Social media is powerful. According to Statista, 3.6 billion people have at least one social media account. That number is expected to rise to 4.41 billion by 2025. Getting your real estate business on social media isn’t a maybe – it’s a must.
Something most real estate agents know is how to use social media to their advantage for things like:
- Identifying goals
- Tracking analytics
- Engaging in meaningful conversations
- Lead generation
What a lot of agents don’t know, however, is what they’re doing wrong.
For sure, social media offers great opportunities. It’s low- to no-cost, and the audience is already there. But why isn’t it working for you?
9 Things You’re Doing Wrong in Your Real Estate Social Media Marketing
These are the nine things you might not realize are harming your social media marketing chances.
1) Spreading access across too many agents
We’re constantly hearing the terms “fake news” and “misinformation” lately. The fact is this can happen on your real estate social media account without your knowledge if too many people have access. Or the wrong people have access. Status updates that weren’t carefully considered, offensive updates, and even grammar and spelling errors can cause problems. The best way to nix any future hazards is to simply handle your agency social accounts yourself.
2) Not actively engaging
Social media platforms are all about interaction. Through your account, you can directly talk to leads and clients professionally and casually. Social media posting isn’t just about information – it’s about relationship building. If your followers – and even people who don’t follow you – are commenting, you must respond so you don’t make leads or clients feel ignored.
3) Inconsistent branding
You can have accounts on more than just one social platform. In fact, it’s encouraged. But with multiple social media accounts comes responsibility. Most of all, brand consistency is a must. For instance, your username and profile picture should be the same across platforms so you’re easily recognizable – plus, having a large social presence across platforms creates a bigger online presence in the minds of leads and clients.
4) Sticking with only one platform
As mentioned above, having multiple social accounts is preferable. There are new social sites coming on the scene all the time – but they won’t all become a Facebook or a Twitter. Some are worth looking into – for instance, some of your prime target leads could be hanging out on a platform you’re unaware of. Create accounts on these less widely used channels just for research’s sake – you just never know what you might discover.
5) Posting your listings – and nothing else
You’ll watch your leads dry up faster than the Sahara in a drought if all you’re posting is your current listings. If that’s the only thing your followers get, they’re going to get bored really fast. It’s okay to highlight a listing now and again, but the bulk of your posts should be relevant content that your prospects are looking for, such as:
- How to buy a home
- Can I buy a home on just one income?
- Is my credit score still a factor if I make good money?
- How can I find off-market listings?
Sure, posting listings isn’t bad, but make sure they’re somehow unique, and try to only post your listings once per week. You could even make it a “thing” and have Listing Wednesdays (or Mondays – whatever works). Or, whether you deal in commercial properties or residential properties and the occasional luxury home, consider the luxe angle, like Luxury Listings or Lavish Listings. Raffles, contests, blog posts – there’s a lot you can post besides your listings.
6) Failing to update information
Social media gives you the opportunity to tell the world all about you. What makes you tick? What makes your agency better than others? These are some real estate social media blunders you should stay away from:
- An incomplete profile on LinkedIn
- The infamous “egg” photo on Twitter
- No contact information on your business’ Facebook page
Keep your information updated – this includes contact information, activity, and listings.
7) Wrong place, wrong time
Knowing when and where to post specific types of content is simply a numbers game – at first.
When you create your real estate social media marketing strategy, choose three platforms. Schedule your posts out a month or so. See which types of posts perform better on each platform and note the timing of your posts – which posts get more interaction? Which platform? Of those posts getting traction, what time were they posted on average? You’ll notice a pattern and can then switch up your methods going forward.
8) Just not posting
If you have social accounts laying barren, you’ll fade as fast as last year’s fads. Of course, you have the responsibility of running your firm – but that’s what scheduling software is for. Take a day to schedule your posts out a month or so, as mentioned above, and schedule a post to each platform at least twice per week. While it’s important to have your own thought-provoking content, if you’re at a loss as to what to post, you can always borrow content – as in, share a link to an article about rising interest rates, or what analysts think of the current home-buying market. It sparks conversations that turn to conversions – after all, at the end of the day, you want to make the sale, right?
9) Not measuring results
Everything above is well and good – but if you’re not tracking and measuring your social media, how can you know:
- If your posts are effective?
- What metrics to monitor?
- How to calculate the metrics?
- How to interpret the results?
There are two ways you can measure your social media efforts:
- Ongoing
- Campaign-focused
You should always have an ongoing method for keeping your finger on the pulse of your reach. After you set up tracking analytics, you can basically just check in from time to time.
Alternatively, campaign-focused methods are exactly like they sound – you track interactions per campaign. This helps you better focus your overall strategy on campaign tactics that work. But remember, every campaign is different and you’ll likely measure for different activities in each campaign. The best measurement tracking includes both ongoing and campaign-based measurements.
Wrap Up
As you tighten up your real estate social media program, you’ll begin to see results. And if you’re looking for listings for your Listings Wednesday posts, ProspectNow has the largest database available of ready-to-go, up-to-date listings. We’ve been in real estate since 2008 helping agents and brokers just like you amp up their game for less than other prospecting services charge. Ready to find more leads and make more money?