You know it’s important, you know you need to do it, but you’re not. Why? Too hard? Too much work? Not enough time? Right now, you probably have a Facebook page that gets updated infrequently, or a twitter that tweets once in a blue moon and you’re wondering where the social media magic marketing results are. In order to stay competitive in the real estate market and realize any results from social media you need to be consistent across all of your marketing. By shifting the focus of your social media efforts, you’ll have a blueprint for success in the social media world. Let’s get into it!
Focus Your Social Media on Your Market
I think we’re all guilty of posting self-centered content. This content usually is trying to sell or push our agendas. Sadly, self serving content doesn’t serve us as well as we want to think it does. This is because consumers have come to expect content that entertains and educates them; not a constant flow of sales pitches. We have to change the way we engage with customers.
With access to a wealth of information on the internet, consumers are now more educated than ever before making a purchasing decision. Because of this, trust is king. Flashy sales pitches, and hardline selling just don’t work as well as they used too. You might be asking, well, how do I build trust with customers if I haven’t met them yet?
The not so secret secret is through social media and your website. The first thing customers are doing in the purchase cycle is research. They’ll look at the articles on the best neighborhoods, the best realtors in town, what to look for in a realtor, how to not get duped buying or selling a house, and the list goes on -- you get the idea. This is why you have to change the focus of your social media from “me” to “them.”
Now the first point of contact your next customer has with you is through your social media. By showcasing educational and entertaining content related to real estate, you establish yourself as someone who knows their trade thoroughly; as someone who they can trust to give them straight answers to their questions.
With your focus now on the customer, you might be asking, “What does customer centric content look like?”
For Facebook: Videos and content directly related to real estate that adds value to a potential client’s education/entertainment.
For Instagram: Photosets from new/current listings and/or video tours for posts, Behind the scenes videos/photos for Stories.
For Twitter: New articles relevant to educating customers on the state of real estate and your own blog posts.
LinkedIn: Professional content. (while some don’t see LinkedIn as a good platform to gain clients, don’t dismiss it. It is a great tool to build a stronger professional network and to emerge as a leader in the real estate profession. You can use this as a platform to share experiences, tips and so on for new and old realtors alike)
Be Consistent with Your Voice and Content
The most important thing across all of your social media accounts is that there is a consistent voice and style. To do this you need to plan your content -- successful social media engagement doesn’t happen on accident. My preference is leading social media content with blog posts on your own website. By leading with your website content you can create specific content for each social media account. Let’s say you have a write up on the 5 best neighborhoods in your city, how does this look for each social media account?
Facebook: A simple highlight video of the neighborhoods. Links to neighborhood stats that highlight education, crime, and household prices; for example www.city-data.com or www.neighborhoodscout.com.
Instagram: A few high quality photos for the number 1 neighborhood with a caption directing them to the blog post. Crosspost the highlight video from Facebook onto InstagramTV. A text post in your Instagram Stories directing watchers to the new blog post.
Twitter: A link to your new blog post.
LinkedIn: A link to your new blog post. You may use this time to teach other real estate professionals of the importance of a strong web/social media presence.
Create Meaningful Content
I know, I know. It’s hard to think of new content all the time. With this simple trick you’ll never run out of content to write or post about! I’m serious, as clickbaity as it sounds, all you need is to think like your customer. They have questions that have been asked over and over that you’re probably tired of answering them. These are the questions that your content should be addressing. Use this as an opportunity to become a well of knowledge for future and current customers.
When you feel like you have nothing to write about, just ask yourself this:
What questions have my customers asked me in the past?
If you’re just starting this might not work too well. Try this one instead:
What are the concerns my customers would have?
Remember, you’re focus is your customer. If you’re making content based on your customer you’ll never run out of content because the questions customers have never run out. And that’s great for you, because it’s an opportunity to build trust as the only realtor to answer their questions without asking anything in return.
With your content strategy focused on the customer, all that’s left is to create stunning imagery to stand out in the rabble. For free stock imagery, my favorite place is PixaBay. Just create an account and download the photos you need! When you need custom content created, I’m here to answer any questions you may have about videography and photography.