Social media offers an entire world of opportunities for individuals and business owners alike, and commercial real estate agents are not an exception. As a real estate agent, you can take advantage of social media’s prowess by keeping in mind a few key notions and implementing some tactics along the way.
Although various channels, such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, might seem simple to navigate at first, they’re quite complex and utilizing them in the wrong way will not yield any professional results. In order to help you out in harnessing the best of what social media has to offer, we’ve compiled a list of 7 things you should strive toward as a broker. Check them out:
Strong and clear brand identity
First impressions matter in general and this saying is even truer when it comes to your brand identity. Any new online visitor that scans your page should be able to recognize instantly what domain you work in and what your specialty is. You might also want to boast about a few extraordinary achievements if you have any under your belt, but it’s important to provide a clear, concise image of who you are as a business owner, whilst also adding some personal touches to establish a more familiar, approachable and down-to-earth tone.
Build up your portfolio
Social media gives you the opportunity to shine and showcase your talents to a broad audience, so take advantage of this fact. Set up an entire album with old properties you’ve successfully sold and don’t forget to upload the listings you’re currently in the process of selling. Make sure you don’t spam your followers by posting something every 10 minutes! Instead, spread your posts out and only upload to Facebook and Instagram 4-5 times a week.
Quality photos above everything else
Presentation is everything when you’re trying to sell a home. That’s why it’s extremely important to capture absolutely the best angles of the properties you’re trying to sell—top quality photos are of paramount importance! People these days are in search of catalogue-style homes and they probably won’t even look at your listing if the photos are blurry and pixelated.
Even if you don’t personally own a camera or don’t exactly know how to use one to your advantage, you can always hire a photographer. Although you’ll need to pay for the service, the results will speak for themselves and the investment will likely be more than worth your while.
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Have a presence on multiple platforms
If you have the time and energy to manage accounts on multiple platforms, then you should definitely go for it. Instagram is ideal for showcasing homes and projects, thanks to its image-centric layout. On Facebook you can post not only images, but also regularly upgrade your status, hold online polls and take advantage of the platform’s many fantastic ad opportunities that will help you better target your audience and lure in new, potential customers. Twitter is great for sending short messages with key info that customers can relate to. As you can see, each platform offers different options, so if you can, be present on all of them.
Educate and inform
When you start posting on any social media site, it’s important to note that while putting up one property after another might seem great to you, it will quickly get dull for your audience. To combat this issue, you should definitely think about providing them with useful, informative content from which your followers can learn and which they can even share to their own friends, helping you reach a wider audience.
You might want to touch on topics like general discussions about scoring a good deal on a property and some lessons about things to look for in a new home. You could maybe even talk about real estate pitfalls to make your potential buyers a little smarter in their selection as they browse through the real estate market.
Connect to your audience
Remember that the main goal of social media platforms is actually to be social, and this aspect is especially important if you’re advertising on these sites. Most people are looking to connect, so you should always go out of your way to reach out to your audience, encourage interaction and chat with your followers. Use an informal tone (this is social media, after all), but be courteous, respectful and insightful in your responses. Besides answering questions, you should also always react to reviews and feedback, regardless of whether they’re good or bad.
Never underestimate the power of video
While high quality photos are great, you should also think of investing in quality video footage. After all, a nice video tour of any home, which can even include some aerial footage if you really want to up your game, is just the type of thing your customers are looking for. Videos can give away much more information about any given home than perfectly-framed photos, and your potential buyers will definitely feel like you’re showing them everything there is to know about the property, so they’ll likely trust you more. Invest in a good camera and a drone or hire professional help to impress potential buyers and increase your revenue.
