A number of our agency clients undertake social media and post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and in some cases, Instagram. So we have put together our tips for making your estate agency social media POP!
1. It’s About People Not Property
Try to remember that this is a “social” platform, and not another property portal. If you clog up your newsfeed with lists of new instructions, that will likely lose you followers and certainly won’t bring you new clients. Most people use social media to be entertained, to be cheered up after a day at the office, and to keep in touch with those people they like. The name Facebook explains the content pretty well, so post faces, not properties as the majority of your content.
2. It’s the Long Game not the Instant Win
Social media is not the place people go to in order to find a house to buy or sell, that is usually Rightmove, Zoopla or On the Market. Or, indeed, an agent’s own website (although that could be argued!). So the point of social media is to entice your potential customers, giving them insight into your team, the people who make up the umbrella of your company, showcasing all of the team’s experience, knowledge and personalities to build a ‘friendship’, maybe before you even meet in person! When it can take someone up to a year to decide to move, from the initial thought process, use this time to make sure they only come to you!
3. You need to Strategize!
Do not just post ‘as and when’ you get a spare moment. It is easy to see when your brand ‘fans’ are online, best day, best time, the type of audience you have and their location. Use this information and work it to its full advantage. Schedule posts to go live at the right times for the right people and with the right message. Have a plan, work through the month and figure out the events are happening in your location, National days you should be celebrating, any staff achievements, birthdays, deal successes, thank you’s and testimonials from current clients and any fun stories from the office. Dot amongst this your ‘featured property’ (pick one with a great photo or interesting story) and your property, area and industry tips.
4. Attract Engagement
Encourage your audience to participate and engage with your posts. Run polls, competitions, ask questions and respond to anyone who comments, likes or shares your posts. Be especially vigilant if you receive any customer reviews on social platforms, make sure you respond whether it is a good or a bad review. Either way thank them for the comment, if it’s good you can have a little conversation and ask how they are, if it is a bad review, do not get into an argument. Try to get the conversation off-line by asking for a phone call or face-to-face meeting but be polite and courteous.
5. Ongoing Content
There are many amazing advertising tools available on social platforms and ways to increase your following in an organic way. Once you have the content sorted and can see it is working (because you are getting more engagement) then start to research and use relevant daily hashtags to pull in new followers (such as ‘MovingMonday’ or ‘TestimonialTuesday’). If you can see good organic engagement on a post, why not go ahead and embark on some paid post boosting? You can make an audience that mirrors your own client database, geographic targeting, age, behaviours (such as ‘visiting Rightmove’), interests (such as ‘house-hunting’) and many more features. It is still one of the cheapest ways to advertise to a specific audience and incredibly effective.
