5. Increase your search-engine real estate: As you continue to build your social network, you'll likely see your blog, site profiles and site content popping up in more search-engine results. In many cases, you even could appear multiple times on a search-results page for a particular mortgage term or product. This is a great way to generate traffic. Search-engine real estate is priceless, and many businesses pay thousands of dollars for search-engine optimization, or ensuring their sites appear on search sites where and when they want. But with social-media marketing and a little creativity, you could find ways to beat even the deepest pocketbooks at the optimization game.

6. Reduce your search-engine dependence: Search-engine optimization is an inexact, ever-changing and expensive science. But when you market yourself via social media, you open other, more-fluid sources for traffic. The more in tune you are to using these tools, the greater the audience you will attract.

7. Get search engines to index your content faster: In real estate it's all about location, location, location. Online, it's all about content, content, content. When you add a new blog post or content to social-media sites, you tend to get noticed more and indexed faster on search engines, which favor fresh content.

8. Stay informed about mortgage trends: By integrating social media into your daily or weekly duties, you can stay on top of the latest trends, news, discussions, events and people important to your business. Staying informed also helps you create timely content on blogs or elsewhere online. You also can learn of potential homebuyers' or real estate professionals' situations and what possible solutions you can offer.

9. Build and manage your reputation: If you know how to use social-networking sites, you separate yourself from the countless other mortgage companies that do not. Greater participation on the sites also can enhance your reputation among your network. By sharing your expertise and providing good conversation, you also will start to develop referral ambassadors -- a network of people who think and talk about you, when it comes to mortgages.

In many ways, it's not about what people say about you -- it's what people are saying for you in social-media networking.

When integrating these nine tips, remember that the best way to approach social marketing is through niche marketing. Most members of huge social-networking sites are not in your target customer base. But groups within these sites or smaller, real estate-focused sites (see sidebar) can put you in front of thousands of potential clients and referral-partners.

In all, there is an unbelievable opportunity at hand for mortgage professionals who adopt social-media marketing. This Internet strategy is the new kid on the block, and mortgage businesses often will be well-served to pay attention.

Marco Carbajo is owner and president of UCan2 Inc., a national marketing company specializing in credit-restoration, business credit and social-media marketing. He has more than 19 years' experience in all aspects of consumer credit and business credit, having been a credit consultant, entrepreneur and chief executive officer. Reach Carbajo at ceo@ucan2credit.com or at (517) 376-6709. Visit www.marcocarbajo.com for more information.

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