5 Steps to Social Media Success for Real Estate Agents
Why are some real estate agents top producers and some are barely making it? What’s the difference between the two? Their strategies. The ones that utilize the power of social media to cut through the digital noise and generate leads are the ones who are growing their business. We’re going to explain 5 steps you can use today to start growing your reach, generate leads and stand out in your market!
1. What platforms should you be on and why?
There are numerous social media platforms and unfortunately, agents either try all of them at once or none at all. There doesn’t seem to be much of a happy medium when it comes to this point, so let’s address this first.
The truth is, you only need to stick to a few. Anywhere from 1-3 should work to start. Get comfortable with one then add another and another. If you really start to get engagement on one, you can start to cross that over to another platform.
But, please don’t open 10 different profiles and get overwhelmed trying to keep up with them all. That’s when most agents just give up. There are social publishing tools that can really help as well such as Buffer, Sprout Social and Hootsuite. You could schedule all of your posts at once. Pro tip: still get online and engage often. People can tell when it’s just on auto-pilot and will start to ignore your content.
What Platforms Are the Best for Real Estate Agents And Why?
Obviously, Facebook, because it’s the 1 billion pound gorilla in the room. Everyone is on it. Friends, family, colleagues, high school and college classmates, referral partners…most likely everyone in your sphere of influence is on Facebook. It’s a great way to keep in touch with them and keep you top of mind. (We’ll dive deeper into that later…)
The next platform that works great for agents is LinkedIn because it’s the perfect place to engage with your referral network. You can also showcase your expertise in your field and present yourself in a professional tone. For example, use their blog feature to start blogging and inform people on industry trends, financial issues concerning housing or staging tips. People will begin to see you as a trusted local source for real estate information.
Lastly, pick either Pinterest or Instagram (if you conquer one, feel free to try the other- but for now, just pick one until you’re comfortable handling your multiple social media accounts!). Both platforms are very visual and in real estate, that’s a huge asset. You could create boards about interior design or DIY renovating projects, your listings or tips on kids activities. These could all be tailored to your target clients. You could also take that a step further and easily email your boards to your leads and prospects.
Instagram is a great place to showcase your listings and create videos about the houses. (Note- you can do this in Facebook and Pinterest as well).
2. How to optimize your profiles and showcase your brand
How can you increase your local search engine results and also showcase your brand? What really sets you apart?
First, you need to be sure that your profiles are all correct, up-to-date and consistent. Google rewards this kind of information and recently announced they will pull information from social media platforms to include in their search engine results. Plus, it makes it easier for clients to find you, interact with you and see that you’re consistent across the board.
Second, what message are you sending?
Be honest. Are you communicating that you’re an industry leader and that they should put their trust in you for one of the biggest decisions of their life? If not, you may want to refine your message.
Ask yourself these questions:
● Do you tell prospects what you do?
● Or, do you attract prospects with the outcome you deliver? (A beautiful house and a smooth transaction)
● Do the words you choose attract or repel the right type of clients?
● How do you keep their interest over a long buying cycle?
Again, honesty is the key here if you want to get better at marketing yourself on social media.
You see here’s the thing a lot of people don’t realize…
If you want to attract the right customers, you have to tell your story in a way that makes THEM experience the outcome you deliver and social media is the perfect platform to do this.
Paint the picture of a smooth transaction- you taking care of every detail. Then, after that, them sitting in their new house, cozied up, drinking a cup of coffee. Think of how you can get that message across to your potential clients.
What wording do you use? What types of images? What’s your color scheme? How do you want people to feel when they land on your page? Really put some thought into this and come up with a branding statement/vision. Maybe create a mood board that has your color scheme, some fonts that you like, types of filters you’ll use (if any) and content you’ll use to attract these prospects. Keep that feel consistent across your platforms (and website if you’re not already).
