Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
Social media has helped real estate agents generate leads, build better brands, and connect with prospects. But not every feature and function on social channels are worth your valuable time, money, and brainpower.
Here are the three most common ways real estate agents are wasting resources on social media - which ones are you guilty of?
Sales is a numbers game, right? The more you promote yourself, the more people will see you, which means the more clients you'll earn.
That's true in some cases, but the time you spend trying to balance a strong social profile on every channel available surpasses any reward for your effort.
Instead, focus on a few social platforms where your target audience is most likely to be. Each one offers its own unique advantages, and this guide on how to choose social media channels best fit with your branding and marketing strategies can help you weigh your options.
It's true that paid promotions can get your content in front of a broader audience. It's true that paying for ads can help you build your following, generate leads, send people to your website, and get likes and shares.
And it's also very true that promoting your post without a specific goal in mind is a waste of your time and money.
Without goals, you have no idea if your paid post was worth the money or not. Before you budget for your ads, decide if you want to generate leads or make impressions. If you want people to see a specific listing, decide how many views will make your paid ad worthwhile. If you want to increase followers, determine how many followers you need to "break even."
If you aren't sure where to start, Buffer's guide on how to set social media goals can get you started.
Much like your website, social media isn't a "set it and forget it" resource. Rather, it takes posting consistently, both in time frame and in style, to generate any tangible benefits.
If you can't stick to a regular schedule because you're forgetful, invest in a tool like Hootsuite or Buffer than can help you better manage your content and schedule your posts. If you run out of ideas, services like Feedly can help you find relevant content to share.
If you prefer to post four or five times a year when the mood strikes, the little time you do spend sharing content won't amount to much. It may even deal more harm than good to your brand by making you appear uncommitted to your own business.
There's a lot happening in the social media landscape, which makes it easy to get sucked into activities that have nothing to do with your business goals. Make sure you focus only on those things which are most likely to bring you clients - otherwise, there's no reason to invest in social media in the first place.
