It is no secret that social media matters when it comes to marketing your real estate brand. No longer just an online medium for networking and keeping in touch with friends, social media is now a crucial outlet for growing your business.
There are plenty of ways to market your real estate business on social media. But it’s the unique ideas that will make you stand out. Continue reading to learn how you can find (and land) your dream client through social media.
Why does social media matter in your market strategy?
Social media has proven to be a game changer for real estate marketing.
Around 97% of homebuyers use the internet to search for homes according to this report by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR.) The pandemic also saw real estate agents maximizing their online presence to complete transactions despite lockdowns and restrictions. And with 4.4 billion active social media users around the world, the time to raise your social media game is now.
When it comes to quality leads, social media generates the most— 52%, according to the same report by NAR, beating customer relationship management and MLS sites. It is because you can directly engage with different users through social media posts, be it pictures, short videos, or even text updates.
New ways to win real estate clients on social media
Chances are you already have a social media strategy to complement your overall real estate marketing plan. But as social media platforms and trends continue to evolve, you need to infuse some new ideas to stand out in this increasingly crowded space. We took a leaf out of the books of the most successful social media influencers and found six things you can do to gain new clients through your social media profiles.
1. Showcase your real estate brand through Stories
Before prospective real estate clients engage with you on social media, you must give them something to talk about. Instagram and Facebook Stories allow you to reach out to your audience in quick, short bursts.
Although Stories expire after 24 hours, they tend to get more views than actual posts. This is because users can immediately see when a Story has been published. Moreover, you can share existing posts, as well as a combination of photos and videos, enough to pique the interest of followers and prospective clients.
How to use Facebook and Instagram Stories
One of the best ways to engage with potential clients is to create polls through a Facebook or Instagram Story. Ask them questions and provide choices. Do they like this architectural style or that? What would they rather have in their home? New York City or Los Angeles? The possibilities are endless. The best thing about these polls is that you can learn a little bit more about your audience based on their responses. And once the poll (or polls) has ended, you can share the results for everyone to see.
Facebook and Instagram Stories are also the perfect avenues for sharing real estate news, market recaps, and the latest market trends. You can provide first-hand information about the local real estate market through infographics, screenshots, and even by linking relevant articles.
2. Connect with potential clients in real time
Going live on social media can be intimidating, but the rewards are totally worth it. Another effective way to connect to potential clients, it allows you to have an honest and authentic conversation without edits or filters. When you go live on a social media platform like Facebook or Instagram, you can actively engage with your audience, read their comments, and respond to them in real time.
How to go live on social media
Decide on a day and time, plus the platform where you will go live. You can do so on Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram, but the best platform is the one where you have the most engagement and followers. Once you have ironed out the details, inform your audience, ask them to enable their notifications, and set up a countdown leading to the livestream.
You can open plenty of topics during a livestream. For instance, you can do a live tour of a property that was just listed on the market. A walking tour of a neighborhood can make for dynamic and engaging content. If a local event or festival is taking place, feature it to give your audience a glimpse of what it is like to live in that area. Finally, you can host a live Q&A session and answer your audience’s most pressing queries.
3. Build your brand on TikTok
Tiktok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms and it shows no signs of slowing down. Many people look down on the platform or think it is geared towards younger people. But contrary to popular belief, there is more to TikTok than dance trends and recipe hacks.
The popular video-sharing app has over 700 million active users spread across 150 countries. Although it is true that most TikTok users are on the younger side, the base is aging up. TikTok has approximately 100 million users in the United States, 48% of which are composed of 18 to 29-year-olds according to Pew Research Center. This is followed by 30 to 49-year-olds and 50 to 60-year-olds, comprising 22% and 14% of its US user base, respectively. And more people from these older age groups are joining the app.
The real estate industry has taken note of TikTok’s huge potential to create informative content and reach more audiences. And the best part is, you do not have to be an influencer for your TikTok videos to do well. All you need to do is to create relatable content.
Take Josh Flagg, for example. One of the top Realtors in Beverly Hills and an original cast member of Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, Josh is not shy to show himself having fun. He often posts clips about real estate, his never-ending love affair with wine, and his fellow cast members. Josh currently has over 103,400 followers and has received more than 773,700 likes.
Even bigger on TikTok is Daniel Heider, who has amassed a whopping 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.
How to build your real estate brand on TikTok
Decide on the type of content you want your real estate account to show. You can give home selling tips, show a deeper look into the home buying process, or take users on a fast-paced tour throughout a particular home for sale. Consider using the trending sounds and hashtags as well.
Remember, you only have around 15 seconds to catch a user’s attention and keep them from scrolling to the next video.
4. Create Instagram Reels
Similar to TikTok, this new Instagram feature lets you post 15-second or 30-second videos to your profile. And unlike Instagram Stories, they will not disappear after 24 hours.
Once posted, these videos will be added to the Reels tab in your profile and can be shared 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. You can even post your real estate TikTok videos here.
How to use Instagram Reels for your real estate business
There are a ton of ideas for creating content for Instagram Reels. Market updates, home buying tips, and home staging advice are just some of the topics you can cover. Your Instagram Reels aren’t limited to real estate topics as well. You can touch on home and lifestyle topics like food recipes, landscaping tips, and how-to’s. When creating Instagram Reels, don’t forget to add a title on the cover photo. This draws your audience in and lets them know what the video is about.
5. Make the most out of your hashtags
One of the biggest mistakes that real estate agents make is not optimizing their hashtags on their social media platforms. This can be detrimental to your overall social media strategy as hashtags are essential in boosting brand awareness and increasing exposure. But while you are allowed to use a number of hashtags on a social media post, do not overdo it. You do not want your caption to look too messy or cluttered.
How to use hashtags on your social media posts effectively
If you are posting about a neighborhood, a restaurant, or a new development, create a local hashtag. Using location-based keywords helps interested users learn more about your area. Branded hashtags are also helpful in upping your social media game. These kinds of hashtags allow users to easily find posts that lead right back to your brand.
Do not be afraid to switch up your hashtags. Using the same set can lead to your posts being ignored. That is why it is best to have a list of alternate hashtags.
6. Add captions and subtitles to videos
Making your social media content more accessible can go a long way. When you make your posts more inclusive, you reach a wider audience because it allows them to follow along without needing to hear the sound. A study by Facebook showed that views of video ads increased by 12% when they had subtitles. Discovery Digital Networks also noted a 7.3% in YouTube views for the videos that had captions.
How to do captions and subtitles the right way
Whether it is on Facebook, YouTube, or TikTok, there are several ways to add captions or subtitles to your videos there. Some social media platforms like YouTube automatically add captions when your video is uploaded. You can also add open captions, which is added to the video itself and cannot be toggled off.
Take note that automated captions, especially on Youtube, are not always accurate. It is best to hire professional captioning services for best results. Meanwhile, captions should be descriptive and relevant to the video. Provide a quick summary, add time markers or chapters (in the case of Youtube), and include links to your other social media profiles.
Be on top of social media marketing trends for real estate
There is no doubt about social media’s impact on your real estate business. That is why it makes a world of difference to partner with the right real estate marketing agency.
Build your social media presence and expand your real estate business online with Agent Image, your go-to real estate marketing experts. We have over 20 years of experience in helping real estate agents diversify their marketing strategies and establish a solid social media presence.
Let Agent Image take the reins when it comes to managing your social media. Schedule a FREE consultation by getting in touch with our team at 800.979.5799.
