Social media has become an essential marketing channel for real estate agents, brokers, and investors.
By effectively utilizing platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and more, professionals in the real estate industry can grow their brands, attract new clients, and secure lucrative deals.
In this article, we will explore a variety of strategies for leveraging social media networks to achieve these goals.
Why Use Social Media Networks for real estate?
1. Reach a Wide Audience: With over 300 million social media users in the US alone, these platforms provide access to a vast pool of potential clients in your market.
2. Establish Trust: Social media’s longevity (over 20 years) gives users a sense of trust when they regularly see your face and content. Building this familiarity can help strengthen your credibility and enhance your brand image.
3. Perpetual Marketing: Unlike traditional marketing methods, social media offers a long-lasting impact. Once you gain traction, your presence will persist as long as you maintain regular posts, ensuring ongoing exposure to potential clients.
How Social Media Differs from Direct Mail
While social media is a powerful marketing tool, it differs from direct mail in several ways:
1. Less Direct Response: Social media marketing tends to be less focused on immediate direct response. Instead, it functions more like a cocktail party where relationship-building and engagement are key.
2. Organic Referrals: Although social media requires considerable upfront effort, the potential for organic referrals and word-of-mouth marketing is significant. Over time, your consistent engagement and quality content can generate compounding benefits.
3. Non-Direct Nature: Unless you invest in paid advertisements, social media marketing is less direct compared to traditional direct mail campaigns. It emphasizes the creation of valuable content and meaningful interactions.
How to Use Social Media for Business and Acquiring New Clients
To effectively utilize social media networks for gaining new clients, consider the following strategies:
1. Balancing Personal and Business Content: Aim to strike a balance between personal and business-related posts. Ideally, approximately 80% of your content should revolve around your life, interests, and experiences, while the remaining 20% can focus on your real estate achievements, deals, and listings.
2. Engage with Others: Actively engage with other users by commenting on their posts and sharing valuable insights or advice. Building relationships and demonstrating your expertise can help attract potential clients.
3. Establish a Daily Schedule: Allocate a specific amount of time each day to engage on social media platforms. By setting aside one hour or less for these activities, you can maintain a consistent presence without becoming overwhelmed.
4. Join Local Groups: Join relevant local groups to connect with individuals in your target market. Offer valuable tips and advice related to real estate whenever someone seeks information, positioning yourself as a knowledgeable resource.
5. Utilize Different Content Formats: Diversify your content to cater to different user preferences. Consider incorporating the following content types:
- Videos: Share videos showcasing both your personal life and real estate deals or listings. This mix allows potential clients to connect with you on a more personal level while also observing your professional capabilities.
- Review/Testimonial Posts: Whenever a client provides positive feedback or a review, celebrate and showcase their satisfaction. This approach highlights your expertise and credibility.
- Discuss Challenges: Be transparent about the obstacles and challenges you encounter in your real estate business. This authenticity helps humanize your brand and fosters trust among your audience.
- Local Critiques: Share your experiences and opinions about local businesses, such as restaurants or attractions, within your target market. This content demonstrates your knowledge and commitment to the community.
- Showcase Deals: Regularly post pictures or videos of your successful real estate deals to showcase your expertise and attract potential clients.
- Personal Life: Share glimpses of your personal life, such as travel experiences, to create a more relatable and engaging connection with your audience
- Subtle Business Mentions: Integrate business-related discussions into your content naturally. For example, while sharing updates about your travels, mention how your team is simultaneously managing a real estate closing.
Choosing the Right Social Media Platform
While one social media platform can be sufficient to start, consider expanding your presence over time.
Each platform offers unique advantages and formats tailored to different content types:
1. Facebook: Facebook is suitable for longer posts, including text rants, pictures, and “shorts” (stories). Regularly engage with others by commenting on their posts, and aim to post at least once a week, including one story and one to two regular posts.
2. Twitter: Twitter’s format is ideal for short, concise sayings, humorous content, and mentions. Engage with other users by commenting on their posts, and share interesting insights or opinions. Express your philosophies, frustrations, or humor through short one to two sentence posts.
3. Instagram: Instagram places significant emphasis on visuals, making it ideal for sharing pictures and videos. Craft compelling captions to accompany your posts and mention or share content from other users to foster a sense of community.
Gaining Organic Traction in Your Local Market Using Social Media
To expand your reach organically within your local market, follow these strategies:
1. Social Networking: Identify individuals with large organic reach within your local market. Engage with their posts by commenting, liking, and sharing/mentioning their content. This process mirrors networking at a cocktail party, requiring time and effort to build connections and establish rapport.
2. Consistency and Commitment: Building organic traction necessitates consistent effort and commitment. Dedicate time each day to interact with other users, share valuable content, and actively participate in relevant discussions.
Content Marketing on Social Media
Effectively utilizing social media networks for real estate marketing requires a content marketing plan. Keep the following principles in mind:
1. Be Vigilant for Local Content: Stay observant and identify interesting and relevant content related to your local market. Capture and comment on unique occurrences or share amusing experiences to maintain engagement and relevance.
2. Incorporate Local Keywords: Mention your city or specific neighborhoods in your content to ensure that individuals in your local market receive your posts in their feeds. This targeted approach enhances your visibility among potential clients in your area.
Using direct mail in combination with Social media
While social media has become a dominant force in marketing, it’s essential to recognize the value of traditional methods like direct mail.
When combined strategically with social media efforts, direct mail can significantly enhance your real estate marketing campaigns.
This enables multi-touch branding.
For example, you’re posting on social media and then people see your face and start recognizing it. Then they get a mailer because you’re also “farming” their neighborhoods.
By leveraging the unique strengths of both channels, you can achieve a more comprehensive and impactful approach to gaining new clients and securing lucrative deals. Direct mail provides a tangible and personalized touch, allowing you to target specific demographics or geographic areas effectively.
By integrating direct mail with social media, you can amplify your message, drive engagement, and establish a multi-dimensional marketing strategy that maximizes your reach and impact.
Being “Social” digitally and in person.
Ideally, you want to also be social OFF of the digital platforms as well. Doing this will grow your social network and your digital footprint in your market.
Some examples of this:
1. Live events — For example free ice cream at the park.
2. Creating relationships with local services and restaurants
3. Doing joint live events with these other businesses
4. Giveaways
Make sure you bring marketing material — flyers and business cards. And that your social medal handles are on that print.
Conclusion
Social media networks offer immense opportunities for real estate professionals to gain new clients and secure valuable deals.
By following the strategies outlined in this article, agents, brokers, and investors can effectively utilize platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to build their brand, engage with their target audience, and establish lasting relationships.
Remember, consistency, authenticity, and a genuine desire to connect with your audience are crucial elements in leveraging social media for real estate success.
And most importantly…
Don’t neglect your off-line marketing. This helps grow your social media presence naturally — and natural is the best form of marketing.