- Social media is about having an engaged conversation. Avoid being all about you by posting only listings or only talking about yourself. Be active, up-to-date and consistent.
Wondering why your social media isn’t yielding the results you’ve heard about? You aren’t alone. I would venture to say that 80 percent of real estate agents are asking themselves that very question.
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are channels that have already been proven to work, but they only work when used properly. If you’re not producing the results you desire, it is most likely that you are doing some of the following:
1. You aren’t posting enough
If I checked your Facebook page, would I find that the last time you posted was over a year ago?
Consider this: If you went to a concert to see your favorite band, and the band never took the stage, you would probably be left unsatisfied.
Those who chose to follow your page did so because they expected to see content, and it’s your responsibility to provide it.
2. You are promoting — not communicating
The goal of social media is to start conversations and create relationships. If you are posting nothing but listings, all you are doing is spamming your audience.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you should never share listings, but rather a healthy balance of different types of content.
By offering a variety of valuable informative posts, even individuals who aren’t currently looking for a home will want to engage with you.
3. You have nowhere to direct traffic
Part of establishing relationships is building a loyal fan base, and that can only be accomplished through providing the information people are looking for.
If you don’t have a website that offers this information to supplement your social media content, the conversation won’t go far and neither will the relationship.
Your audience needs a place to go to continue building a relationship with you, whether it is a blog or even another social platform, such as YouTube.
4. You forgot to make a profile
Yes, it happens. Too often I see agents who lack a social media presence entirely, or even with outdated profiles that have incorrect contact information.
If you’ve switched brokerage firms but haven’t updated your social accounts, you might be giving your leads away.
Creating a solid profile is pretty simple, so don’t miss a good opportunity to tell your story and link out to your website.
5. You don’t have a brand
If you aren’t properly branding yourself, how will people remember you?
Creating brand recognition is a key component of social media. To achieve this, everything must be consistent across the board.
All social networks should use the same profile image and cover photo. This makes it much easier for potential clients to recognize you and feel confident that the account they are choosing to follow is authentic.
6. You are being too selfish
Social media isn’t your personal show-and-tell, it’s a conversation. It’s quite important to share and link to other real estate content and blogs in your content.
Not only does it add value, but it also increases your reach if other real estate professionals share it to their social media channels.
Remember, sharing is caring.
7. You built it, but that was all you did
If you build it, they won’t necessarily come.
As Bill Gassett says, the post-and-pray approach is unlikely to be effective. Engagement is essential for generating leads on social media.
This takes more than just regularly checking your notifications and responding appropriately.
It also means actively following relevant accounts, interacting with individuals on your page, sharing and retweeting posts by others and starting conversations on other accounts.
In addition to these organic measures, your strategy should include a budget for advertising. In all regards, you have to be consistent, or you can forget the leads.
Worried you don’t have the time to dedicate to social media? Consider hiring a firm that can help. However, be cautious when interviewing potential agencies.
If someone is pitching a cheap solution, whatever you are being promised is likely too good to be true. Enlisting less than stellar help could end up with the same posts as every other agent in town.
Ready to commit to growing your leads with social media? Avoid these common pitfalls to increase your chances of success and get a leg up on the competition.
Laura Ure is the CEO of Keenability, a marketing agency specializing in lifestyle marketing that targets the affluent buyer. Follow her on Facebook or Twitter.
