Real Estate Chics Are Networking Pros

Kathy Pinkus and Judy Gibbons, known as the Real Estate Chics, are becoming video stars, but that definition doesn't quite capture them in their entirety.

Perhaps the best way to think of the women are as your well connected, Internet-savvy, Fashionista, entrepreneurial girlfriends.  "We're keeping it light hearted, not the hard sell," Gibbons explains.  "It's just, we discovered this world (networking), it's working for us.  We want to help you."

"We're the experts in the area of social media and of real estate and we're moms and we're chicks and we do it all,"  Pinkus said, who, along with her partner, has found an innovative way to use online social networking to benefit their business.

The women knew a thing or two about networking even before the ubiquitous on-line activity became an every day part of their lives. "92% of my business comes from referrals," Pinkus said.

"98% for me," Gibbons chimed in.

So, the women, who weren't content to simply ride out the current real estate downturn, took to the Internet looking to make contacts in a much less traditional way.  They began to create video podcasts where they talked and joked their way through live broadcasts which would be aired on the Internet on 16 different web sites, including Youtube, Hulu, Facebook and Twitter.

"We want to think of ourselves as providers of information. We do about five minutes of real estate and five minutes about whatever: shoes, shopping, businesses," Pinkus said.   "People come to us because we're giving them a light hearted look but are also getting facts and information."

It has become a successful marketing tour for The Real Estate Chics, which is pronounced chicks as a result of a conflict with another site, which grabbled the chicks spelling first. 

But the ladies weren't content to box themselves into a single enterprise.  From the original marketing idea came a new business, which has sustained them during the current real estate climate and given a leg up to fellow business owners.

The Chics decided to help other businesses learn to benefit from online social networking, as a way to give back. "We had a builder in Huntley and we went out to meet with them because they had heard about us.  They were nice people but they didn't even know what Facebook or Twitter is," Pinkus said.

Gibbons added, "It's something every business has got to have now."

They offered a service, which is part technical and part handholding for the builder who was surprised and happy with the result.  They set up Facebook and Twitter pages for the company, along with creating four videos meant to showcase the builder in a comical, yet informative way, starring the Real Estate Chics.

 "We did outlandish videos for him," Gibbons said.  "We were standing in the kitchen saying, 'If the Chics cooked, we'd love this kitchen,' and both of us were sitting in the Whirlpool tub, talking about the bathroom.  We told him, we're not going to sell a house for you.  We're going to get you hits on your web site and Facebook page.  We're going to get you people."

People are at the center of The Real Estate Chics endeavors.  "We're givers," Gibbons said. "We're not sitting back on our laurels. We are moving forward, we are cutting edge and we want to share what we know."

Although they are most certainly cutting edge, their old school networking becomes evident by sitting at a sidewalk café with them. Nearly every passer-by stops to say hello and inquire about new developments.  Gibbons leaned over and said with a smile.  "We know too many people."

That well-earned popularity is partially due to their primary business acumen.  "Realtors are very good at keeping a database of past clients," Pinkus said.   

It's a Chic's world when it comes to networking, both on-line and face-to-face and Gibbons and Pinkus are happy they were among the first to claim it.  "It's a new reality anyway, you might as well bend it the way you want it," Gibbons said.  "This is new stuff.  This is cutting edge."

For more information go to: RealEstateChics.com