As real estate professionals, we know that the proper implementation of social media technology is beneficial for marketing our businesses. Many times, however, we don’t know how to use social media effectively and give up in frustration when we don’t see immediate results. Fortunately, these three key social media tactics can increase exposure and even generate leads to boost your real estate sales.
1. Put some personality in those listings
We all know that social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are places to post listings. The problem is, it’s often too easy to copy the link from the listing on our website and paste it into the little box on the page. It’s crucial to create engaging content that allows personality to shine through. Entrepreneur.com confirms that it’s better to have few followers that actively engage with intriguing posts than to have many followers who are not interacting with your content at all.
For example, instead of copying and pasting, comment on a house and tell followers why they should buy it. Although you still need to give the basic details, you can add a bit of charisma into the listing to make it engaging. This not only makes the listing stand out, but can help it sell faster by drawing more attention to it.
2. Images are key
The National Association of Realtors states that 90 percent of buyers search online during the home buying process. Just as good images are key to attracting buyers to listings, good images are a critical component when using social media. Images not only help a post get noticed, but a recent study conducted by MIT on their Facebook page revealed that people are about 37 percent more likely to engage with content that includes images.
We can use this to our advantage and help boost sales by not only posting images of listings to our social media platforms, but by using images as testimonials from our happy clients. As an example, we could take a photo of a smiling client with the keys to their new home in their hand. Alternatively, a picture of a client standing with us next to a For Sale sign with “Sold” on top of it would be a good choice.
3. Location, location, location
Although a listing says a lot about a house, it doesn’t really say a lot about the neighborhood or community. One great way to boost interest is to tell followers why the area is such a great location to work and live. Post highlights about nearby attractions or discuss the great things about living in a certain neighborhood or community. For instance, if a person is not familiar with the area, they may find it helpful to know that a new school is being built or that the town has a historic district. Posting events, such as the yearly 4th of July parade or a play at the local theater not only helps promote why someone should buy in the area, but provides engaging content as well.
One way to search for location and community data is to use the new Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate website. Just type in the address of the house for sale and you can learn some great facts about the surrounding community. Include these relevant facts in your social media posts.
According to the Pew Research Center, Facebook users in particular are more likely to trust the information posted. This means that users will take your Facebook posts seriously, appointing you as a helpful and trusted source as they make their purchasing decisions.
The bottom line
Social media might seem like more trouble than it’s worth, but people who follow the above tips on a consistent basis increase their network and generate new opportunities from those connections. Getting involved in a social media campaign is not only advised, it is all but demanded by the technology-driven climate of today’s market.
