Building a presence across social media requires creating and sharing interesting, relevant content with your target audience, content that is generated specifically with them in mind. As in the real world this could mean having different strategies for different types of buyers. 

However, whatever the demographics of the audience the most important factor in successful social media is engagement! But what does this actually mean for a real estate agency? Well, it’s a combination of making connections, staying in the loop and importantly generating buzz.

So how can you do this?

As you will know, in order to build a sustainable, grass-roots bank of followers, any good real estate agent gets actively involved in local businesses and organisations.

Again, this should be the same in the digital world by communicating with their social media profiles.

Engage with your community

The more active you are with other local businesses, the more exposure you’re likely to get in return.

If you see an interesting post from a law firm down the road, comment on it.

Did you eat a delicious breakfast this morning at a café around the corner? Take a snap and post it up.

A word of caution though, while becoming ingrained in the local social scene is great for exposure, low-effort posts like smiley faces or a picture of a random bathtub can do your real estate agency marketing a disservice. Instead of helping your reputation, it can cause you to appear spammy and unengaged and inauthentic.  

To succeed, you’ll have to manage your social media activity, and interact without the appearance of being disingenuous or over selling your service. Finding this sweet spot is learned only through experience. 

Choose your friends wisely

After you’ve started to build healthy interactions with local businesses, it’s time to become more targeted when it comes to who you’re interacting with.

Look for businesses and individuals who might work with a similar clientele and reach out.

This could be anyone from a local conveyancer to award winning architects depending on the kind of properties your real estate agency deals with. 

It’s also important that when you do begin liking and commenting on business pages, that you associate with businesses that are well-respected in the area.

As in the ‘analog’ world, your association with particular brands and businesses can affect the reputation or perceived reputation of your agency.

Make sure to look for signs on business pages like ratings and negative comments before you invest too much time in a social media relationship with the brand. 

Another benefit of finding relevant, trustworthy businesses to align yourself with online, is content.

When you see engaging content from these accounts it’s very simple to repost or share it with your own followers.

Be in the Know 

Arguably the biggest change following the proliferation of digital and social media is immediacy.

Consumers are now able to keep informed about important changes and local events as and when they happen.

What this means for real estate agents is that it’s never been more important to stay up to date with news in your industry and community. 

Your customers have access to all kinds of news sources and they expect you to be at least as informed as they are. Being informed is an essential tool in building your reputation through social media marketing. 

The effect of having real, relevant and recent news and trends to share with your audiences cannot be overstated and will help you stay one step ahead in a highly competitive market. 

How do you begin? 

Today! Engage with your online community as you would in the real world. 

To help you on your journey here are 5 top tips to keep in mind: 

1. Don’t be afraid to mention complementary organisations, partners and local businesses in your posts. In fact, we recommend it. It’s a great way to gain exposure to relevant followers and gain traction in the community. 
2. Anytime you mention another business on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn, use the built-in tagging. Not only does it make it more convenient for your followers, but it lets the other business know that you’ve given them a shout-out.
3. Facebook and Google reviews provide a good indication, at a glance, whether or not it may be beneficial to interact with a specific business. Try to stick to businesses which have a significant percentage of favourable reviews.
4. Staying on top of the latest trends and news in the real estate industry can be tricky and more than a little time-consuming. Set-up a Google news alert for some key phrases to help streamline the process.
5. Set aside time each day to engage with your digital community. This is more than just responding to comments. Engaging is starting the conversation. 

Click here for more information about the services offered by Pepper IT. 

Similar to this: 

Aussie Home Loans launches new product with Pepper Money

New technology gives buyers the ability to digitally style and furnish properties

Real estate social-media strategy: Using data to create great social media