Social Media and Real Estate
The birth of social media has largely influenced businesses and industries all around the world. It has shaped not only the way people conduct transactions and negotiations, it has also helped in further promoting businesses to people from all walks of life, all around the globe.
Furthermore, the importance of social media to the real estate industry cannot be emphasized enough. Back in the day, people relied heavily on phone calls and word of mouth. With the rise of social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, looking for prospects and selling properties has been easier then ever before.
However, knowing about these websites and platforms isn't enough. Using them properly and effectively is the real game-changer. Here are a few tips to help you set up a social media platform and kickstart your social online presence.
Select the Appropriate Platforms for Your Listings
Having an online presence is extremely essential in making your business known to other people. Without it, your business could potentially suffer and decline. However, due to the vast amount of social media platforms available, one can easily be overwhelmed and feel the pressure of being present everywhere.
While having a presence everywhere could generate tons of leads and prospects, maintaining each and every platform could take a large chunk of your time and energy, which could then take a huge toll on your overall well-being. Being an agent is difficult enough, maintaining a dozen platforms could make it even worse.
It's important to choose the appropriate platform/s for your listings instead of creating multiple accounts at once. Identify your audience and focus on establishing an online platform targeted towards them. You wouldn't want to create listings for retirement homes on Snapchat, right? Snapchat is an app mostly used by teenagers and young adults. Find out the demographics of your target audience and determine which platform/s correspond to them.
Try To Get A Professional Logo Before Building Your Brand
When building an online presence, one can easily be carried away and forget the basics. Having a logo is vital in establishing your brand online. A logo serves as a visual representation of your brand. Take for example the logo of McDonald's. Anyone can easily identify their logo even without their brand name.
A company or business without a logo is seen as dull and boring, which could potentially drive customers away. Simply having a logo, however, won't cut it. A logo needs to be designed carefully and must be in accordance with your company's brand and vision.
Keep Posting Quality Content on A Regular Basis
In order to generate leads and sales, interacting with potential clients and customers is key. In order to attract prospective buyers, however, one must create content which is enough to make your presence felt, without scaring them off. Nobody wants to conduct business with an inactive page, nor do they wanna talk with someone who posts every 30 minutes.
Furthermore, simply posting on a regular basis isn't enough. The type of content you post plays a crucial role in building your social media presence. These posts can be classified into different types:
Promotional / selling posts. These types of posts are what you would commonly see in real estate pages. Property listings, open houses, condominiums, residential and commercial areas, and many more. Moreover, one way to make these advertisements look more interesting is to use available tools such Facebook livestreams, 360-degree photos, Instagram stories, and many more.
Informative / Educational Posts. These posts are often composed of tips, answers, and educational content. Not only does this provide value, it also expands your growth and reach. Not everyone has the money to buy a new house, a lot of people, however, are very interested in real estate. Examples of these posts include DIY home decorations, land prices, a flowchart on the entire home buying process, and many more.
Entertainment. This type of content may not be directly related to selling properties or listings, but it's a good way to add flavor to your channel. Keep in mind, a platform which generates traffic will inevitably generate leads and prospects. But at the end of the day, social media is simply a tool you can use to attract clients. Closing deals and contracts rely heavily on your real-life, interpersonal skills.
Also, your posts on social media does not always have to be created by you. You may also retweet, re-story, or share relevant content from other pages and individuals.
Show Your True Colors
Being a real estate agent means interacting and connecting with lots and lots of people. Simply talking to them professionally could be bad for you and for them. It's important to treat them as real people and not just mere transactions.
The same goes with social media. If you keep posting boring listings and properties for sale, people are eventually going to be bored and tired of you. Spice it up a little by making yourself relatable. Create posts which will allow the audience to get to know you, not just as an agent, but as a normal person. Be yourself and let your personality shine through.
Connect with Past Clients
The main purpose of social media is to connect people from all around the globe. No matter where you are, a friend from the other side of the world is just one click away. Social media is an excellent tool real estate agents can use to not only land prospects and potential buyers, but also to build long-lasting relationships with past and present clients.
Sadly, a huge percentage of customers often forget their agent's name a few months after closing the transaction. Imagine working and communicating with them for months, only to be forgotten shortly after.
With social media, however, maintaining a connection with them is so much easier. By making your online presence felt, you'll be the first person that comes to mind when it comes to their real estate needs and even when referring realtors to family and friends.
Building the Perfect Platform is Impossible
Just because you're on social media and you did each and every tip which was stated above, it doesn't mean sales are guaranteed to skyrocket to the moon. Always remember that social media is simply a tool to assist you in advertising your listings and help you generate leads.
At the end of the day, your real-life interpersonal skills are what will close the deal. No matter how perfect your platform is, if your communication skills are subpar, you're bound to lose your client to better agents out there.
The perfect social media platform does not exist and will never exist. Keep yourself grounded and stick to your real-life abilities in order to avoid disappointments. Don't let the illusion of social media drive you away from reality.