The summer of social media & #cre

We are officially in the summer season in New York and who isn't happy about that? The #cre market has picked up (at least locally), the weather is beautiful, and social media is one of the hottest topics in real estate. Traditionally, summer is the time where brokers and agents hit their slow season. They have been working tirelessly all year and summer is the time to take a few extended weekends to bring the family on that long awaited (and promised) vacation. This also creates an opportunity to dive head first into your social media strategy. Do you have one yet? If not, there is not a better time to do so. In the past month, the NYREJ Tech team has been out and about talking to thousands of people via tradeshows, train commutes, webinars, meet-ups, training classes, and face-to-face's (still the best way to do business) and we make sure to always ask this question: "What business are you in?" It's funny, we always get the same response, or something very similar." "I'm in commercial real estate, or finance, or brokerage, or construction, etc..." We are constantly reminding these people that they are in the "relationship" business. They just so happen to practice commercial real estate, development, brokerage, etc... It's a VERY IMPORTANT distinction, one that should be a staple answer to everyone in real estate. With that being said, again, have you created and implemented your social media strategy yet? The Big Four, as we like to call them here in Tech Central, (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube) are all social media networks. But more importantly, they are the best online tools out there right now for #cre professionals to use to find, build, manage, and grow your relationship network. Whether you've started or not, I'd like to hear from you. Have a great social media summer! You can find me on Twitter: @StephenJHopkins Stephen Hopkins is the biz development director of the New England and New York Real Estate Journals and director of NEREJ Tech, Norwell, Mass.