There is no secret that social media matters when it comes to marketing your real estate brand. Networking and staying in touch with friends is not the only purpose of social media anymore. It has now become a crucial outlet for growing your business.
There are many ways to use social media for marketing your real estate business, but it is the unique ideas that will make you stand out from the competition. Keep reading for tips on how to find and attract your ideal customer through social media.
Why does social media matter in your market strategy?
Social media has changed the way real estate is marketed.
The National Association of Realtors created a report that stated that around 97% of homebuyers use the internet to search for homes. With the pandemic, real estate agents have had to increase their online presence to be able to complete transactions even with lockdowns and restrictions. Social media has 4.4 billion active users worldwide, so it is an important time to improve your social media skills.
NAR’s report shows that social media generates the most quality leads at 52%. This is because you can directly engage with users on social media with pictures, videos, or text updates.
New ways to win real estate clients on social media
The most successful social media influencers have six strategies that you can use to gain new clients through your social media profiles.
1. Showcase your real estate brand through Stories
Before you can start engaging with prospective real estate clients on social media, you need to give them something to talk about. Instagram and Facebook Stories are a great way to reach out to your audience in quick, short bursts.
Stories that are published on Instagram expire after 24 hours, but they tend to get more views than regular posts. This is because users can see when a Story has been published and they are usually more interesting than regular posts. You can share existing posts, as well as a combination of photos and videos, enough to pique the interest of followers and prospective clients.
2. Connect with potential clients in real time
Although it might be scary at first, broadcasting live on social media is definitely worth it because it’s a great way to connect with potential customers. Being live is also great because it allows you to have an unfiltered and genuine conversation with your viewers. When you go live on a social media platform, you’re able to interact with your audience, read their comments, and respond to them in real time.
3. Build your brand on TikTok
Although it is true that TikTok features a lot of content that is lighthearted and geared towards a younger audience, there is also a lot of content that is not. There is a wide variety of content on the platform, ranging from dance trends to recipe hacks, and there is something for everyone. So, don’t write off TikTok just yet – you might be surprised at what you find.
Its worldwide popularity and strategy of building a user base of teens and young adults is paying off for TikTok. In 2019, TikTok was the most downloaded app worldwide, with more than 33 million downloads. The app has over 700 million active users spread across 150 countries, with most of its users being on the younger side. The app is most popular in the United States, where it has approximately 100 million users. According to Pew Research Center, 48% of TikTok’s US user base is composed of 18 to 29-year-olds, followed by 30 to 49-year-olds and 50 to 60-year-olds, comprising 22% and 14% of its US user base, respectively. The app’s popularity is growing among older age groups. In 2019, TikTok was the most downloaded app worldwide, with more than 33 million downloads.
The real estate industry has realized that TikTok has the potential to reach more audiences with informative content. You don’t have to be an influencer for your videos to do well, you just need to create content that people can relate to.
Josh Flagg is a great example of how to use social media to build a personal brand. As one of the top realtors in Beverly Hills, and an original cast member of Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, Josh is good at showing his personality and having fun. He often posts videos about real estate, wine, and his fellow cast members, which has helped him gain over 103,000 followers and more than 773,000 likes.
Even bigger on TikTok than Daniel Heider is somebody with 3.2 million followers and 45 million likes. He posts quick tours of homes in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, showing the kind of lifestyle most people dream of.
4. Create Instagram Reels
This new feature from Instagram lets you post 15-second or 30-second videos to your profile, similar to TikTok. And, unlike Instagram Stories, these videos will not disappear after 24 hours.
You can post your real estate TikTok videos to your Reels tab on your Instagram profile. You can also share them to your main feed. One of the best things about Instagram Reels is that you can reuse previous photos and videos posted on your Story and combine them into a reel.
5. Organize Regular Giveaways
You could hold a recurring giveaway with prizes like gift cards, branded shirts, or event tickets.
You could partner with a local business to make it happen and market to both of your networks.
6. Retweet local news
Find a local news event related to real estate and share it with your local community. Try searching Google News or visiting a local newspaper or tv news website.
You could use these local news stories as inspiration for blog posts, which you could share on social media.
7. Ask questions
You could find out how your subscribers feel about a recent local development by asking them. This could lead to an interesting discussion, as well as additional opportunities to be seen as a go-to local expert.
8. Share a virtual home showing/open house video recap
Virtual open houses have become a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
You could share a recap video of the event, and/or include a recorded walkthrough of the property on your social media channels if you had a successful virtual open house recently.
