Social media can be an effective marketing tool. However, you must be consistent to build relationships that translate into business.
Here are four common mistakes Realtors make with social media and some ways to avoid them:
Incomplete profiles:
By the time you receive a phone call or email from someone who’s been referred to you, it’s a sure thing that they have checked you out online. They’ve Googled you, checked out your website, your reviews and your social media.
What impression are you making if your profiles are incomplete?
Start with one site at a time and make sure your profile is completely filled out. It can really pay off with increased interest and traffic.
Your headshot must be recent (within a couple of years), professional (a selfie on the beach will not work) and used across all platforms. Soon we’ll be out and about on a regular basis and you want people to recognize you. If you’ve grown a beard or your hair colour has changed, it’s time for a new photo.
If real estate is a second career or you’ve recently changed brokerages, update your information. If you used to manage a retail store but are now selling homes, your LinkedIn profile needs to reflect that. If someone is referred to you for real estate, it can damage your credibility.
Lastly, ensure your contact information is accurate and up-to-date.
Selling all the time:
It’s the 80/20 rule. Eighty per cent of what you’re posting should be informational, entertaining or give value. People are going to social media to be social, not to be sold to. One of the main goals of social media is to build and nurture relationships. If everything you post is sales related, people will tune you out – or worse – unfollow you.
Most of your posts should be content that blends in with what people’s friends and family are posting. If you are genuinely engaging, you can inject the occasional direct sales call.
Posting too infrequently:
Consistency is important. Pace yourself so you’re neither leaving large gaps of time between posts nor posting so often people get tired of hearing from you.
If you get excited about social media and do a dozen posts in a row, followed by a gap of weeks or even months – your audience will forget you. Enthusiasm is great but follow it up with a plan.
Ignoring their community:
Put the social back in social media. When people take the time to comment on a post or send you a message, follow up as quickly as you can; within one business day. One of the easiest ways to do this is to make sure notifications are enabled on your phone. When people look you up, they want to know that you are interacting with your followers and not just posting things and letting them sit there.
Where does social media fit into your marketing strategy? If you’re struggling with making social media work for you, I’d be happy to talk about your social media goals, share some pointers and set some next steps.
Mark Brodsky has been working with Realtors since 2008, producing monthly newsletters and social media management. Send him an email or visit his website.
