Over 2 billion people use Facebook. Are they able to find your real estate agency online?
We know how powerful social media is, especially for businesses such as real estate. However, it can also be overwhelming if you’re new to social media marketing and unsure of how to start.
It’s worth taking the time to get it right, as social media advertising opens up new doors in terms of connecting with buyers and creating new leads and interest in your properties.
Ready to get started? Keep reading to find out our top ten tips for realtors who want to improve their social media marketing.
1. Engage With Your Followers and Fans
Your digital marketing strategy needs to include not just posting content, but also engagement. Across all platforms, you should dedicate time for talking to your followers and fans.
If someone takes the time to ask a question on your Facebook page, for example, try to answer it quickly and in a helpful manner. Or, if someone comments on a photo, reply to them!
People like to know that they aren’t just ‘shouting into the void’ on social media, so make them feel valued and included by engaging in conversations.
If potential buyers see a real estate Facebook page with little to no engagement, they may think that the agency isn’t genuine or doesn’t really care about getting to know new clients.
Engagement doesn’t need to take up too much time — try to set aside a few minutes each morning and afternoon to check all of your social media accounts and communicate with buyers online.
2. Wow Potential Buyers With 3D Tours
You want potential buyers to fall in love at first sight with your amazing property. We all love the excitement of walking through a house for the first time, so why not bring the open house experience to your social media followers?
With 3D tours, you can! Create an innovative and immersive 3D tour of the property, allowing potential buyers or just curious onlookers to check out the inside of the home.
A 3D tour is a virtual open house that potential buyers can attend from the comfort of their own home. It’s much more engaging and useful than traditional photos or videos.
Create a 3D tour for your high-value properties, allowing them to reach a whole new audience on social media. It’s well worth the cost for the additional attention it will bring to the home.
3. Use Social Media Marketing to Reach a New Audience
Are you marketing with Facebook? If not, you’re missing a huge opportunity.
Your real estate company should already have an active business page on Facebook. If not, setting one up is your first step.
You can then use your page to create Facebook ads. For example, if you have a beautiful new listing you’d like to promote, advertise it on all of your traditional channels, but also create a Facebook ad to promote it to a new audience.
The beauty of Facebook ads is that you can set your own budget and duration, giving you full control over spending. Should the home sell early, you can also pause or end the ad early.
You can also target a specific demographic, including age, interests, hobbies, and location, giving you a very targeted method of finding new buyers.
4. Customize Your Content For Each Platform
Each major social media platform (including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest) skews to slightly different demographics.
If your agency caters to a broad range of buyers, you may want to advertise across all social media platforms. However, a top tip is to customize the content for each platform.
Instagram is an extremely visual platform, so consider using it to highlight the most gorgeous photos of the home— the backyard swimming pool, the modern architecture, or unique design. Facebook has plenty of room for both photos/videos and text, so why not write an ad inviting the user to click on your link to view the home?
Over time, you’ll get to know what type of content works best for you, along with which platforms bring the most lead generation.
5. Use Aerial Video/Photography
One of the top tools a real estate agent can use on social media is aerial photography.
Using drones, you can give buyers a bird-eye view of the home. Create crystal-clear video and photos that will help clients get a better understanding of the layout and design of the home.
It helps your property stand out, which is always a good thing. You can also use drone photography to highlight the backyard garden and features and the surrounding area.
For example, if the home is just steps away from the ocean or river, show buyers how close they are to the water with a photo or video from above.
Share these stunning photos and video on social media and you’re sure to gain attention for your property.
6. Be Consistent
To have success with social media, you need to be consistent. Create a posting schedule so you have a constant flow of new content — this can include links to your latest blog posts, new listings, or top tips that sellers can use.
To save time with this, you can use a range of social media scheduling tools, or schedule posts directly through Facebook. At the beginning of each week, schedule your posts to save time, instead of having to do it each day.
Posting consistently is useful for a few reasons. First, it shows new visitors to your page that your business is active online.
Secondly, it’s beneficial to the Facebook algorithm. Facebook has a specific algorithm where it only shows users a small amount of the posts from the page they follow.
To increase the chances of your posts showing up at the feed, be consistent with your posting. Aim for once per day, or at least a few times per week.
7. Monitor Your Results
When advertising with Instagram and Facebook, be sure to monitor your results.
Use Facebook’s Business Manager to see data on all of your posts, and use Ad Manager to check out your ads.
If you’re spending money on ads, you want to make sure they’re effective. Check your ads a few days after posting to see how well they’re doing and make tweaks to any ads that aren’t performing well.
8. Promote the Neighborhood
You can use social media not to promote new sales listings, but also the neighborhood!
Part of what makes you appealing as a realtor is your in-depth knowledge of the local neighborhood. This may include the school districts, local parks, dining and shopping, and jobs — all major factors that motivate buyers to seek out a certain location.
Why not share great things about the neighborhood? This can help buyers get to know the area, and may encourage them to check out listings in the area.
9. Provide Resources For Buyers
On your social media pages, you can position yourself as a resource for buyers and sellers. Instead of only posting sales listings, broaden your focus to also share resources, such as news articles, that can help buyers reach their goal of owning a home sooner.
This establishes credibility and shows that your agency is interested in more than just profit.
What else can you share on your social media page? Why not celebrate achievements and milestones!
If you’ve just closed a sale, post a photo of a happy buyer outside her new property. Posts like these can be very inspirational and can help motivate others to buy as well.
Plus, everyone enjoys a story with a happy ending!
10. Allow Feedback
On Facebook, your business page has the option of allowing clients to leave public reviews.
This can be daunting— what if someone posts a negative review?
Although turning off reviews seems like the safest option, it’s actually better to leave them on.
Public reviews help potential buyers gain confidence and trust in your business, as they can read genuine feedback from previous buyers.
Buying a home or selecting a realtor is a big decision, so make it easier for your clients to trust you by sharing reviews.
If, for any reason you do get a negative review, respond politely and appropriately. One or two negative comments out of many positive comments is normal, and you can also use any negative feedback to help improve your business.
Contact Us
Done correctly, social media marketing can boost sales, generate new leads, and help to grow your business.
Do you need assistance with taking your listings to the next level? If so, contact us today.
Our expert team can help you create virtual tours, 3D walkthroughs, and aerial photography images that you can use on social media.
Try out our innovative technology to help you sell homes faster — we look forward to hearing from you!