Realtor Social Media Marketing – How to Use Social Media for Real Estate Business

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A smart and solid social presence is a must for any business. However, the importance of realtor social media marketing can never be overstated. In fact, social media is like a goldmine for today’s real estate businesses. But just like a real-life mine, hard work is necessary before you can finally strike gold and get your hands on it.

Here are some of the top practical tips on how to use social media for real estate.


1. Learn and Master the Basics

Social Media

You can skip this first step if you have already set up your social media accounts. But if not, below is a quick overview of what you can do to get started:

Facebook

Create a Facebook business page. The page is more professional compared to your personal account. It also gives you access to helpful business features like the ability to promote your posts to your audience and page analytics. Posts with video and images have the best performance on Facebook so don’t forget to add enticing visuals with all your posts.

The Facebook algorithm favors those posts with the most engagement so make sure you ask questions so you can drive more comments. You can also share content that people will find enjoyable like an upcoming event in your local area so they will also like and share it.

You can also hold a contest to boost the awareness of your real estate Facebook page if you are just getting started and your social media following isn’t that big yet. This is a great way to increase your follower count.

Instagram

Instagram has now become one of the biggest and most social media websites. Since it is a visual platform, all posts should be visually compelling. Add a caption to the photo that includes details and your contact details. A series of images can be used for one Instagram post, making it a good way to showcase pictures of your new real estate listings.

LinkedIn 

If you already have a personal profile on LinkedIn, make sure you update it and create a business page as well. LinkedIn offers a great chance to network with other realtors, connect with existing clients, and reach out to real estate brokerages.


2. Be Wise with Your Choices of Social Media Platforms

social-media-content-posting

Social media is chaotic and fast-paced and changes almost all the time. The sheer number of different platforms can easily overwhelm even the most composed and organized realtors.

Those who are new to the world of media world might even feel the pressure of being everywhere. Due to time pressure, they push themselves to the limit as they try to maintain a presence on various social media accounts.

Unfortunately, this approach will only put you in a bad position than before. Once you have stretched yourself too thin, you will find it hard to regain the traction required to establish a solid audience on any of the platforms.

What’s the best thing you can do to stop your efforts from running dry?

Take a deep breath first. Acknowledge the presence of many platforms, which also means many things for you to learn. Accept the fact that your real estate business will only get the best results if you focus on just a few platforms for now. Start your journey with proven and trusted social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Which platforms merit more focus and attention? Your decision lies with your audience. More than the platform’s overall popularity, consider where your target audience often spends most of their time online. It wouldn’t make sense to launch a strategy on a social media platform that caters to a younger audience when you are selling retirement condos.

If you are selling commercial real estate properties, it is best to connect with industry organizations and successful professionals on LinkedIn.

Don’t forget to do your preliminary research to identify the places that receive the most engagement from your audience. The accounts of other brokerages and realtors are great places to start. Use the insights you gain as your guide to narrow down your focus to several platforms as allowed by availability.


3. Integrate Storytelling

Real Estate Storytelling- SoldOutHouses.Com

A good realtor knows how to tell a compelling story, so try to incorporate an element of storytelling into your social media content.

For example, you can talk about the community. Every time you post a new listing, don’t just discuss the features and price of the property. Try to add a compelling story by including a few tidbits of information about the neighborhood. It will help prospective buyers imagine what it will feel like to reside in the property.

You can also include testimonials from clients. Ask satisfied clients if they are willing to provide a video testimonial. Client testimonials make compelling stories that can gain your audience’s trust.

You can also consider sharing your real estate business’s wins and milestones on LinkedIn. It can be something as simple as a new website, a branding update, or your 20th year in business.

Using storytelling for your realtor social media marketing can help build trust and drive more engagement among your target audience.


4. Practice Strategic and Consistent Posting

 

Content - SoldOutHouses.Com

One of the secrets of how to use social media for real estate business is consistent interactions and contact that offer value to people and motivate them to keep coming back.

Your goal here is to have enough interactions to help your audience get to know you better as a realtor without getting overwhelmed to the extent that they shut you off.

While maintaining such a delicate balance may be tricky, the good news is that you can simply adjust it as you go. The feedback your get from your networks, whether through their engagement or losing or gaining followers, will give you a good idea if you are heading in the right direction.

Your posts can be scheduled ahead of time with the help of reliable social media software. It will give you the freedom to attend closings, host open houses, and meet with clients while also building your online presence automatically at the same time. This method also allows you to post several times daily without too much effort on your part.

However, aside from the frequency of your posts, you also need to consider the content’s nature itself. There are three different types of content so far, and these include the following:

1. Informative or evergreen how-to

It is a type of content that finds alternative ways, shares tips, and answers questions to offer value. It is as valuable two years from now as it is at the moment. It can be home decorating tips, easy DIY ideas for home renovation, or a checklist for moving.

2. Entertaining or fun

This type of content might not have a direct relation to real estate. However, it is still a good way to let your unique personality shine through. It can be an unbiased review of the newest coffee shop in the neighborhood or even viral stories. Remember that realtor social media marketing only attracts prospects. It is still your expertise, personality, and people skills that will help you close that deal.

