Leveraging Social Media Takes Center Stage for Real Estate
Local Matters Search Solution Integrates Social Features to Help Consumer Decision Making and Drive Leads for Agents

Denver, CO, Jan 27, 2010 - /FLIERWIRE/-- Local Matters, a leading provider of technology solutions to online publishers such as MLSes, franchises, brokerages and other real estate groups, unveiled social enhancements to their flagship product, Destination Search, to help the real estate industry leverage social media to drive traffic and generate leads.

Destination Search, the technology solution that powers leading real estate site HomesDatabase.com from MRIS, provides cutting edge tools to attract and engage consumers with rich, local content.

According to Kris Skavish, Vice President of Products and Marketing at Local Matters, Destination Search enables real estate groups to better compete with major search engines in the complex online marketplace.

"MLSes, franchises, agents and brokerages have the advantage over the major real estate search engines because they have the local knowledge consumers need to make informed decisions," explained Skavish. "For example, an agent may have a blog post on schools in the area or Tweet about the best neighborhood restaurants. With Destination Search, the agent can present this knowledge on an engaging web site using social media as a key content driver."

A few new highlights from Destination Search include:
" Easy Sharing via Facebook Connect and Twitter- Leverages agent connections by making it easy to share information with their contacts on Twitter, Facebook and other sites, while driving more traffic to the local search site in the process. Plus, this feature reduces the barriers to account creation by allowing users to log in using Facebook Connect or Twitter.

" Comprehensive Social Media Feeds on Agent Profiles- Creates a strong, consolidated presence for use in marketing efforts while increasing SEO value of the agent profile page. This expands the traditional agent profile page using feeds and information from their social media sites, web sites, blogs, real estate sites and more.

" Search Integration with Twitter- Expands the reach of real estate search sites. Consumers can search the real estate site by sending a direct message to a Twitter account tied to the siteand get a Tweet back with search results. It enables searches without leaving Twitter and is a convenient way to have a quick mobile presence.

"The rise of search and social media means that 'plain old listings' don't really cut it for publishers," said Neal Polachek, President of BIA/Kelsey. "In fact, those that don't evolve stand in danger of being disintermediated by a new group of socially-based contenders. One solution for publishers that we're impressed by is Local Matters' 'destination search.' It compellingly puts together many of the best features of search and social media, while leveraging publishers' traditional (and still considerable) strengths."

In addition to social features, the newest release of Destination Search includes seven major enhancements, including multiple user controls to allow more efficient property searches.

For a full listing of functionality or learn more about Destination Search, visit Local Matters web site at www.localmatters.com.

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Media Opportunities
" For a demo of Destination Search, please contact Jess at 303-572-1122 x278 or jlawton@localmatters.com.

" For an interview or to book an expert for a speaking engagement, please contact Jess at 303-572-1122 x278 or jlawton@localmatters.com.

" For regular insights into online solutions for real estate, follow us on Twitter @matterslocal or subscribe to our blog at www.localmatters.com/blog.

About Local Matters
Local Matters provides technology solutions to online publishers of local information to help them achieve leadership in local search and advertising. For real estate groups, Local Matters delivers engaging real estate listing websites that bring consumers together with brokers and agents with the tools needed to select homes and agents.

With over 12 million unique monthly visitors worldwide, and almost 100 yearly software releases, Local Matters has the proven experience in consumer websites to support your initiative. Local Matters empowers dozens of the world's top local media, voice and wireless brands in over 20 countries. With over 150 employees and offices in Denver, Fort Lauderdale, London, Amsterdam, and Melbourne, Local Matters has been an established leader in digital solutions for publishers since 2002. For more information, visit www.localmatters.com.