The home search process is changing. So is real estate’s ability to engage clients online.

In the olden days, the average real estate customer journey was a nice, easy-to-understand shape. A funnel. A line. Not anymore.

Today, it’s a spiral inside a maze. And your marketing to today’s home buyer and seller has more avenues than it ever has before. But that also means you also have greater opportunities to reach your audiences than ever before.

With a sudden rise in technology solutions specifically designed for real estate, the industry realizing the potential of social media for the immersive experiences your audience increasingly demands. That’s why establishing a brand presence online is now critical to capturing your client’s attention. And the best part is, it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Here are some simple steps for turning listings into a social media lead magnet, connecting with clients online now and in the future.

Understand the strengths of each social platform and how they fit your goals

When we look at social media demographics as a whole, you can identify where your target audience is likely to be spending time.

• 68% of adults use Facebook
• 35% of adults use Instagram
• 24% of adults use Twitter
• 25% of adults use LinkedIn
• 29% of adults use Pinterest
• 27% of adults use Snapchat

Facebook owns Instagram and has been around much longer. Per the same report, Facebook users skew a bit more female, with 54% women and 46% men. Interestingly, over 80% of Instagram’s user base lives outside the US.

“Mark Zuckerberg has said is that this is going to be the year of stories,” said social media strategist Marki Lemons-Ryhal. “That means Facebook stories, Instagram stories, and IGTV. So you want to leverage photos and videos to all three locations. And you definitely want to look at stories, because if you don’t post content once per day to a story, you won’t be present in a story feed — that content disappears every 24 hours.”

Create a consistent brand presence across channels

There is such a distinct persona to each channel, for instance, Snapchat is a more casual environment while LinkedIn is a more professional one. It can be tempting to cultivate a unique identity on each. But for real estate, you are your brand and your brand should be consistent, relatable, and recognizable no matter where your client encounters it.

4 tips for building a real estate brand identity:

• Post on a regular basis, but do not always post about real estate. “I’m a believer in the 80/20 ratio,” said Lemons-Ryhal. “80% personal content, and 20% business.”
• Use consistent keywords and nomenclature for your area, the style of properties you work with, etc.
• Embrace automation to disseminate your message across channels, without losing an authentic voice. Customize the message for the channel if you can.
• Become the resource of information clients crave. Offer value, tips, and insights that show your expertise.

Lemons-Ryhal also recommends agents and brokers keep their community in mind when they post.

“Use the hashtags for the area around your market and your listings,” she suggested. “Because there are three ways people can search on Instagram. They can search by the user’s name, they can search by hashtags, and they can also search by location. So I want my photos to be found in conjunction with the most popular restaurants, the most popular home inspector, or maybe the best play that’s in town. So when people are looking for that play or that venue, they see my content. Then they come back to my profile and see my other content — including my listings.”

Provide visuals that differentiate your brand

There was a day when a post didn’t have to have an image. That day is long past. Not only do you need an image, but you also need to step up your visual game, catching your audience’s eye as they scroll by. Here are some ways you can do that with Instagram and Matterport.

Highly accessible and comprehensive views of your listings help build critical buyer confidence. This, in turn, also alleviates buyer stress by providing a 24/7 resource for revisiting property details-on-demand and reinforcing their process.

Create and share a ‘Mattershort’

A Mattershort is an eye-catching, informational view of a property that showcases your unique differentiation. And it’s perfect for Instagram. This immersive, impactful experience can include high res 2D photography, schematic floor plans, and property information. Creating one is simple.

1. Scan a property with a Matterport Pro2 3D camera or Matterport-supported 360 camera
2. Create a navigable model creation with Matterport’s AI-powered software
3. Download the automatically generated videos, including the “Mattershort” GIF and MP4 option
4. Create a post as normal and attach the Mattershort as an image.

Mattershorts, and the immersive listings they link to help you create an environment that earns repeat, referral business, and positive position in today’s online review culture.

With this next generation of homebuyer comes the next generation of tools for reaching them. Your brand has a story to tell, be sure it’s heard by providing your audience an online experience where it’s fully captured.