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Social media seems to have lost a bit of its charm, hasn’t it? Tweet this, like that, instagram everything – literally. Surely people will lose interest and go back to the good old days of writing letters via ink, quill, and scroll right?
Totally. But not for a while. For example, let’s take a look at Facebook. According to Zephoria, there are over 1.9 billion active Facebook users, with over 728 million users who log on daily and 5 new accounts created every second. More relevant to you, the most common demographic of Facebook users, at 29.7%, is the 25 – 34 age range. According to Realtor.org’s 2013 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, the typical first time home buyer is 31 – and they account for 38% of all buyers.
Image courtesy of Gerardo Obieta (@G_Obieta) on Flickr
“The future of business is social.”
— BARRY LIBERT, MZINGA CEO
So, blah blah blah, social media will rule the world. It’s cool if you’re waiting for a revolution, but in the mean time, it can’t hurt to improve your ranking among the world order. Here are six quick steps to get you started on using social media for your real estate marketing strategy.
1. Use Social Sharing Buttons
This is an easy one – you see these everywhere. Add them to your page and all your content, including listings.
2. Use Consistent Branding
It can be tempting to recreate yourself through the multitude of online social settings available to you – but don’t. Social networking is about relationship building and people will only trust you once they start to recognize you. Use the same name, contact info, logo, etc. across all of your networks.
3. Add to the Conversation
The easiest way to stand out from the crowd is to use what you already have: knowledge and experience. Use your real estate expertise to act as a resource for leads and potential business partners. This way, people will begin to trust you and be far more interested in working with you.
“Give them quality. That’s the best kind of advertising.”
— MILTON HERSHEY
4. Listen
The most interesting guy in the room isn’t necessarily the loudest. The best way to attract leads is to listen to what they want and keep track of the questions they’re asking both directly and online. You can also use monitoring tools, like Google Alerts and Hootsuite, to find out what people are saying about you or your business. This will help you tailor the messages you broadcast.
5. Expand Your Presence
Don’t just settle for creating an account. (Or five: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn, to start.) Experiment with new networks coming out and do research on what’s most relevant to your audience. Then, interact with them: pay attention to your news feed and make sure that you’re communicating with followers and friends consistently.
6. Sell Your Services
Don’t forget the main purpose to all of this – your business is to sell. Once you’ve engaged your prospects online and nurtured your relationships, take the conversation offline. Did they just get engaged? Are they looking for a new home soon? Why don’t they give you a call and you can talk about some great listings in their area?
Be professional, be friendly, be – well, you know. After all, you’re the agent. Follow these six easy social media tips and you’ll rock the rest.
