Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
It's 2017 - can you think of a real estate agency who isn't somehow established on social media?
No?
In its early heyday, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest provided real estate agencies a competitive advantage that allowed them to reach out to new audiences. And while social media still offers the ability to connect to prospects and clients, simply being present on social media is no longer a differentiating factor since most agencies at least have a Facebook page.
At this point in today's digitally social era, relying on your mere existence on social channels is about as effective in driving engagement as your office location or website. Rather, it takes seemingly constant communication on each of your social profiles to build your digital brand effectively.
As you craft your social media strategy, consider these 4 lesser known ways real estate agents can use social media to strengthen your brand and spur engagement from the viewers who matter most:
Is a festival underway in your town? Does your community have any interesting landmarks or local hot spots that others will recognize? As a real estate agent, your job is to know and understand the community you live in. Your clients look to you as a resource about the area, and it's up to you to build your credibility within the community.
Sharing posts or pictures you take at hometown festivals, fundraisers or sporting events can construct your brand as one that's heavily involved in the local atmosphere. It's a subtle approach, sure, but it's one that helps people realize you're invested in their community.
Forget the fact that elementary or high school kids are nowhere near ready to purchase a home. Their parents and teachers, however, might be.
Consider sponsoring an event or sporting activity to establish your brand within the school community. For instance, you could offer a scholarship to a high school student who wins a free throw contest during basketball season. Whatever type of event you sponsor, make sure it's one that's viewed by the public and likely that parents will take pictures and post to their own social media feeds.
In either case, you get some publicity and the school (or students) benefits from your sponsorship. You could make your contribution a recurring event to establish accountability on your part.
One of Facebook's most underutilized features is the local groups. You can join groups in your area that focus on real estate and non-real estate activities and use these groups as a way to learn about others in your community.
The best tactic here, however, is to avoid coming off like you're trying to recruit new clients. Focus on adding value to the conversations within the group, such as recommending restaurants and services in town, sharing information about upcoming events, or welcoming newcomers to town.
Scroll through your Facebook newsfeed and you'll see a smattering of family vacation photos, sponsored ads, a colorful status update, someone pitching an MLM scheme, and videos shared by your friends. What stands out the most to you?
If you're like the 86% of consumers who have built in "banner blindness," chances are you're more likely to pay attention to the posts of your personal friends than the multitude of Ad Speak.
If you want to succeed on the social media speaker in 2017, your best chance lies in investing in your brand, not your advertising. If you strengthen your community image enough, you won't need to advertise.
