Real estate agents often use the excuse of “no time” regarding social media marketing.
Social media, Google, YouTube represent digital real estate. It is important for Realtors to create a social media marketing and branding strategy that will allow them to prospect and engage with their target market.
Although the more platforms the better, stick to one or two platforms that you know very well and be consistent. As time goes on it will get harder and more expensive to build an audience.
Industries that rely on face-to-face contact have had to adjust rapidly this year to remain relevant. Several industries are experiencing this shift, including real estate. Agents are now working more and more using their laptops and mobile phones instead of meeting clients in person. This includes doing streaming video tours, whether live or pre-recorded, so lots of prospects can watch at the same time.
Since everyone is staying home, online platforms have grown in importance to the real estate market. Real estate agents nowadays use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms to sell homes, find clients, and build their brands.
Why Is It Important for Real Estate Businesses To Be On Social Media?
Social media is not just about influencers and brands. Real estate agents who are constantly visible on social media will build a good reputation and follow online.
The majority of millennial homebuyers conduct their research online. Real estate agents have the opportunity to connect with this audience via social media—but only if they know what motivates their audience.
In today’s world—not being able to meet face to face for the last few months has drastically changed how we conduct business. People’s first impression of estate agents is online, whether it’s through Zoom or Instagram.
Those who are ahead of the others have gotten there by evolving and using social media to replicate how they do business in person. Social media is the new frontier of communication that helps you reach out simultaneously to hundreds or even thousands of people worldwide.
How do you get started on social media as a real estate agent?
Step 1 – Be Visible and Show Up Regularly
It is crucial to have a solid social media presence. As an agent, you must engage with your prospects—buyers, investors, sellers, other agents, companies, and followers. You want to be a familiar face and looked upon highly on the internet.
Step 2- Engage with Your Social Media Followers
A successful social media strategy includes responding to, commenting on, and engaging with followers. Visibility is excellent, but engagement is what completes the deal.
Social media is a popular place for real estate agents to share their business listings and home listings relentlessly. After all, isn’t that what they’re for?
Well, not exactly. For potential homebuyers, constant, in-your-face promotion is not very appealing. If they want endless ads, they can open a newspaper or turn on the TV.
Utilizing social media to post listings merely implies a lack of understanding as a real estate agent. You could do so much more and achieve a lot of things for your business via social media.
Social media is for consistent relationship building. A homebuyer usually looks for information, asks questions, and probably feels intimidated if this is their first time. An effective social media strategy is about delivering valuable information and giving your prospect assurance and peace of mind.
Savvy real estate agents embrace social media as a way to foster bonds with their customers. Instead of bombarding your audience with endless promotional content, you allow your followers to become a part of creating the shared experience.
Step 3 – Build Up Your Reputation Through Consistency
During these times, especially, social media can make or break you. Your social media profiles are your first impression! Your name and your brand must be represented the same way.
This is your brand’s reputation. Facebook can be both personal and professional. If you want to separate the two, make your personal account private.
Step 4: Study the Platforms’ Various Capabilities
Leverage technology to do virtual tours, polls, featured stories, post properties for free at the Facebook Marketplace, and even do simple advertisements.
We have used virtual tours to rent and sell sight unseen; video works well nowadays and FaceTime showings.
Getting clients to see how their new space works with furniture is crucial. Sometimes they don’t understand how the living space works. This is why virtual staging is helpful.
Step 5: Create High-Quality Content
Given the saturation level in real estate, it is crucial to distinguish yourself on social media. Give people something that will enhance your credibility and brand value.
Written Content for Social Media
Businesses generally stick to ads and listings on their websites, but the issue is that nobody wants to scroll past a deluge of listings and ads.
To stand out, you should:
- Tell people your story. Why are you passionate about real estate?
- Share customer stories about the challenges they faced and the solutions they found.
- Explain where each geographic area is located, along with the services and facilities within it.
- Answer peoples’ questions and give your expert opinions on an FAQ page.
A post’s frequency is important, but so is its subject matter.
Most written content is either of these four different types:
- Time-sensitive content / promotions. Posts like this advertise new listings on the market, open houses, or your company, in general. Think listing photos, tweets asking prospects to give you a call, and virtual tours with Facebook live streams or panoramic photos.
- Entertaining content. You won’t show off your real estate expertise here, but it is a great way to showcase your personality. Your credibility will soar if you are relatable.
- Informative content. A year from now, this content offers just as much value as it does today. These could be tips about recreational spots in the neighborhood, a checklist, or a DIY project that people could try at home.
- Storytelling. Talk about the neighborhood. Include details about the community to create a compelling story. Help the potential buyer understand how it would feel to live there.
Keep your posts exciting, and you’ll engage your audience, and they’ll keep coming back.
In addition, don’t forget that you don’t have to do all these social media tasks yourself. You can hire a team or outsource your social media marketing overseas for cheap.
Visual Content for Social Media
Properties with professional real estate photos often get more views than those without pictures or with poor quality photos.
Stand out using quality photos by doing the following:
- Get high-quality images of properties taken by a professional photographer.
- Post Instagram stories and slideshows with tips and how-to content for your buyers.
Video Content for Social Media
The video of the homes and properties you’re selling will pique buyers’ interest and make them more inclined to contact your real estate business.
- Offer prospects a video tour of the neighborhood to give them a real sense of the place.
- Highlight the properties’ unique selling points using different story angles
Conclusion
Real estate on social media requires a lot of activity and keen attention to detail.
This being said, social media is an excellent place to gain clients and generate leads. With so many clients surfing social media to find their next home, you must meet them where they are.