It’s not enough for real estate professionals to just be on social media to promote their business. Any agents looking to optimize their digital presence must engage with social media. The agents going the extra mile to make an impact online are seeing the opportunity for growing their client base and increasing trust.
“Social media is the modern billboard for any business. It presents unique opportunities for real estate professionals to promote their knowledge and services, while showcasing their personality to stand out among others,” says Abby Lee, RE/MAX Vice President of Marketing and Communications.
Lee oversees the Shorty Award-winning RE/MAX Social Media team, which manages content for the brand’s more than 1 million followers across all social media platforms. The team also provides customizable social media content for RE/MAX affiliates to use.
When it comes to social media, no matter your skill level, consider these three guiding principles.
1. Share valuable content
What qualifies a post as valuable? It’s helpful for a real estate professional to get into the mindset of their target audience — and consider what’s going to be eye-catching enough to halt their scrolling. Every aspect of your business can be generated into content, from the listings you hold to the common questions consumers ask to facts about the local area.
“Video and picture content are the most prominent aspect of social media right now because they tend to cause an emotional reaction that written words may not derive. Using video is a wonderful way to get a message across in a very relatable manner — and using video with closed captioning is even better,” shares Kristy Gooch, Principal Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Elite Realty in Lexington, Kentucky, and team leader of The Gooch Team.
“Add closed captions to all of your videos and edit them to make sure they are the right words!” she adds, noting how closed captions help ensure those who are hearing impaired can enjoy a video, too, as well as anyone scrolling social media in a public place.
2. Be as consistent as possible
A leading way to build trust with followers is to post content with a predictable cadence, whether that’s daily or on a regularly occurring schedule.
“Consistency is key,” Gooch says. “Social media is special in that you are able to see behind the curtain into the life of a REALTOR®. There is such a benefit in being real and genuine.”
Other real estate professionals stand by this philosophy.
“If you are not posting every single day, someone else will be — and the public will think of that person way before they think of you,” says Delaney Burgess, an agent with The Gail Nyman Group at RE/MAX United Real Estate in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. “After consistently posting online for more than eight years, I have grown to know so many more people and I get tons of business through these social platforms.”
3. Remember: engagement is key
Communication through social media is a two-way street. Being a real person behind a social media account means communicating with followers — and acknowledging criticism, too.
“Engaging with followers is important so you don’t end up seeming like a robot,” Burgess warns. “You need to convey that not only are you a real person, but you’re a person that people feel comfortable going to for anything from real estate advice to what restaurants you suggest in the area. Responding to comments and messages, sending messages, or swiping up on stories to engage with other people’s content is another way to be top of mind.”
Being authentic — and becoming the go-to source of local real estate knowledge — is ultimately the best way to become a mainstay in the digital community and turn online connections into real-life business.