Then, you have to deliver that message consistently over time so that when they eventually need your service, you are the brand they think of first. Are you hanging out where they are online? Most people begin their home buying journey online, you’ve got to be there when they’re ready.
3. What kind of content should you post and how often?
We’ve identified how important having a compelling message is when dealing with potential clients. We’ve also established how important it is to have consistent information across your profiles. How important is the content that you post? How often should you be posting? How do you showcase your brand via social media?
Types of Content
To a degree, you want a variety. You don’t want people to get bored with the same stuff every day or annoyed at listing after listing. Listings are important, but the truth is, post those sparingly. Most agents really don’t understand this and can’t understand why people don’t engage more.
According to a recent study by Hubspot, real estate is the least engaged industry on social media. And it’s largely because agents just post their listings repeatedly. Read it here.
With any industry, a good rule of thumb to follow when posting is 4 to 1. Make 4 helpful, educational, etc. posts to every 1 listing post. With so much information out on the web and all the noise, people don’t want to just be “sold”. They’re looking for information, for answers. If you do this right, they’ll find your content, follow you and build that relationship and when they’re ready- they’ll reach out to you to begin their home buying or selling journey.
Always use an image- it helps catch the eye.
Think about the most common questions people ask you about real estate. Answer them. People will find you.
How Often?
Daily. It may seem like a lot, but it has to get done. There really isn’t any point of attempting to grow your social media presence if you’re only going to post once or twice a week. Google and Facebook’s algorithms both reward consistency. As in, they will show your posts/information to more people if you do it more. And, it works the other way, too. If you can’t keep up with it, get one of the scheduling apps mentioned before. Hootsuite is free up to 3 profiles and Buffer starts at $10/month. It’s worth it so spend time scheduling out your posts.
4. How to target and engage your sphere of influence on social media
Be honest. If you’re blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, whatever- do you really know why you’re engaging in all that activity (if you are doing anything)? Is it because you keep reading that it’s good for your business, or do you have specific reasons or goals for all that activity?
If you don’t have a good answer, you’re not alone. Most agents are in the same boat- confused and no good answers to these questions.
But here’s how you can start to change that…
Easy Ways to Target and Engage Your Sphere on Social Media
There are a few easy ways to engage on social media to stay top of mind with your sphere. The first one is super simple and quick- wish people happy birthday. You’ll see a notification on the top right-hand side of your newsfeed each day, simply click on the name and wish them happy birthday. Facebook will recognize the engagement and you’ll start popping up into their newsfeed.
Create lists. You can create all kinds of lists in Facebook- family, friends, referral partners, prospects. It’s an easy way to organize your sphere and you don’t have to search through your newsfeed and hope to see someone. You can create your own newsfeed of people you want to engage with and check frequently.
You can also search hashtags on Twitter and Instagram to follow and engage with your sphere. Be sure to be active on LinkedIn and comment, like or share referral partners’ information. Endorse people that you work with often. They’ll likely return the favor and share your information.
5. Intro to Social Media Advertising (How to boost a post on FB to reach more people)
This is seems to be the one aspect of social media that confuses agents the most…
But, if used effectively, it can dramatically increase your brand awareness with a small budget. You can use this tool to promote a listing, a great piece of informative content as a lead magnet or a successful closing with happy buyers or sellers.
How To:
See the little blue Boost button on the bottom right of your post? Click that
A screen will pop up
Click the Edit button near Audience and decide on who you want to target
You can edit their age, location and much more in this box
Then click the budget and duration of your ad
Then click the Boost button and you’re live!
And there you go- 5 practical steps to help you be successful on social media! Set aside a few hours a week to start tackling these items – it will take some time to get comfortable and efficient doing these activities, but they will pay off, so keep with them!
At Dalton Wade we believe that today’s buyers and sellers need a trusted resource that can guide them through the complex world of real estate. With our extensive knowledge and commitment to providing only the best and most timely information to our clients and agents, we are your go-to source for real estate industry insight and advice. Contact us today to learn more!