9. Ask for feedback on one of your listings’ staging
Post a photo of your latest home staging project and invite your subscribers to give you their honest feedback. Showing off your skills while asking for feedback shows that you’re confident in your abilities and that you care about the quality of your work.
10. Answer common buyers and sellers’ questions
Invite your subscribers to post their real estate questions on your blog or website, and answer them in a timely manner to showcase your expertise in the field.
11. Share someone else’s videos
Choose a fun or informative video about real estate to share with your subscribers. This video could be from a real estate coach, a home stager, or even a funny or unusual news story.
12. Share the charitable causes you support
If you want to increase engagement with your subscribers and bring attention to a cause you support, try adding a “donate now” button to your social media posts. This will allow you to create charity drives automatically, and give your subscribers an easy way to support a cause they care about.
13. Share price reductions
If your listing has just had a price reduction, let everyone in your social network know to get extra eyeballs on it.
14. Run a contest
There are many different types of contests you could run to engage your subscribers. Some examples include a competition for who can grow the best vegetable garden, who has the most adorable family pet, or who can put together the most impressive DIY home renovation.
There are no limits on what prizes could be awarded for a contest.
15. Post new listings
A common mistake that real estate agents make on social media is that they post their listings without engaging with potential clients.
The value of social media lies in its ability to facilitate social interactions. It allows users to communicate directly with one another, build relationships, and create trust in their personal brands.
You can share some listings, but don’t make them more than 15% of your social media posts. postings that are good deals should be a priority.
16. Share fun facts about your area
What makes your city different from all others? Are there any special buildings, museums or attractions that everyone should see? Are there any examples of local cuisine that you would recommend? Are there any interesting plants, animals or views that can only be found in your city?
If you just reduced the price of one of your listings, let everyone in your social network know so you can get some extra views.
17. Post pictures of neighborhood amenities, features and highlights
When you are selling a home, you are also selling the neighborhood. So make sure to highlight some of the best features that the neighborhood has to offer.
If there is a new athletic field, dog park or public garden in your area, tell us about it!
18. Post funny memes and gifs
People who are active on social media love to share memes. If you are a real estate agent, you can share memes that are funny and relevant to your local area. If you have a lot of subscribers, you can share gifs that are inside jokes among your subscribers.
19. Tell a customer success story
Why not share a success story about how you helped one of your clients get the home of their dreams? These stories are always enjoyable to hear, especially in light of all the negative news we often see on television and the internet.
Before you start work on a client, be sure to ask for their permission and take plenty of photos throughout the process.
20. Shine the spotlight on a local business or two
A great way for real estate agents to become the local experts is to reach out to local businesses and feature them in a post.
This cafe is more than just a great place to get coffee. This cafe is a great place to get coffee and also offers services such as a short interview with the owner, their address, and service hours.
If there are local businesses that offer home improvement services or products, that is even better.
21. Share home-buying tips for first-time buyers
Make sure to share some helpful tips with first-time buyers so they know how to get the best deals. You could even include a call to action that leads them to a landing page where they can download a first-time buyers guide.
22. Share infographics
An infographic is a single image that contains a lot of information. They are perfect for sharing on social media and can help send traffic to your website.
If you’re looking for infographics to share, we’ve compiled a list of 81 options for you.
23. Share a list of free activities in the area
Are there any upcoming art festivals that people should know about? Are there any landmarks nearby that are worth checking out? What are the top 10 hiking trails in the area? Share a list of these and other free activities on your social media accounts.
24. Post a weekly or recurring series
If you want to write a series of articles, you could share each one weekly and build anticipation for the next article.
25. Share home decoration inspiration
Make a Pinterest board filled with photos of home decorations that inspire you, then share it on all your social media platforms.
26. Highlight glowing customer’s testimonials to boost your social proof
Customer testimonials can help convince readers that you’re a credible and trustworthy real estate agent.
27. Share your latest blog post
If you’re done writing your latest blog post, share it on social media. You don’t have to share the whole thing.
If you don’t want to share the whole article, it’s better to give a short summary of it plus an image, and then share a link to the article so your viewers can read it themselves.
28. Share company news
What Interesting developments are happening in your company?
29. Share customer-created content to build a community
If one of your clients has an Etsy store or offers a product or service, it would be a good idea to feature it.
30. Share design and renovation tips
Homeowners are always looking for ways to increase the value of their home or make it cozier. You can help them by sharing some renovations that will actually increase the value of their home.
