Social media gives businesses the power to reach out to their clients and advertise to new ones. In the real estate industry, having a social media presence is a necessity.
With so many social media platforms to choose from, getting started might seem daunting. While over one hundred social media apps exist, we’re going to highlight the key four to market yourself as an agent.
Social Media Platforms
LinkedIn is meant for networking. It brings your resume to life and allows you to connect with colleagues, employers, and other professionals. It can help you find new connections and new job opportunities. LinkedIn is the perfect place to list your education, experience, and professional accomplishments. Sharing articles relevant to your industry is also very common, and people on LinkedIn like to know what you’re up to professionally!
“LinkedIn is a great place to network and share business updates with your followers.”
Facebook has around 2 billion users worldwide, making it one of the most popular social media platforms. If you start a Facebook page, you are allowing past clients, current clients, and potential clients to follow your successes. You can post updates, photos, and videos. Followers can comment easily, and you can share contact information in case they want to get in touch with you.
Facebook can also be useful when you’re researching a new farm. Many neighborhoods and communities have their own Facebook groups, and you can join these to connect with future clients and see what is important and relevant to them.
Facebook also allows you to purchase ads, which are relatively cheap compared to other forms of marketing. The ads can be specially targeted, so you reach the right people and draw more people to your page.
“You can share posts from Instagram to your Facebook page to keep your followers engaged on both platforms.”
Twitter is a great place for quick updates. Twitter limits the number of characters in a post, so you have to keep your marketing short and straightforward messages make it really easy for clients to engage with content, which can be beneficial since you aren’t asking for too much of their attention at any one time. You can also share links and photos on Twitter, and Twitter can also be a great place to link to the content you’ve posted on other social media platforms.
“It’s important to keep your content relevant on Twitter. If you’re worried that you can’t tweet enough to maintain a consistent presence, it’s still good to have a profile with some information and a photo in case people go looking for it!”
Instagram focuses on visual content. This is especially useful in the real estate industry because so much of your content is visual. People want to see pictures during a home search, and the different post types allow you to show off different types and amounts of information.
Instagram also offers stories, which are a great way to engage followers while on the go. You can post videos and pictures while at an open house, or post polls and Q&As. Stories disappear after 24 hours, but you can save them as a highlight on your profile for people to look at later.
“Instagram is visual, making it the perfect place to show off an exclusive listing!”
So, what now?
While it’s easy to get overwhelmed by creating content for four different social media platforms, a lot of content can be cross-posted. You can share your Instagram pictures to Facebook and tweet links to updates you’ve posted on your LinkedIn. These platforms all allow you to engage directly with your clients, which makes you relatable and reachable.
It’s also crucial to have a presence on these apps. Even if you aren’t tweeting multiple times a day, or posting a new story to Instagram every day, clients will appreciate being able to find your profile and have information readily available to them. Having a consistent presence that reflects who you are as an agent is what people are looking for!
