most cases.  The majority of consumers will now receive a referral to a service, in this case a real estate professional, and head right to the internet to investigate before contacting the referral. Using Pinterest in real estate is yet another website that your name will show up when someone searches for you.  If you're active on Pinterest, the consumer is going to see boards and pins providing great information about buying and selling real estate and your local community. Actively using Pinterest in real estate will not solely justify why a consumer should hire you as their real estate agent, however, it can provide excellent social proof that you know your industry.  The tried and true method of knowing how to interview real estate agents is still the number one tip for selecting the right real estate agent, but being active on Pinterest will absolutely increase your online visibility.

Drive Insane Amount Of Traffic To Website

The number of real estate professionals who still do not have their own website is startling, however, that is another discussion in itself.  If you're a real estate professional who has a website and one who actively is providing quality content, Pinterest is a must.  Arguably the biggest benefit to using Pinterest in real estate is the insane amount of traffic it can drive to your website. The number of visitors to a real estate website is important.  The more traffic to your real estate website, the greater the chance your quality content will be shared with others.  The more shares your content receives will result in a greater chance that it's found in the search engine result pages (SERPs).  This is a common SEO concept calling social signals.  According to Moz, the question is no longer if social signals impact the SERPs, but how much they impact the SERPs. Further on in this article, you'll find out some real life Pinterest success stories where we'll explore the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Rochester's Real Estate Blog.  Also we'll review the impact Pinterest has had on the traffic to Bill Gassett's website who is killing it on Pinterest as well. [caption id="attachment_10123" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website! Pinterest Can Drive Insane Amounts Of Traffic To Your Website![/caption]

Prove You're The Local Expert

Pinterest provides real estate agents the opportunity to showcase their local communities.  This is an excellent opportunity to prove that you're the local expert in your local communities, which is a huge benefit to using Pinterest in real estate. As one of the top real estate agents in Rochester NY, Pinterest has allowed me to show off not only the City of Rochester but also the surrounding communities that I do business in.  Pinning attractive photos of local establishments, landmarks, and other points of interest is social proof that you're in tune with your local community and furthermore proves you're the local expert.

Pins Are Evergreen

One of the best things about Pinterest is that Pins are evergreen.  Evergreen in the content marketing world means that a piece of content will remain relevant forever. Since Pins are evergreen, they will continue to be shared by others as the number of shares rise solely because other peoples followers will be able to discover the Pins.  This is not the case with many other social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.  A Tweet has a very small window of opportunity for others to discover your content as it gets buried further and further in a persons Twitter feed. For example, an article discussing what to expect from a real estate agent when buying a home that I published in June 2015 was originally shared on my real estate articles worth reading board and since has been pinned over 850 times.  There are millions of real life examples of Pins being evergreen.  Since Pins are evergreen, they will continually reap benefits for your quality content.

Tips For Using Pinterest In Real Estate

After learning about some of the benefits to using Pinterest in real estate, if you now understand the importance of using it, it's now time to learn how to use it properly. Below are some of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate.  By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a huge presence on Pinterest and you'll be reaping the benefits soon!

Create Memorable Graphics

In order to be successful on Pinterest in real estate, you need to create memorable graphics for your content.  Since Pinterest is all visual, no graphics results in no opportunities for your content to be pinned.  Graphics that are poor designed or easily forgettable will result in poor results and a quick exit from Pinterest. It's vital to your success on Pinterest in real estate that you create at least 2-3 memorable graphics that relate to the topic you're writing about.  There are several user friendly websites and programs that are available that make it easy to create great, eye-catching graphics.  My favorite website to create graphics for my content and other marketing pieces is Canva. Canva is a free website that allows you to create graphics of all sizes and also purchase photos to use within your graphics for only $1.00.  As you're creating memorable graphics for your real estate content, keep in mind that generally the longer the graphic, the better it'll perform on Pinterest. All of my articles are accompanied by at least 3 graphics that are 800px x 1200px and perform very well on Pinterest.  A real life example of this is the article discussing why Realtors® ask for a pre-approval letter.  These three graphics have been pinned almost 1,000 times, which is almost half of the 2,100+ shares. It's important to remember as you're creating your graphics that you're paying for the photos you're using within the graphics.  There are a handful of websites that allow you to get free graphics and others that offer graphics as cheap as a couple dollars, such as Canva.  If you don't have the rights to use a graphic, you're opening yourself up to potential legal problems.

Create Local Boards

As mentioned above, Pinterest provides an excellent opportunity to prove you're a local expert.  As you're building your Pinterest presence, you need to make sure you've created local boards. Your local boards shouldn't only be filled with your greatest and latest listing.  These local boards should provide people who are interested in learning about your communities some helpful information.  On my Greater Rochester NY Pinterest board, I've pinned graphics regarding the local dog parks in Rochester, local real estate market reports, information for people who are moving to Rochester, Rochester NY landmarks, and other helpful Rochester related Pins. In most cities there are many surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods which you can also create boards for.  14 of the 62 boards on my Pinterest profile are local boards which provide information regarding the Greater Rochester NY area and the surrounding towns, villages, and neighborhoods. [caption id="attachment_10124" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL Top Notch Tips For Real Estate Agents On Pinterest - Focus On LOCAL[/caption]

Join Powerful Group Boards

One of the best ways to effectively use Pinterest in real estate is to join powerful group boards.  There are dozens of excellent real estate group boards on Pinterest. The primary reason group boards are so beneficial to join is because they improve the reach of your pins.  For example, if a group board has 10,000 followers, any Pin you share with the group board will now have the ability to reach these 10,000 followers. I belong to and have the ability to pin on over 15 group boards related to real estate, which allows my pins to reach way more than the 2,300+ followers I have on Pinterest.  It's a numbers game, the more possible reach your pins have, the higher the number of Pins your graphics will receive.

