The Social Media Advantage

There is a value in being social. As a real estate agent, there is a lot of content to utilize when engaging in social media. By leveraging social media platforms not only can you better connect with customers, but you can also boost your professional image and ultimately increase sales. Most social media web traffic for realtors comes from Facebook and Instagram. If you don’t keep in touch with past clients, then it is difficult to reap referrals in the future. One way to keep in touch is through social media, if you ‘Friend’ or ‘Follow’ your clients then they will always be privy to your news feed and see what’s going on in the local market. It’s also important to note that the clear majority of sellers find their real estate agent through social media.

Connections are a big part of the real estate business and having a social media presence can assist in forming the connections even further. Popular social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn all help to reinforce your presence online. It’s great to have a social media profile across all the main social media channels but if you don’t have relative content and engagement on your posts then it’s all for nothing. Social media serves as a great way to get referral business from both family, friends, and past clients. Everything from going ‘Live’ on Facebook to posting other videos and graphics to social channels allow for a great online presence.

Real estate is one of the top industries in terms of engagement with its audience. Of course, social media can take time, and that equates to money to nurture it and keep growing the fan base. With Facebook serving as the world’s largest social network, it’s important to have a presence on the platform to engage with prospective clients. But don’t forget about the other big social media platforms that also allow for connecting with not only leads and clients, but also with family and friends. Engaging with fans is key. You don’t have to invest in a large marketing campaign with targeted ads, just invest some time in joining in on the conversation. But it’s not all about conversing with prospective clients as you can also network with other agents (both locally and across the country) as well as other industry experts. Publish relative content to your follower base, and you will find that it does bring its rewards. If you want to spend money targeting potential clients, then social media ad campaigns can be put in place. Ads are a great (and relatively inexpensive) way to gain a following as well as positioning your name and brand. Specific demographic targeting of ads can be done through zip code, homeownership status, interests, income, and various other factors.

Blogging is also another way to interact through social media. While it’s not a necessity in business, it is helpful in market positioning and can help you get a leg up on the competition. One can post listings, recently sold properties, market updates, local events and other relative information to keep readership informed as to what is happening in the local area.

By putting a social media strategy in place, a realtor can gain a presence as a thought leader in the community and real estate industry, help to promote open houses and listings, and conduct lead generation. Social media marketing allows for a subtle top of the mind/awareness approach. While it can be time-consuming, if done consistently, with the right approach one can reap great rewards from utilizing social media as a marketing tool.