It can be hard to find the time and energy to market your real estate business. It's hard to fit in a few hours of social media marketing here and there. However, if you are serious about growing your business, then it's important that you set aside time for social media marketing every week. The more time you spend promoting yourself on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, the more likely people will be able to find your listings online.
Create a compelling social media marketing plan
Know which social media platforms are best for your business
Choose the right tools to execute your strategy
Why social media marketing is important for real estate
Social media is a must for your marketing strategy. While it may be challenging to keep up with all the latest trends, social media is a powerful tool for building your brand, making new connections, and cultivating relationships. It's also an effective way to reach potential clients—especially when you know what you're doing. Here are the top 2 ways that real estate agents can use social media marketing:
Build your brand. Social media is an excellent way to build your personal or business brand by connecting with other people in the industry or your target audience. You can post content about yourself (your accomplishments and experiences) or provide information about how you can help others (such as posts on how to choose a real estate agent).
Engage potential clients. When potential buyers search for homes online they'll likely find some good listings on real estate sites like Zillow or Trulia that feature photos of houses along with descriptions of what makes them stand out from competitors. These listings will also show up on these sites' pages where users can share their opinions and interact with each other via comments sections at bottom of the page
Which social media is best for advertising real estate?
With so many different channels out there, how do you know which one is best for you? You're probably already familiar with Facebook and Instagram, but there are other channels out there you should be taking advantage of. Here are some of the most commonly used ones:
Facebook is the most popular platform for real estate agents to use to connect with their clients. It’s also one of the most effective ways to attract new clients by gaining exposure to more people in general.
Instagram offers a good balance between visual content and text posts (like Twitter). If you're looking for more flexibility than Facebook allows when posting photos and videos, then Instagram could be a good option for you. Reels are a great way to gain exposure to people who don't follow you and stories are perfect to grab the attention of followers. While there is debate on whether hashtags work or not, I have found they are a great way to secure views from a different set of users.
LinkedIn - This is the best place to share your educational background, certifications, awards, and memberships. You can also post about your business that will show up on people’s newsfeeds (in addition to their email inboxes). In addition to posting content for your own profile page, LinkedIn allows you to like and comment on others' posts as well as join groups so you can connect with other professionals in your field.
Twitter - Use this platform for quick bursts of information like links or images that summarize an important message that you want potential clients or colleagues who follow your account to see right away.
How do I market myself as a real estate agent on social media?
Here are some tips:
Be yourself. Don't try to be someone you're not, especially on social media. Instead, put your own personality into your content and use your voice to showcase what makes you unique. This will help build trust with potential clients so they know that they can rely on you when buying or selling a home.
Post relevant content regularly (at least once per day if you have the time). Your posts should be interesting and informative without being overly promotional or salesy; this will encourage people to follow along with what's happening in their area, which means more exposure for your business!
Share expertise by answering questions and offering advice related specifically to what you know.
Share your successes. Showcase recent wins, top reviews and more. People are risk-averse and you want to show that you can help them buy or sell a home.
Have a Professional Photo
A professional photo is the first thing a potential client will see when they are researching your real estate agency. If you don't have a professional photo, it could hurt your brand. Hiring a photographer to take your real estate agent photos is the best option if you want high-quality photos. Be sure you ask to see their portfolio and discuss what options are available before you book them.
Another option is using your camera phone or another device with a camera feature (such as an iPad). Of course, this isn't as good as hiring someone who has been trained in photography, but there are many apps available now that make it easy for anyone with basic knowledge of their device's settings. Setting up lights in order to get better lighting can also help improve the quality of these types of images.
Help Potential Clients Find Your Contact Info Easily
Your contact information should be front and center because you never know when someone's going to need it.
As a real estate agent, it's best to have your contact email address and website visible and on social. This makes sure that potential clients have the information they need to contact you at any time.
Be sure to promote your social accounts by putting them in the footer of your websites. This is critical so they know how they can follow you, rather than trying to figure out what social media handles you have created.
Create High-Quality Property Photos and Videos
In addition to your professional photo, be sure to have high-quality property photos and videos. Real estate is highly visual and partnering with a local real estate photographer is the best way to ensure your listing has a professional look.
Use Tools like Linkpop or Linktree on Instagram
Instagram doesn't allow links within posts. That's where additional tools help like Linkpop or Linktree. They allow you to customize the journey from your social accounts to your website. If there's something specific on your website that you want people to be able to find easily, use these tools to highlight specific pages or listing on your website.
Also, scheduling apps like Later can help you save time by allowing you to plan and publish your content in advance. There are several scheduling apps on the market so be sure to review their capabilities before selecting one. Most have a free trial period so you can test them out.
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Use Location Hashtags
Your potential clients are looking to buy and maybe follow certain location tags. Use the most popular hashtags for your location. If you’re in Toronto, use #torontorealestate which has 1.7M followers or if you’re in Hamilton, use #hamiltonrealestate which has 137K followers. You can easily find specific tags for your location by searching for them on Instagram.
Be specific and relevant. Try to think of unique ways of describing where your property is located—without getting too specific (you don't want to narrow down your audience). Don't forget to also use hashtags that are specific to your business and market niche. This will help people who know what they're looking for find you faster.
Learn the Best Times to Post
As with any marketing, it's important to know when your target audience is online. If you're a real estate agent who specializes in luxury homes, you'll want to find out when your potential clients are searching for properties and posting about them on social media. Then, make sure that the most relevant content is available during those times.
For instance, if you know that people in your market tend to browse listings on Sunday afternoons but look at open houses during the weekdays, then schedule posts accordingly. This will help ensure that even though one post may get less engagement than another (because its timing wasn't ideal), overall engagement will still increase because there was consistent activity throughout the week rather than just once per week or month.
Speak to Your Potential Client's Needs
Anyone looking to buy or sell a home is likely interested in other topics beyond what homes are for sale. Home maintenance is a great topic to speak about. For example, a yearly maintenance checklist for homeowners can keep you top of mind when they're looking to sell. Tips like checking your gutters, changing HVAC filters and more can go a long way in building trust and brand equity.
As you can see, there are many ways to market your real estate business through social media. You have the ability to reach out to prospective clients in a way that no other industry can do so easily with just one click. So get out there and start growing your business.
If you need help to grow your social media following, decide what content to post, or have someone manage your social end-to-end we can build a strategy that's right for your business. Contact Tenth Man Marketing today.