Good REALTORS® understand that real estate is more than business; it’s about people and families. Great REALTORS® understand real estate is about people, families, and their stories—and the best way to reach those people and families is through social media. The challenge is, given how little time most real estate pros have, how can anyone utilize social media to its full advantage?
Katie Lance, author of “Get Social Smart,” a top bestseller on Amazon, and a social media strategist, keynote speaker and blogger, knows exactly how to help you utilize your time wisely, and make a powerful impact.
Is Social Media Worth the Time You Invest in It?
According to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) (2016), 91 percent of all real estate professionals use social media, and, according to Lance, agents who utilize social media effectively list and sell the most properties.
Social Media Is a Communication Tool
It’s easy to be overwhelmed with all the social media apps and tools available, but the challenge is more about which channel puts you in better touch with your clients and gets you in front of people first. Lance’s approach to social media is simple:
- Be intentional.
- Have a plan.
- Don’t waste time on things that don’t work. If “everyone” is on Instagram, but Instagram isn’t working for you, find something that is.
- Don’t reinvent the wheel.
- Social media is a great place to form new relationships, strengthen existing relationships and generate leads—when it’s done correctly!
- You don’t have to be on every platform. Use the ones you enjoy and that work.
Share Yourself
It’s important to put your authentic voice forward. It’s great to share other people’s content, but the agents who are doing the best and generating the most leads and sales are the ones with opinions.
“They’re putting their opinion out there.” Lance says. “When you create great content, you’re telling people the story of what it’s like to work with you. When there are 5,000 other agents out there, how do you stand out among the clutter? You share who you are.”
- You have to have a strategy to cut through the social media clutter; without a strategy, you’re just throwing something against a wall and hoping it sticks.
- Reach out to your audience and ask them what social media they hang out on. Facebook? Twitter? LinkedIn? Pinterest?
- It’s not about the number of likes or follows; it’s about connecting with the right people.
- It’s a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time to build a content and social media strategy. You have to put in the work week after week, month after month, year after year.
Know Your Social Media Platforms
Understand how to use and share the moments in your day. Facebook users may prefer a picture of that beautiful red door or the cupcakes served at the open house more than the actual house plans or listing. Snapchat and Instagram are different, smaller platforms with a more intimate opportunity for referrals, and act as venues to share the stories and events of your day, creating the backstory of what really goes on in the life of an agent. Learn what each platform is best used for and, as Lance says, “Deliver the right content to the right people at the right time. That’s what social media is all about.”
Whatever your social media strategy, Lance says, “You have to give, to get.” Her book teaches agents how to create a smart social media business strategy, including what to post and when and what platforms to focus on.
“We do business with people we know, like and trust, and social media, when done right, is one of the best ways to build that trust and build your business,” she says.
More Tips
- Repurpose your content. Think about how to use one piece of content and post it on multiple platforms with different images.
- Embrace video! Use Facebook Live, Facebook 360, Periscope, Instagram Live, and others.
- Learn to love and use Facebook Live. It’s an easy way to create great content quickly and easily. It’s unscripted and it really tells the story of your brand and builds your organic reach.
- Ask for the share. Ask your viewers/readers to share the content they’re seeing with their friends.
- Give a call to action. Ask viewers and readers to post a question, visit your website, or do something in response to what they’re seeing.
- Create closed captions for your videos. Not everyone turns on their sound, especially if they’re at work. Go to Rev.com to get your video posted with closed captions so viewers can read the video’s subtitles.
- Create awesome headlines. Lance’s book has an entire chapter on how to do this. Without a great headline, no one is going to click on your content.
Creating a social media strategy to grow your business’ social presence is crucial in today’s social world, but for many agents, spending countless hours weekly to manage your social networks isn’t likely to happen. Homes.com’s Social Fuel handles everything from account setup, content creation and engagement, and even manages your Facebook Ads. We will even monitor how your business ranks on major search results while giving you the peace of mind to focus on selling real estate.
To learn more, get more tips about becoming social media smart, and hear some great case-study excerpts from Lance’s book, listen to the Get Social Smart Webinar at Secrets of Top Selling Agents.
For more information, please visit connect.homes.com.
For the latest real estate news and trends, bookmark RISMedia.com.