Follow Other Successful Real Estate Professionals On Pinterest

Regardless whether you're looking to build your Pinterest presence or another social media network, it's highly recommended that you follow those who are having success.  One of the best tips for using Pinterest in real estate is to seek out and find those professionals who are killing it on Pinterest. There are several resources and articles that discuss who the best real estate professionals on Pinterest are.  As you discover these real estate professionals on Pinterest, evaluate how they are using Pinterest.  In most cases, these professionals are more than happy to answer questions you may have about Pinterest. "If you can't beat em', join em'" is a great saying to keep in mind as you're building your Pinterest presence or your presence on other social media networks.

Don't Be A Super Sharer

One of the most common reasons why real estate professionals don't succeed at Pinterest is because they are a super sharer.  You're asking yourself, what is a super sharer?  A super sharer is someone who publishes a piece of content, shares it all over the place right away and never shares it again. A super sharer on Pinterest will Pin their graphics on their own boards and all of the group boards they belong to at once.  This is a huge missed opportunity to reach the a large portion of the potential followers of these boards.  Unless these group board followers happen to log in to their Pinterest account in the near future, your pin will likely go unseen by them. A great tip for Pinterest in real estate is to sprinkle your pins over a long period of time.  For example, once I publish an article, I'll share one of my graphics on a couple group boards immediately.  For the next several days, I'll share the same pin to a couple different group boards, keeping in mind to space the Pins apart a few hours.  This greatly improves the chances that more people will see my graphics, which will hopefully result in them Pinning my graphics to their own boards.

Real Life Pinterest Success Stories

Real estate professionals are often very skeptical when it comes to marketing and advertising.  This certainly is acceptable since we are often solicited to pay for leads and different advertising opportunities. In many cases, the best way to prove to a real estate professional that something is worth their time is to show them real life examples.  Below you'll find some cold, hard facts about the impact Pinterest has had not only on Rochester's Real Estate Blog but also the impact it has had on another top Realtor® on Pinterest, Bill Gassett.

Maximum Real Estate Exposure, Bill Gassett

[caption id="attachment_10125" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty Pinterest Success Story - Maximum Real Estate Exposure - @massrealty[/caption] It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss a success story from Pinterest or great Pinterest tips without speaking with Bill Gassett, a Westborough Massachusetts Realtor and Pinterest expert. Bill is well know in real estate circles for his insights into how to make Pinterest work as a real estate agent. Here is what Bill had to say; "Kyle thanks for allowing me to share some important facts about Pinterest. Believe it or not Pinterest is the #1 source of traffic to my blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure. At the present time Pinterest is bringing in about 6000 visits per month to my site. Obviously that is a significant amount of traffic considering lots of real estate sites do not have that amount of traffic from all sources. The key to making Pinterest work as a real estate agent boils down to a few very simple things: 1. Provide exceptionally helpful content that people will enjoy reading about. 2. Have graphics that are eye catching. This is a vital part of making Pinterest work well. I highly recommend Canva as a simple tool for enhancing your graphics. 3. Join some of the most popular real estate group boards where content is ultra focused and seen by a lot of people. Lots of Realtors have flocked to join this board. 4. Don't forget to reciprocate by sharing other peoples content and not just your own. This is the basis of growing a social media following in any site not just Pinterest. 5. Don't make your listings the major part of your focus but instead provide valuable information. For more excellent Pinterest advice, I would suggest reading some top Pinterest tips for Realtors at the Contactually Blog. By following this advice you are bound to make Pinterest a top social media site for real estate traffic." As you can see, Pinterest is driving an insane amount of traffic to Bill's real estate website.  Bill is one of the industry leaders when it comes to using Pinterest in real estate, no doubt about that.

Rochester's Real Estate Blog, Kyle Hiscock

[caption id="attachment_10126" align="alignright" width="300"]Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE Pinterest Success Story - Rochester Real Estate Blog - @KyleHiscockRE[/caption] The purpose of writing this article is to help other real estate professionals learn how Pinterest can make a huge impact on their business.  I've been actively using Pinterest for a little over 2 years now and have seen incredible results from Pinterest. My website, Rochester Real Estate Blog, averages 4,500 visitors per month from Pinterest and like Bill mentions above, 4,500 visitors is likely more than many real estate websites get from all their sources each month. One of the most startling statistics about Pinterest traffic to my website is that in most months, it actually drives more traffic to my website than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus combined. The first 10 months of 2016 has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to Rochester's Real Estate Blog and an unknown, but surely huge number of shares to other social media networks as a result of finding my content.  Even if a small percentage, let's say 1%, of these visitors shared a piece of my content, that is an additional 5,000 shares that I wouldn't have achieved if I wasn't actively using Pinterest.

Final Thoughts

Successfully using Pinterest in real estate can be a game changer.  As you can see, there are mega-benefits to using Pinterest for real estate agents.  Building a strong presence on Pinterest isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take time and effort.

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About the authors: The above article "How To Use Pinterest In Real Estate - Realtors® Guide To Pinterest" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.]]>