I'm looking for some advice regarding education, books to read, areas of expertise to invest some time and specialize in etc...I am currently an aspiring landlord working a computer tech job full time investing in rentals.

Practice makes perfect.  

Just wanted to get some best-practices on one thread here and understand the cost/benefit for each.Thanks,Rich

Where I'm from- it's best practice to present to a group of 4-5 people at a time.

It is common practice to protect themselves from any lawsuits.

Along with his suggestions I would recommend doing a little research into basic SEO practices.

Until you have more tools, this should be a safe place to practice. 

It isn't just about providing credibility, but more so creating interaction between you and your audience - also, providing helpful expertise which leads to providing content - the most powerful strategy is providing your own content - blogging, etc..I'm in a similar position - trying to understand effective social media strategies - and, those are the few tips I have come across.

I live about 10-15 minutes away from our properties, but running over there to wait around to meet a prospective tenant isn't always practical.  

In the area I primarily practice in, short sales and foreclosures can take a long time to process so it might not be the agents fault at all.