Success for real estate professionals in the social environment requires a balance between their social goals and the time and other resources available for reaching them. However, starting with a realistic plan can set a course for striking this balance.
Social Media for Every Type of User
When performed and managed correctly, social media is effective and accessible to all real estate professionals, though the perception that its full potential can be realized quickly is simply misleading.
To assist real estate agents in understanding the social media results they can expect from a particular level of investment, Lumentus Social analyzed more than 100 real estate professionals’ social media pages of independent and franchised brokerages in various markets. Following our analysis, we identified four types of users, each based on patterns of activity, engagement, and response level.
- Power User – Active every day, both posting and engaging with others.
- Regular User – Posting regularly, though with limited proactive engagement with others.
- Sometimes User – Posting irregularly and only engaging with those who directly contact them.
- New to Social – Have built pages, though they are mostly static users and can actively view others’ social activity while seldomly engaging with them.
Engagement
Social media offers the same networking opportunities as events, conferences, parties and other informal get-togethers. However, the means of connecting and engaging are vastly different.
Topline Tips
- Assume an approach that builds relationships and loyalty when posting comments and questions, and respond to comments on your page in a timely manner.
- Be consistent in posting relevant, helpful information that speaks to your clients.
- Remember to use “calls to action” to drive others to engage. For example, ask people what they think of an article or ask what they would do in a particular situation.
- Follow others, comment on their posts, and avoid only posting to your page.
- Be careful, as not all engagement is good. As a general rule, stay positive and do not post or engage on sensitive topics such as politics or religion.
| User Type | Frequency | Types of Engagement | Considerations for Growth |
| Power User | Daily | All types of engagement listed below, plus active daily shares, comments, retweets, pins and similar activity. | Use apps to be active on social media multiple times per day. Identify and execute strategies for building stronger relationships with influencers, such as identifying the top 10 people with active Twitter profiles in your community. |
| Regular User | Frequently | Engage fully with current and potential members of your network: contribute to online threads, share other people’s content, and like/comment/respond when appropriate. | Perform some degree of social media engagement each day. |
| Sometimes User | Weekly | Comment on other people’s posts and respond to all comments made on your posts. | Increase your brand exposure by joining thread conversations, resulting in your name appearing in front of other participants. |
| New User | Occasionally | Like other people’s posts. | Download the Facebook phone app and scroll through the newsfeed at least weekly, each time liking or commenting on a minimum of one person’s post. |
To find the full guidelines for taking advantage of the social media resources at your fingertips, download The Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Social Media whitepaper here.
