Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
According to a 2019 Facebook survey, 65% of new homebuyers say their friends' homebuying posts on Facebook or Instagram influence their decisions. The statistic suggests that realtors not using these social media channels to grow their digital footprint are missing out.
Social media made it challenging for entrepreneurs in all niches to compete and reach their target customers. However, real estate businesses tend to underutilize social media channels in favor of MLS sites, yard signs, third-party aggregators, open houses, email marketing campaigns, and traditional advertising media (billboards and print advertising).
Realtors could use Facebook and other social media channels to grow their brand and reach homebuyers, but they need a creative, out-of-the-box approach. The following post ideas serve as examples to inspire your future Facebook social media content calendar.
Publishing client testimonials on Facebook and other social media channels is one of the most effective strategies to gain credibility and raise brand awareness for your real estate business.
You can limit yourself to a text and image post or go the extra mile to publish a video testimonial, either in a story format or as a newsfeed update.
If you have the opportunity to organize a live video interview with your client, use it to expand from a simple testimonial to the entire customer journey. For example, you could discuss how your client found the house, if they applied for a mortgage, and so on. Engage your Facebook followers and encourage them to ask questions your client could answer live.
Virtual tours are not just for your real estate website or Google Maps. They are invaluable for social media, but you will need to know how to share them. Of course, you can always share links to virtual tours, but if you want your followers and the public to engage, you must "embed" the tour into your news feed.
One option is to use a virtual tour platform like My360. They have a step-by-step tutorial to help you share your virtual tours here.
Video walkthroughs are engaging and shareable. You can post them as status updates to your newsfeed or use them in Facebook stories. This type of video format allows your followers and potential customers to view a property before deciding to come in person to an open house. Sometimes a video walkthrough may be enough for a homebuyer to make a purchasing decision.
Video walkthrough posts generate Facebook engagement (likes, shares, comments) and leads (when a Facebook user contacts you directly or signs up for your newsletter). A good example is this video walkthrough by The Corcoran Group.
You don't have to imitate the style. Instead, find a different angle: a child exploring every room with curiosity and wonder, or walk through with a GoPro camera for an "eye-level" view of the proprety.
Again, you can reply to customer questions as a standard text or text+image post, or you can use the opportunity to create a story, shoot a video, or go live.
Whatever you choose, keep your answers clear and relevant, and try to engage your audiences with additional information. Try to anticipate other questions they might have after they get a response to a given topic.
Partner with a home improvement expert and offer your followers DIY home improvement advice to help them declutter or enhance spaces and even prepare a proprety for sale. You could include many sub-topics in this category: home decor, smart home technology, house staging, landscaping, gardening, environmental practices, etc.
As a realtor, you are already familiar with many of the issues homeowners face when it comes to home improvement. Use your experience to highlight your brand values: people and their worries and needs should always be a primary concern.
When you offer home improvement advice, you could use real-life case studies to show your followers how theory meets practice and why your advice has value.
These are other Facebook post ideas you could use to grow your brand - and again, use the format that resonates best with your followers and audiences: text, tex+image, video, live video, story.
Imagine watching your favorite real estate show on the TV: you know when it's on. Then, create the same sense of anticipation for your followers; post real estate facts and advice once or twice weekly at the same hour. Of course, this goes for everything else you want to share: a Facebook content calendar will help you organize your updates, measure reach, and adjust when something doesn't seem to work (capture the community interest and engage) as you want.
Facebook is a flexible platform, and if you want to be successful, you should have a consistent posting (content marketing) strategy. If you're going to be detached and very corporate-like (or "professional," if you prefer), maintain a neutral tone. However, if you want more from your Facebook presence, you will need to soften your tone a little and go for a more personal approach: make some jokes and don't just broadcast. For example, when you publish a link to a listing, talk about the neighborhood. Tell potential buyers what makes a property special beyond amenities and size.
Use surveys to learn what people want to hear from you or what they think about your brand. Then, adjust your Facebook posts accordingly: you want to have a Facebook page (or realtor profile) that resonates with buyers and not only yourself and your family members.
