To succeed at capturing the attention of today’s homebuyer and seller, real estate professionals ought to maintain an active and engaged online presence.

Social networks once seen as an option are becoming an increasingly important marketing tool. The days of a hit or miss social media strategy are quickly being replaced with a more detailed and proactive approach.

However, challenges still remain. Staying on top of the myriad of duties required to manage and run a real estate business while finding time for social media is difficult, but it can be done.  The answer is found in the utilization of tools that simplify the monitoring and management of an online presence.

While there are many tools to help you communicate and connect with consumers, the five below will allow you to quickly identify opportunities and remain responsive to their ever-changing needs.

Social Media Tools for Real Estate Pros

  1. Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a third-party management tool that lets you schedule, monitor and maintain a presence across a variety of platforms. With Sprout you can add your Twitter profile, Facebook profile and page, LinkedIn and Google Plus.

One of my favorite features is their Smart Inbox. The Smart Inbox pulls all mentions as well as keywords in to one easy to view location. This allows you to quickly come in and respond to retweets, comments or shares while listening to what is being said about your business or local community.

It also gives you an easy way to schedule updates, automating a portion of your social media. This is an important aspect of social media management. There is no reason to be online all day long. Schedule updates to stay consistent in your sharing and interaction, but not tied down to your social media.

  2. Buffer

I could not live without this handy tool! While Buffer is not a third-party management tool like sprout Social, it is an excellent way to identify when your audience is online and keep in front of them with relevant content.

Here’s how it works: Buffer analyzes your social networks and then identifies your best times to post or tweet. It then automatically adds those times to your account, so that as you find content across the web, each post is scheduled at optimal times.

The application connects to Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and LinkedIn, which makes this app another great option for anyone eager to stay active across the web, but lacks an infinite amount of time in the day to do so.

There are also a number of free apps, extensions and extras working with Buffer to help maximize your reach.

  3. Feedly

One of the biggest challenges for most real estate professionals utilizing social media for marketing purposes is finding content to share on a daily basis. Feedly solves that problem by curating content based on your favorite topics.

While Feedly is an RSS reader, it is also a content management tool. Subscribe to your favorite online magazines or blogs and then simply log in each morning to find articles you can add to Sprout Social or Buffer to share throughout the day.

  4. Twubs

Are you using hashtags in your tweets? If not, you should be! With Twubs you can find the most relevant hashtags which place you in front of your target audience. Think of hashtags as a bullhorn. Using one hashtag that is searchable by anyone on Twitter (or any social media site for that matter) you can now reach a much larger audience.

It is also a great way to find out what those using a particular hashtag are talking about. For example, check out the hashtag #realestate to find content that is being shared in real-time. Not only will it bring up a stream of content that you can share with your fans and followers, but it offers valuable insight into what topic is most important at that exact moment. With Twubs you can keep your ear to the ground and stay responsive.

  5. Commun.it

This Twitter tool is highly recommended for anyone looking to create deeper, more meaningful social media relationships. With Commun.it, you can keep up with what matters most to you and your business.

It has become an integral tool in my social media management tool belt and one I could not live without. With Commun.it, I ensure that no conversation is missed and no opportunity is squandered.

How I use Commun.it:

• Identify who is sharing our content
• Better manage key relationships
• Search and share content from key influencers
• Track and monitor brand and industry keywords
• Monitor engagement across our Twitter channels
• Know who to follow/unfollow, what content to Tweet – and more

What social media tools are you using within your business? I would love to hear about them in the comments below!

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