3. Promotional/time-sensitive

These are posts that advertise open houses, new properties available on the market, or your brand as a whole. These can include 360-degree photos, virtual tours with Facebook Live, tweets encouraging prospects to call you, and listing photos.

Understand and consider the goal of every post and mix it up so you can have a better engagement with your audience and entice them to continue doing business with you.

Most importantly, remember that you don’t have to produce all your content on your own. You can supplement your personal efforts by linking, retweeting, or sharing other quality content in the industry. Your clients can also serve as a great source of content, whether it is a photo of them holding a Just Sold sign or sharing a nice quote from their video testimonial.


4. Don’t Forget Past Clients

real estate clients

Social media is an amazing tool that helps realtors land clients and builds relationships. However, it is only a small part of the overall appeal of realtor social media marketing. It also helps you maintain those relationships that you have already established.

What happens after your client signs the closing papers? At first, they will feel that rush of excitement but before they know it, everyday life comes knocking on their door. Most homeowners can no longer recall the name of their realtor a year after closing.

After you spent a lot of time and hard work building these relationships, having them slip away in just a year is a complete waste. But with a bit of social media love, maintaining relationships will be easier. This way, once your clients prepare to move to a new house or refer a realtor to their friends or family, you will always be the first name that comes to mind.

What is the best way to do it on social media, then?

You can release a constant and consistent stream of the evergreen content mentioned above. Brainstorm everything you wish you knew when you also moved to a new house. is it a checklist to organize your stuff? An inspiration to design your living room? Ways to cut down your utility bills? Tips to prepare for colder months?

Your content can also go beyond real estate itself. After your client has finished moving, they will now live, work, and integrate into the new community. They might want to know more about the restaurant a few streets away. They might be curious about activities for kids in the area. You can serve as their number one go-to resource for everything local that they want and need to know.


6. Strike Up Two-Way Conversations

conversation

Almost all millennial homebuyers today are searching online to find their dream home. It offers realtors an endless list of opportunities to reach out and connect with these buyers, that is, as long as they truly know and understand the motivations of their audience.

It can be quite tempting for realtors to go on relentless promotions of their new home listings and business as a whole on social media. Isn’t this the main purpose of these platforms in the first place?

Well, not really. For prospective homebuyers, in-your-face constant promotions have very minimal appeal. If endless ads are what they were looking for, they can simply turn on the TV or flip through the magazine pages. Treating buyers this way only shows that you don’t have a basic understanding and knowledge of your target audience.

Most potential homebuyers are looking for information. They got questions, and they are also probably intimated of everything if this is their first time considering buying a house.

Savvy realtors take advantage of social media to walk people through the process. More than the constant usual sales pitch approach, these realtors form stronger bonds instead. So rather than posting endless content for promotions, opening up two-way conversations is a better option. This way, your audience will become the key creator of this shared experience.

Two-way conversations can take on various forms. It may involve looking for Twitter hashtags or offering residents some real estate tips. You can also use Facebook Live to host a Q&A session. It can also come in the form as simple as raising a question in the caption of your newest listing photo on Instagram. If possible, try inviting your audience to join in the conversation.

While there are still plenty of opportunities for promoting your listings, the commitment to be always ready to help is what builds authentic relationships and trust.


7. Use Excellent On-Brand Visuals

Social-Media-Marketing-Visual

There is no denying that social media radically changed how agencies and realtors connect with clients and potential buyers. Due to house shopping’s visual nature, it has become easier for people to simply check the internet for examples of their dream houses.

It should have ideally made realtor social media marketing easier and faster. Sadly, however, it is not the case all the time. If Photoshop isn’t your cup of tea or other similar software programs, you might find it time-consuming and difficult to generate content specifically made for every social media platform.

Instagram is a good example of a completely visual platform, making it an ideal option for real estate marketing. But while it is nice to have some pictures, it might confuse buyers on what they should do next. They might wonder if the property is only for show or if it is up for grabs. You can use a square photo collage to show off different views of a property and guide people to the next step: to call you for an offer or a walkthrough.

Pinterest is another visual platform where you can see some wonderful home ideas, making real estate a perfect fit for it. Users of the platform create boards containing pins from multiple resources. Unless you use clearly branded images, it is easy for your website or name to drown out in the sea of images.

Nothing beats Twitter if your goal is to get your new listings out fast. Aside from helping your followers stay in the know, it also lets you use paid promotions to target new audiences and harness their full potential. However, since everything moves so fast on Twitter, your posts should be designed in such a way that will be easy to digest for your audience.


8. Measure and Don’t Stop Learning

real estate analysis

You put out yard signs, work open houses, and send emails to clients, all while trying to juggle your personal life at the same time.

You don’t have a lot of time to spend on social media that doesn’t pay off in the first place. Should you post on Instagram or focus on Facebook instead? How are your Pinterest posts performing compared to your tweets?

