Real estate agents can use social media sites to reconnect with family and friends, acquire new customers, promote your listings for an extremely low cost, generate more leads, and make more money.  In fact, the majority of agents are on one of the top social media sites.  Before you sign up for a social media site, you should have an objective and have a good strategy.  Having a game plan will not only help you reach your target audience and increase your sales but also assist you in gauging your online marketing plan. 

#1) Facebook- There are a ton of people who use Facebook in order to connect with their family members and friends.  Real estate agents should use Facebook if they want to make the most out of word-of-mouth marketing and the ability to post your properties.  You can talk about a neighborhood and local events to display your engagement in a community.  Agents should try to not use their personal accounts as their agent page because it looks unprofessional. 

#2) Twitter- Twitter is the ideal social media site for real estate agents who want to write quick posts to their clients and audience.  Using hash tags is an effective way for agents to reach out to new customers.  A vote contest is a cool way to get users excited and engaged.  You can take pictures of two different houses and ask users what their favorite one is.  This will get customers excited about homes that are on sale and the home-buying process.  

#3) Pinterest- The main purpose of Pinterest is to connect with users through images.  This provides real estate agents with the perfect opportunity to post pictures of their homes for sale.  A cool way to educate clients about a community is to set up a board about the neighborhood.  You can post photos of amenities, buildings/services that are open to the public and local events.  If you want to use Pinterest to reach a wider audience, you can make a board about home décor or home improvement ideas. 

#4) YouTube- One of the best parts of Youtube is that it allows you to provide clients with virtual tours.  This allows you to reach customers that live in other areas.  Virtual tours can save real estate agents a significant amount of time and money.  You might be able to eliminate some properties before you step out the door.  Agents can also provide clients with videos of a neighborhood and the local attractions.  Make sure you focus on parks, outdoor spaces, and public buildings such as libraries and restaruants. 

#5) WordPress- WordPress allows real estate agents to communicate with clients through a blog.  People read blogs online because they are looking for advice and information-rich content. They can write the content or hire a freelance writer who has experience in the real estate industry.  The best part about blogging is that agents can use SEO (search engine optimization) and paid advertisements to increase their followers.  You can also talk about home improvement, design trends, and market trends on your blog. 

Being consistent and constantly engaging with the audience will help you increase your followers on social media sites.  These sites provide real estate agents with a cost-effective way to market their listings and increase their sales. 

Jeanette Swan is a Realty Biz News Contributing Writer