Rebecca Donatelli

By Rebecca Donatelli

It’s no secret that social media dominates today’s technology-based society, and has become a crucial part of everyday life for most. The rapid spread of news, celebrity gossip, and the genuine interest in other people’s lives has made social media the prime go-to resource to stay up-to-date.

The world we live in today is a digital one, and searching for a home or a real estate agent to assist in buying and/or selling is no different. According to Time Magazine, American’s collectively reach for their phones 8 billion times a day, averaging about 46 times a day per person. In fact, studies show we search social media more than we eat, drink, and socialize. That being said, it should come as no surprise that utilizing social media for real estate should be a key focus for any agent in the business.

The good news: You don’t have to be totally tech savvy to be successful with social media marketing for your business. With that in mind, consider a few of the tips below as you build your online social media presence.

1. Understand that your social media presence is a direct reflection of your brand.

Creating a unique brand for yourself as a real estate professional is absolutely crucial when you’re competing against thousands of other agents for the same business. Standing out may seem like a challenge, however social media allows you to make your brand more recognizable if you do it right. Developing a voice and being authentic with a personal twist will allow viewers to build a trust in you will set you apart from your competition.

2. Consistency is key.

In order to be successful with social media for business, you have to be consistent with it. You might as well not have a social media profile on any platform, than to be posting once or even twice a week. In the mind of a viewer, your consistent posts translate to a more successful and busier agent. So the lack of posts ultimately “means” you have little to no business. And let’s face it—no one wants to work with an agent who isn’t successful. Even if you have a slower day and don’t have anything substantial to post, find something relating to the real estate industry and post it anyway. Whether you are posting about a home you just listed, or an inspirational quote, just post it. Create a presence on whatever social media platform(s) you have chosen (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.).

@geralt, 2015. pixabay.com

3. Engage, engage, engage.

This is a BIG one. While the goal of your social media presence is to allow others to see into your real estate business and to showcase your brand and successes, social media is a two-way street. Your posts should allow viewers to comment or respond, and encourage involved with you and your content. In doing so, you should respond to every comment on all of your posts, whether it’s a quick “thank you” or an answer to a question. You should also be going through your feed and liking and commenting on friends and followers posts as well, regardless of whether you think they have any business potential. You should think of EVERY connection on social media as potential business, and therefore you should care about them and their posts. Make sure your engagement is consistent. The goal of engaging with your connections is to stick out in their minds, and allow them to remember you. If you are engaging with them once a month, odds are you aren’t making that big of an impression on them. A quick “like,” comment, birthday wish, etc., will go a long way to help your connections remember you and your brand.

4. Don’t just post about real estate.

It sounds crazy as we are talking about utilizing social media specifically for real estate, but let’s face it, not everyone cares about houses. Even on a real estate specific social media platform (your Facebook business page, Instagram real estate account, etc.), while it’s crucial to showcase your listings, sold properties, and 5-star reviews, what people care about most is you as a person. Buying or selling real estate is usually the biggest transaction they will make in their lives, so building a trust in you to assist them in that transaction is a must. The success you’ve had in the business is an added bonus for them.

Whether your business relies on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or some combination of these, or whether you’re just getting started on social media, implementing these four key steps in your daily social media habits is crucial to creating more conversations and enhancing your business.

Rebecca Donatelli, ABR, SRS, is a top producer at McDowell Homes Real Estate Services in Cleveland who has built a large online presence through social media, specifically Instagram. Follow her @rebeccadonatelli.REALTOR.