These questions may cause endless frustrations on your end. You might get some indications from your instincts, but measuring will give you more definite answers.

Thankfully, you can now collect data about the performance of your realtor social media marketing efforts. It will be easy for you to view the posts with the most engagement in the form of comments, likes, and retweets. However, if you are more curious about what drives the most sales, you can also develop unique landing pages for every platform.

Landing pages direct visitors every time they express interest to get in touch with you, see a new listing, and the like. Tailoring your landing pages for the different social media platforms will let you track the source of leads. You can also learn more about the interactions of every user with your brand and where they are on the path to turning into a client.

Watch out for the best-performing topics, campaigns, and platforms. It will become more effective little by little as long as you continue to track your analytics and update your strategy. Although it might seem like an endless optimization process, you can expect that the payoff will increase over time.


9. Put Your Contact Information Front and Center

real-estate-business-card

It might sound glaringly obvious, but it is still worth mentioning as a part of a realtor social media marketing strategy.

If you are working in the real estate field, your ultimate goal is to get potential clients to pick up that phone and call you. However, clients don’t just accidentally do so. You have to make sure that all your important contact info is displayed in such a way that it only takes a tap away to get in touch with you.

For instance, see to it that your About and information sections on all your social channels are 100% filled up with the following details:

  • Email address
  • Location
  • Phone number
  • Landing pages to capture leads and website

On Facebook, in particular, make sure you enable Facebook Messenger as a way to connect with prospective clients who are probably always on the go and out and about. You can also add a CTA button on your Facebook page to serve as another way for your visitors to easily reach you.

Optimize your Instagram bio to include your contact details. If you haven’t done so yet, you can also convert your Instagram page into a business profile that will let you include contact buttons automatically in addition to your bio link.

Don’t forget to add your phone number or email to your individual posts. It will help clients see that you are always available, and you are willing to communicate with them 24/7.


10. Stick to a Streamlined Client Communication

Real Estate Communication Tool - SoldOutHouses.Com

Remember that making yourself open to your clients means it is also your responsibility to respond to them. Sounds simple, right?

Unfortunately, most real estate businesses encounter communication issues on social media. Only a very small number manage to respond to their incoming messages from social media platforms.

However, this struggle is completely understandable. Keeping track of all your communication can be tricky if you are juggling between several platforms.

This is why it is recommended to use tools that will help you consolidate all your client communications. It will let you keep your mentions, messages, and DMs in one place, making it less stressful for you as you bounce between the different platforms.

It is also a smart move to make sure that you activate emails and push notifications on every social channel so that you don’t miss any messages from your clients.


11. Search for Relevant Conversations and New Clients

Attracting clients isn’t what realtor social media marketing is all about. It also means you should be proactive enough and seek them out yourself.

There are plenty of dedicated Facebook Groups, for example, where realtors give referrals and network with each other. All you have to do is search using the keyword real estate and your target market on Facebook to find them.

Some tools also let you hone in on conversations on the different social media platforms for people who might be planning to sell, buy, or rent. Keywords like your zip code, city, or realtor are some good starting points to find people who might be looking for the services you offer.


12. Capture More Leads with Improved Social Landing Pages

leads

Lead generation is a critical aspect of any realtor social media marketing strategy. And if you want to generate more real estate leads online, the landing pages you use can make or break your business.

Before anything else, it is important to remember that it is important to have several landing pages. Many realtors often make the grave mistake of just using one landing page for every lead generation effort they have. But there are numerous ways to generate leads, which means you will also probably need a different landing page for each of them.

For example, you can come up with a gated piece of content that people can view after entering their email addresses. On your homepage, you can include another lead generation form that lets people schedule consultations.

Developing landing pages that convert is a science and an art at the same time. While it requires plenty of trials and errors to get it right, you can be sure that it will be worth the effort.


13. Promote Your Social Handles Everywhere and Anywhere You Can

This one doesn’t come as a surprise. If you are always active on social media, you have to be clear and loud about it to your prospects and clients alike. Below are a few things you can do to promote your social presence every chance you get:

  • Spruce up your business card with social icons for networking events
  • Use icons to feature your social media handles on your homepage
  • Add your social media accounts to your email signature

14. Don’t Let Your Social Media Efforts Gather Cobwebs

tools

You have to be consistent if you want to score engagement and ensure that social media algorithms will view your posts as valuable.

While it may seem daunting to post every day, doing so will be easier and simpler with the help of social scheduling tools. For instance, you can just cross-post to several profiles simultaneously with no need to log in to them one after another. Your posts can also be tweaked and published according to optimal engagement from one platform to the next.

The thing that matters the most here is to ensure that your accounts don’t look and feel like a ghost town filled with cobwebs. Prospects will see that you have a thriving business if they see you posting frequently.


15. Allow Your Personality to Shine Through In Your Social Media Accounts

Never deprive your followers of the chance of getting a glimpse of your personal life. Tell stories and crack jokes now and then. Doing so will let your followers know and see that there is more to you than business alone.

Use these realtor social media marketing tips and watch your business boom soon!



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