This time of year, Realtors® start creating their business plans for 2022. Marketing is a key part of our work as real estate agents and social media is an important tool to consider.
Which are the “right” platforms to use, though? With so many to choose from it can be daunting, particularly if you don’t use social media in your personal life.
The good news is that there isn’t any one correct way to use social media. Your choices of where to get your message across will depend on several factors, such as which platform the bulk of your clients use. The biggest factor of all, though, is your own personal preference. It’s a bit like knowing what types of restaurants you most enjoy and what atmosphere you feel most comfortable in.
There are more social media platforms than we can list! So, here’s a rundown of the top five social media platforms that real estate agents are using.
Facebook: Reach Social Media’s Biggest Audience
Facebook is the most highly used platform--by far. With over two billion users—it almost reaches a third of the world’s population! 94 percent of those users access Facebook via mobile phones.
To obtain a business page on Facebook, you must first create a personal page. For maximum impact, post once a day or more on this platform. Facebook’s famously mysterious algorithm favors posts that contain visuals--especially video. Another way to increase your reach is by advertising on Facebook. It’s a relatively inexpensive way to promote your business.
Instagram: Tell Your Story with Photos and Videos
This visually oriented platform is a great place to show off photos of your active listings and brag a bit after they sell. You can add graphic visuals of housing stats, photos of cool houses, videos and funny memes. A quick video of yourself showing a home adds a personal touch and is a great way to make a positive impression on potential clients.
Instagram is owned by Meta, as is Facebook. That means that it’s possible to link the two on your Facebook business page so that you can post the same information simultaneously on both platforms.
Instagram users like to have a little fun , and often use multiple, whimsical, hashtags*. It’s also recommended to post about once per day here. Instagram is primarily used on mobile devices, although it is now possible to browse and comment via a desktop.
*Hashtags are words or phrases that call out specific types of content or topics. Always preceded by a hash symbol, #, the words run together without spaces. So, make sure your hashtags are brief, e.g. #justsold or #hotproperty.
Twitter: Short, Fast, and Impactful
Twitter started out as platform for sharing short bites of information, allowing the user only 140 characters to get a message across. Now you are allowed up to 280 characters. However, the most effective tweets are still short, newsy and to the point, so you might not want to use all those characters.
Pro Tip: Increase engagement by adding photos and videos to your post.
Twitter posts don’t stay in the newsfeed for long, so to be effective you need to post several times a day. Twitter is the platform that popularized hashtags, so search for trending hashtags and use them in posts when you can.
LinkedIn: Learn, Network, and Grow
This platform provides a forum for professionals to network and talk about their businesses and careers. A good discussion can be enlightening, educational, and lead to new opportunities.
Although LinkedIn is not be the ideal spot to advertise a listing, it’s a great place to show off your expertise as an agent. As a rule, don’t post on this platform more than once a day.
TikTok: Strut Your Pro Moves with Song and Dance
Experts predict that TikTok will explode in 2022. Already immensely popular, the format’s bite-size videos (most run 15 seconds or less) are perfect for delivering a fast and engaging message. A growing number of Realtors® are tapping into TikTok’s youthful vibe by creating their own fun, informative song-and-dance videos on a range of topics, from inspections to new buyer tips. Agents report they’ve seen results from these posts, including referrals from fellow agents in other parts of the country.
The best way to understand TikTok is to create an account and just start watching!
Dip Your Toes into Social Media!
It can feel intimidating to enter the world of social-media marketing if you aren’t already actively engaged in these platforms. Start by picking just one platform and get comfortable with it before diving into other outlets.
If you approach the world of social media with a willingness to learn and experiment, you might find this is a fun and potentially lucrative way of interacting with others!