One of the fastest growing trends in online marketing is social networking. And, as a commercial loan broker, you can use this trend to you advantage. You just need to know where to go, and how to present yourself in the world of commercial real estate social networking. 

Join a real estate community
When it comes to social networking, the point is to be “out there.” Join a real estate community. Such real estate social networking communities as Active Rain and Wanna Network  offer opportunities for commercial loan mortgage brokers to chime in. Set up a profile and a blog. Then offer helpful information on the commercial property loan process. And being a member of a community online also means that you should visit other blogs and profiles and leave insightful comments.

Join other social networking communities
You can boost traffic to your commercial loan website with the help of other social networking communities as well. Many commercial loan mortgage brokers have profiles on Facebook  or MySpace, as well as accounts with YouTube. This helps them connect with others in the community. YouTube can be especially helpful, as you can post videos illustrating tips about commercial mortgage loans. And on social networking communities like Facebook, MySpace and YouTube, the more creative you are, the better. (But remember to keep it professional, too!) 

Another good social networking community is LinkedIn. It’s for professionals, and it can introduce you to people you can work with, or people that you can help with commercial property loans as they branch out to become entrepreneurs. 

Find commercial loan, real estate and finance forums and become an active poster
There are forums on a variety of subjects today, and you can bring your expertise as a commercial loan broker to forums on commercial loans, real estate and finance. You can usually sign up with a link to your commercial loan website, and this means that if others like what you say, they can easily find you. Choose a few forums and post regularly, answering questions others might pose about commercial loan program options. But no hard sells! Social networking is about being helpful and encouraging people to come to your commercial loan website. It is considered bad manners to actively sell your services on an informational discussion forum. 

Set up a blog on your commercial loan website
One of the most effective ways to enter the world is to start a blog. A regularly updated blog, with useful and timely information will draw people to your commercial loan website. Offer information and tips on commercial loan program options. Provide news and commentary on what’s happening in the world of commercial real estate financing. You can even blog on other people’s blogs. Give a link to another blog, and then comment on it, whether you agree or disagree. Then, visit that other blog and leave a comment with a link to the post in which you mentioned them. In turn, you are likely to get a link or a mention sometime down the road.