Building a personal brand as a real estate agent – A simple guide
Marketing & Branding
Social media marketing tips for real estate agents
January 3, 2023
A note from the writer
Hello! Riley VanderKaay here. I am a co-founder of The Speculo Group and a true lover of the creative world of Marketing & Advertising. I am sure you have stumbled upon this content due to your interest in utilizing social media for your real estate business. It is truly an outstanding strategy to grow your influence and position. In this post I have narrowed down my top 10 tips for real estate agents looking to embark on the journey of social media!
1. Identify your target audience
Before you start posting on social media, it’s important to understand who your target audience is. Are you targeting first-time homebuyers, families with children, or retirees looking to downsize? Understanding your audience will help you create content that resonates with them and effectively market your real estate services. According to a study by the National Association of Realtors, 87% of homebuyers use the internet to search for homes, so it’s important to have a strong online presence to reach potential clients. The beauty of your serviceable market is that is everyone!! Finding your community and audience has never been easier, it just takes you making making the choice to take advantage.
2. Focus on video!!!!!!!
Video is a powerful tool for real estate agents looking to enhance their personal brand on social media. By using video, agents can introduce themselves to potential clients, showcase their knowledge and expertise, and build trust and personal connections. As a realtor, you are selling 3 things… First, the product (home). Second, your abilities and skills to achieve the desired outcome. