Every real estate agent should be using social media to grow their brand and build a community online. But one of the most common roadblocks that they hit is wondering ‘what do I even post about?’. Wonder no more.... Here is a list of 10 practical and effective social media ideas that any real estate can use to start generating a following. 

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Before we get started…

Most businesses blast how great they are, sharing nothing but testimonials and products and expect sellers to line up for them. This doesn’t work. You need to establish yourself as an authority while also creating a personal relationship with fans. You do this by sharing an intentionally curated mixture of content such as:

• Authority content to show you’re a credible expert.

• Likability content to build a relationship + trust

• Promotional content to generate new business.

With that in mind, let’s get into the 10 ideas!

1. Answer questions you get asked.

This is my favourite because it’s directly addressing the topics that your audience wants to know about. Plus if you learn how to do this, you’ll never run out of content. Think about the ‘hot topics’ your audience is always wanting to know. Examples might include:

• When is the best time to sell my home?

• How can I add value to my home?

• What is the market doing right now?

• Should I buy first or sell first?

Answering questions through your social media not only adds value to your audience, but it showcases you as an expert and an authority. Rather than shamelessly talking about your sales and your figures (which I see all too often), I guarantee you’ll build a better, more loyal and more engaged following if you consistently add value and answer questions.  Think about it…

An expert doesn’t have to say they are an expert. They show they are an expert.

Instagram Stories are a great place for short little snippets, and you can use Facebook Live for longer videos, or even a live Q&A.

2. Advice you give to property owners.

Answering questions is fantastic — but sometimes people don’t know what they don’t know!

Think about the last appraisal you did, or the last property investor you spoke to (whoever your target market is). What advice did you give them?

E.g let’s say someone is selling a home that needs some love. Perhaps you told them to make some light renovations with painting, fixing up the yard and other cosmetic upgrades that won’t cost much, seeing as they have a small budget.

Or perhaps it’s an investment property that currently has tenants in it, and you told them the best way to sell it given the situation and current market conditions.

Whatever it is… that’s all great content!

3. Share stories, not testimonials. 

People love stories. They don’t love bragging. Rather than talking about how fantastic you are, take a photo with your client outside the sold sign, and tell a story about the transformation of their situation. Here’s an example:

• Name - What is the name of the client?

• Before - Where were they before they started the process?

• Goal - What end result did they want to achieve?

• Obstacles - What obstacles did they run into?

• Help - Why did they come to you?

• Turnaround - What did you do? (Add real value here).

• Result - What was the end result? How did it impact their life?

That’s 10x better than ‘SOLD FOR $1 MILLION. CALL ME'.’

The person reading your story on social media is likely in a similar position as the client you just helped, so discuss the situation and show how you were able to help this person achieve their goals. Inspire others and show that you care, don’t just blow your own trumpet.

4. Design and interior ideas.

People always enjoy spicing up their homes and looking at beautiful interiors or renovations. Share some interior styling ideas, renovation ideas or practical tips they can implement in their own home.

Pinterest, Instagram and Unsplash are great places to find photos. Just remember to tag/credit the author in the caption if you share it.

5. Create a weekly segment.

This is a great tip because it doesn’t just help with your marketing’s consistency, it makes coming up with content easier. Video is the most preferred method for consuming content online, and real estate agents are naturally quite good on video.

Come up with a theme that is relevant to you and your audience. It could be a weekly market update, tips, strategies, stories… whatever your audience is into.

But as always — make it interesting, relevant and practical. Don’t just do a weekly video about your stats and a giant humble brag. Give tips that they can walk away with and actually get value out of.

For example, CommSec TV does daily videos (you don’t need to do it daily) but they explain what’s going on in the sharemarket, why it’s happening and how it affects investors. It’s useful, short and has a loyal following.

It also positions them as experts, without them saying ‘hey we are really good.’

If you’re a bit nervous about video, have a few attempts of a regular video that isn’t live. Shoot a few takes on your phone until you’re happy, and then upload that. Once you’ve done a few you’ll get the hang of it and you’ll be live streaming in no time!  

6. Interviews

I love interviews because they allow you to share stories, add value to your fans, cross-promote to another audience and support local businesses all in one.

You can interview colleagues, other professionals (e.g mortgage brokers, builders or auctioneers) or you can local business owners in the area like cafe owners and well-known locals (great for building community). Just remember to keep it straight to the point and NOT about yourself.

Just a tip here — it’s better not to upload the raw footage. We see some interviews that take forever, there are a lot of inside jokes and chit-chat that’s not relevant. People tune out that kind of thing. Update the highlights, key talking points and cut out the fluff to make it engaging.

Also… good audio is critical!

7. Competitions.

Competitions are a great way to build your page and generate a lot of buzz with a small budget. A simple like and share competition or ‘name that suburb’ for a $50 - $100 prize can go a long way. The key to making these work is having an attractive prize, make it fun, and make the entry conditions easy.

I’ve seen people who put up like a $20 Myer Voucher and to win it, they have to like, share, fill out a survey…. jump through all these hoops that made it too hard. To make it easy just stick to like and share, or leave a comment to enter the draw.

If you want to be even more clever, approach a local business and get them to give you the prize for free in exchange for you promoting it. We did this with Ben Wakely, where we teamed up with a local business that gave a $150 hamper for Australia Day.

All you had to do was leave a comment with your favourite thing about Australia Day, and the winner was picked at random.

8. Asking easy questions.

When it comes to social media, the most important thing isn’t your followers or page likes, it’s engagement. If you can get engagement going, the rest will follow. So naturally, the goal is to get people commenting, like and tagging friends.

One of the best ways to do this is by asking EASY questions. Something that takes 2 seconds to answer. Things like “would you rather _______ or _______?” doesn’t require much thought, and answering is fast.

If you ask something like “what’s your favourite memory?” takes too long to think about, and you probably wouldn’t comment on a random photo with that anyway. Make it super easy. Here’s an example of a post we made for one our clients that went bananas overnight.

Bonus ideas!

• Your Personal Life. Let people get to know you! Share your hobbies, family and interests.

• Pets. People go nuts for animals. If you have a pet or maybe there’s a dog in the office, post about them!

• Behind the Scenes. Show what happens in your day-to-day e.g. preparing for an open home.

• Artwork & Designs. If you don’t have a blog, share rapid-fire tips like this on your page.

• Recycle Content. If you’ve already got videos, blogs or newsletters, recycle them into little snippets on social media. Check out “How to Turn 1 Piece of Content in 10+ Epic Posts” here.

These are 10 easy and effective strategies you can start using today to grow your profile with social media. Now you just have to do it — happy marketing!

MITCH HILLS
@masteredmarketing