The internet really is an incredible thing which can be easily taken for granted in our daily web surfing and facebook sessions. It knocks down borders and has the potential to make the entire world one big global community. The internet is particularly beneficial to businesses, as it allows owners and workers to constantly keep track of every type of data, connect with each other, and contact customers. More and more, people are relying on the internet, especially social media sites, for finding important information, like how to choose their insurance or their real estate agent. Having a social media presence is essential for any modern business.
Social media is the most powerful means of communication with the public. However, as a famous mentor once said, “with great power, comes great responsibility.” Social media can be our great ally or our fiercest foe if not handled with forethought and careful consideration. Follow the five tips below to make sure you’re using the web to its fullest advantage.
- Focus on Inbound Marketing
It’s extremely tempting to start throwing advertisements for your business out into the world wide web as soon as you create a social media profile. Commercials, posters, and all forms of self-promotion are all important for growing your real estate business, but social media sites are not the proper place for any of that. Think about your favorite restaurant. You and your friends are regulars there, and the place is always packed with happy customers. Is that restaurant the one with ten billboards and flyers sent in the mail each week? More than likely, the answer is no. People probably love the place because the food is good, the service is excellent, and the atmosphere is great, and you found out how fantastic the place was naturally. Everyone wants their business to grow that way: by word of mouth and genuine interest in the agency itself. Think of your social media pages as the ideal platform from which to reach out to the community with information that is important to them, and to your business. Let them get to know what you stand for, and word of your greatness will spread.
- Share Quality Content
The real key to inbound marketing is to make sure that all of your posts are worth reading. If they are not worth reading, no one will read them, and posting on social media becomes a waste of time. Think about what you want your potential customers to know, and honestly think about what you would read if you saw a real estate agent post something. Post articles or pictures or videos that are informative and relevant to your area and your target audience. Change up the format and type of content, and try to be consistent about posting every day. Repeated exposure to your agency’s name never hurts. Decide what your business believes in and wants to focus on, and then curate a page that represents you so that your future clients know and respect the company they work with.
- Cater to your Target Audience
The internet makes communicating with people all over the globe as simply as a click of the mouse, but the entire world population is not necessarily your ideal clientele. Take advantage of location services to let people reading your posts know where you are, and try to edit your posts to be ideal for the potential clients in your area. If your business is based in central Florida, and you typically show houses in the surrounding neighborhoods, make sure you are in the know about current Orlando events and opportunities that will be relevant to your primary readership. People like to shop local, and generally prefer working with real estate agencies near them so that they can rest assured their agent is an expert on the area. You could also try posting new home listings in your area, so that people don’t have to leave their favorite social media site to see their potential new house. Seeing the home listed on your social media page will naturally make people associate you with the property they want to buy, and they will be more likely to call on you. Because the friendly neighborhood real estate agent in your own neck of the woods.
- Link Everything to your Website
We’ve all found ourselves lost down a digital rabbit hole at some point in our web surfing history. With so many options for social media outlets and websites and apps galore, make sure that everything you post links back to one centralized location with all of the essential information about your company. That way, if they have questions or want to pursue a business relationship with you, they can easily locate all of your logistics. Make it as easy and natural as possible for potential clients to contact you, whether by phone, email, or in person. Keep in mind that people are more willing to click on a link to a website embedded into a post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn then they are to read your post and then go look for your website themselves.
- Create a persona, not just a presence
The last thing to remember about embracing social media as a means of reaching out to clients is that the key word is ‘social.’ We are all flooded with advertisements and fabricated commercials every time we turn around. No one goes on Facebook to read the ads. Therefore, when you are posting on social media sites, keep it social. Make your audience feel that you are a person, not just a business trying to make money (despite the fact that you really are). New clients will be more open to learning about a company that does not flood their newsfeed with self-promoting pleas for attention. Focus on posting information that represents who you are and what you stand for as a company.
Author:
Gabriella Sweezey
Sources Consulted:
https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2016/01/tips-real-estate-industry/
http://www.inman.com/next/stop-failing-on-facebook-8-ways-to-rake-in-the-real-estate-leads/
