In today's digital world, people are using the internet to search for homes and learn about areas and neighborhoods well before they contact a realtor.
The National Association of Realtors published a study in 2018 that highlighted how people are using digital technology to research the market and how realtors are responding to promote and grow their business.
▪ Over 90% of real estate firms have websites, and the most common feature on their sites are property listings.
▪ Realtors are using their mobile devices primarily to communicate with their clients.
▪ The typical buyer uses their mobile device to search for properties online before contacting an agent
▪ 99% of millennials (and 90% of baby boomers) begin their home search online
As with many businesses, one of the biggest challenges realtors cited was keeping up with the ever-changing technology.
▪ 48% of all firms cited keeping up with technology as one of the biggest challenges facing their firm in the next two years
Social Media Marketing continues to grow in popularity and importance for all businesses, and real estate agents are finding it's one of the best and most effective ways to grow their business.
According to the above-mentioned 2018 study, the NAR cited that 77% of realtors actively use social media
47% of real estate businesses note that social media results in the highest quality leads versus other sources
The most popular networks used at the time of this study were
▪ 97% Facebook
▪ 59% LinkedIn
▪ 39% Instagram
So how do you get started or improve your social media marketing and what are the benefits of each network?
It's easy and important to create a separate Facebook page for your business.
Facebook is a great platform for marketing your listings, sharing articles and information reflecting your expertise in the industry and facts about the market that you primarily work in.
You can easily share photos, book appointments, message with customers and get/highlight reviews.
Plus Facebook ads allow you to target a specific audience
Age, income, geographic location, users who have shown interest in a particular area, etc
There are many ways to use Facebook ads to engage with customers and gather insightful information about potential customers.
I often tell my clients that one of the best uses for LinkedIn, in addition to featuring their digital resume, is to highlight their expertise in their industry and to share information and articles that will engage people interested in their business. Although the primary focus of LinkedIn is still B2B marketing, it's also an easy way to share information about your listings, accomplishments, and area of expertise. It's also a great way to network with other realtors and people in the industry. Creating valuable and trusting relationships with mortgage lenders, title companies, inspectors, etc is extremely beneficial in the success of easily closing deals with your clients. I think LinkedIn is very much about showcasing your professional reputation.
Instagram has always been about eye-catching photography. It is the perfect platform to showcase beautiful photos of your listings or to show properties that you've just closed on. Many people also use it to highlight something fun and unique they did at closings for their happy new homeowners. This is a great way to add personality and show off your customer service. Showing that you have happy customers is always a great way to gain trust in new clients.
Just as with Facebook and LinkedIn, you can also talk about any awards or accolades you have received as well as industry information.
Instagram stories are a great way to share tips or communicate with your followers daily.
What are the best strategies to gain new clients?
Knowing how to use social media is a great first step, but how do you use it to actually increase your business?
For every social platform, the most important thing you can do is make sure your contact information is readily available. Your phone, email, website, landing pages, etc should be easily found.
Facebook also allows you to create call to action buttons where people can quickly ask questions and reach you directly.
Make sure you have a business profile on Instagram that contains your contact information. Also, sharing your information in every post makes it easy for people to quickly contact you rather than have to search your bio.
Be proactive about quickly responding when people do reach out to you.
Make sure you are consistent about posting content. You may not want to post every day on every platform, create a schedule that keeps you consistent on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
Promote your social media accounts anywhere and everywhere you can. You are going to a lot of effort to build beautiful social pages and well thought out content, make sure people can find you. See my post on suggestions to help grow your social followers.
Pay attention to what other people are doing in your industry and engage in the conversation, share referrals, and network, network, network.
As with most people, I have a lot of friends in the real estate business. I see many of them actively using social media to creatively engage with customers and promote their business. I am often impressed with how many of them consistently create amazing content. I have others that reach out to me because they just don't have the time to stay on top of it. Which is good, that means they are staying busy!
Whether you are intimidated by the whole social media marketing process or are just too busy running your business, I am happy to help! Reach out to me at amy@hashtagmeconsulting.com or 214-282-9964