Given its immense power, managing social media can be challenging. The challenge magnifies when it comes to the real estate industry, as social media constantly evolves and changes. Your current audiences may not be the right people for your ads—after all, who would want to invest in hefty amounts of money just by seeing multiple tweets about a glorious two-story apartment in St. Louis? While it may spark some joy and a little coveting moment, people will likely scroll away.
The prospect may seem like real estate social media marketing is impossible, but the truth is that you can make it possible. Keep in mind that social media is a powerful tool—all you need to know is how to yield it properly.
Why makes social media crucial for real estate companies?
Digital marketing branches out to many successful techniques, so why should you focus on social media for your strategies? For one, 44 percent of buyers turn to the internet to search for properties. Before suiting up to look for homes, prospective customers first dive into the online world for their new home.
Without a proper social media marketing plan in place, you will not be able to target such a whopping percentage of future clients. 66 percent of buyers are also millennials, making social media platforms integral to your real estate company. As a generation living off of their mobile screens, you’ll be able to increase your real estate brand visibility by promoting through your choice of social media platform.
How do you execute social media marketing the right way?
Now that you realize the magnitude of social media marketing, it’s time to get down to business. Here is a 3-step guide to crafting the right social media marketing plan:
Step 1: What content should I use?
Unlike other industries, real estate companies do not have to resort to shy marketing to showcase what’s being offered. You’re required to do the opposite, but it’s important to steer clear away from hard-selling—the last thing you want to do is bore your followers. Here are some of the best content you can use, one that will encourage engagement:
- Property photos: You need to be highly visual. By providing panoramic views of the properties you’re selling, you gain in the interest of your target audiences. You’ll be gathering “likes” and “shares”, compelling prospects to contact you.
- Testimonials: Nothing beats the power of social cues—once you showcase your success stories with other clients, you immediately forge trust and credibility. Remember: the more proof you provide honoring your satisfied clients, the better your chances of growing your client pool.
- New listings and properties: Being adamant about purchasing properties are always on the lookout for listings, so make sure to update your social media pages. Ensure that you elaborate on the latest listings through curated photos and well-written captions, as this will compel prospective clients to reach you.
- Renovation ideas and other home tips: Nurturing leads, especially after a sale, can be difficult to accomplish. To ensure that you keep your client pool interested in your company, offer fresh ideas and inspirations for their homes.
Step 2: Keep accessibility in mind
With so much to accomplish, overlooking the importance of accessibility is a mistake real estate companies often make. This usually results in devastating effects, so the next time a campaign rolls around, remember that you need to reach wider audiences.
Your videos, for instance, should always be made with closed captions. This makes your videos accessible to the hearing impaired. People not adept with videos will also find captions useful, too, urging them to stay a little longer for more information. Image descriptions are also important, so never skip out on writing captions.
If possible, consider offering bilingual services. This will allow you to run your social media campaigns in different languages, further widening your horizons. Potential customers will likely be looking for homes in your area, but they won’t always come from across the country—sometimes they come from abroad!
Step 3: Let reviews take the reign
The pages of real estate marketing have proved time and time again just how much reviews can affect your business. Once customers hear other people rave about your services, they will come flocking. With that being said, allow reviews to take pride of place.
The double-edged sword of social media allows customers to put you on a pedestal or destroy your brand, as they are given the voice to talk about your real estate business. you’re a company doing their best and are passionate about what you do, you’ve nothing to worry about—you only need to wield that power.
You can begin by generating these comments as insights, allowing you to customize your current marketing strategies according to the happy words of your customers. Make sure to showcase their words on your social media platforms, either by reposting or replying to their reviews.
Real Estate & Social Media: It’s All About Strategy
As the digital revolution continues to take the world by storm, social media marketing continues to make its own steady ripples. It has certainly enamored the real estate market, as social media changed the name of the game forever. Empowered than ever, real estate companies are now given the chance to reach their target markets better, encouraging them to come up with more innovative ways to attract and nurture leads.
Real estate social media marketing has now become some of the best ways real estate companies gain competitive advantage, but before you come up with strategies, remember your one important resource: time. It’s an incredibly scarce resource, especially for the real estate industry, but leveraging the power of social media means prioritizing it.
Social media campaigns need time to grow, backed up by, and a little dash of patience. You won’t be gaining thousands of followers overnight, much less garner hundreds of thousands likes and shares.
As you begin your social media efforts, remember to focus on your customers. Identify and understand what type of content will work best, keep user-experience in mind, and highlight your successes. So long as you keep passion and dedication burning, you’ll well on your way to getting social media marketing right!
Need a little social media boost? Framework Pros is a social media marketing agency in St. Louis, dedicated to helping real estate businesses grow. With our help, you’ll be able to boost your online presence, increase conversions, and convey your messages clearly and potently. Choose growth—reach out to our team today!