Think about your social media accounts. Let's take Instagram as an example. Who do you follow? Your friends, family, and celebrities you admire, of course.
And some people have become famous thanks to social media – some might call them “social media influencers”.
What is your reason for following them?
It's not out of nowhere that we become interested in random people on the internet. They market themselves to be attractive, interesting, and relevant among their followers. And while your end goal isn't to become a social media influencer, these four lessons can help you make the most of the time you spend on social media and learn how to properly use social networking for your business.
Lesson #1: Have a loose strategy
Setting a social media content calendar and monthly social media goals is great, but don't forget how you want to use social media. When your friends share their photos, do they sometimes put text in big cursive font over the image? Or do you mostly share natural photos with fun, personal captions? It's probably the latter.
Just because you're using social media as a business tool doesn't mean you can't incorporate more personal content. Tell your followers who you are, what your hobbies are, and how you spend your time outside the office. Keep it professional, but give potential customers a sense of who you are.
Of course, post real estate content, too. But when you do, don't overlay the traditional cursive “NEW PROPERTY!” on your photos. Instead, post a live video of you walking through your home and talking about why you love the space. Or create a reel video with catchy music. It's good to take your social media business accounts seriously, but understand that it's called social media for a reason: it's for sharing real content to engage and connect with others.
Lesson 2: Don't be shy about sharing
Compare your friend's personal social media account to that of an influencer or someone with a large social media following. Maybe your friend posts once or twice a week, while the influencer posts every day (all day on their Stories!). Why? Maybe your friend has a job. But the influencer also knows that the more they post and share their life, the more engaged their followers are and the more the algorithm will prioritize their content.
Remember, unlike your friends, you're trying to grow a business, so feel free to share all of your content, not just your “what's new” list. Here are some ideas:
What a day in the life of an agent is like (walk me through it step by step and film your day!) Show us your home, why you chose it, your personal experience buying/selling. Show us your tips and tricks for understanding the real estate industry (an industry that most people are interested in, but few fully understand!) Share where you went for dinner, your favorite local coffee shop, your secret hideaway bar you love to visit. Share what your home office looks like and your tips for staying focused while working from home.
The world is at your mercy when it comes to content, so don't be afraid to test and try new content approaches and see what works.
Lesson 3: Put the “social” in social media
Social media is designed to be social. Logging into your business account, making one post, and logging out again isn't very social. You can't expect others to engage with you unless you engage with them.
Ask a question: Nothing sparks a conversation like a simple question. Asking a question allows you to instantly invite your followers into the conversation and capture their interest. Questions can be broad or specific; either way, they give you great insight into your audience's minds and help capture their attention.
Pro Tip: When others see you interacting with them, they're more likely to interact with you too. Ask a question in your Instagram story and share all the answers in your story. This will keep the conversation going and encourage others to join in.
Give a timely response: When someone asks you a question on social media, not only is the answer important, but so is the time to respond. People on social media want an immediate answer. And when they message you with a question, they expect a response within a few hours. Turn on notifications and make sure you respond in a timely manner. Run a poll: Allow your audience to express themselves. Just as asking a general question encourages interaction, a poll can be a big draw on social media. Giving your audience a choice allows them to quickly create a response, which makes them even more likely to participate. Don't take these polls too seriously… Include some serious ones, some fun ones, some quirky ones, some thought-provoking ones, etc. Remember, even though you're a real estate agent, not all of your content needs to be centered on selling homes.
Here's a fun idea: run a poll of this or that on different home styles, different interiors, etc. Let your followers have fun choosing which dream home they prefer, and then comment which one they would choose.
Use hashtags: Hashtags were created to bring people together. They help you highlight keywords in the post itself, track discussions around a particular topic, and connect with people who are using the hashtag. If a hashtag is important to your target audience, be sure to include it in your post. Effective hashtags are memorable, unique, and relevant. Don't get lost in the confusion with a hashtag that's too broad (#home), or too specific that no one will think to find you (#homeinseattleonlincolnstreet).
Here’s a fun idea: every time one of your clients makes a sale with you, create a hashtag (#officiallymyhome) or a catchy hashtag that they can use on social media. Eventually, you will have a collection of clients who have used this hashtag.
Host a contest: Everyone loves to receive a giveaway! Think about something that your audience would be especially interested in – tickets to a local event or a gift card to the best restaurant in town. Giveaways are a great way to get people to learn about your brand. You can also ask them to tag their friends in their posts to help increase awareness of your brand.
Lesson 4: Get creative
Creativity is one of the most important elements of a successful social media account. Whether you’re a beautiful agent with a curated feed, a hilarious agent sharing humor about your job and the real estate industry, or an educational and inspiring agent educating your followers about the industry, get creative and express who you are.
Step outside of your agency's box and find creative ways to express yourself and your personality. If you look at the influencers you follow, you'll quickly see creativity coming out of their posts.
While we're not trying to become social media influencers, there are things we can learn from influencer marketing. Social media can be an amazing tool if you put in the effort. Be creative, be social, and post.
By the way, for more tips, tricks, and content, follow MoxiWorks on Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social media channels.
Happy posting!
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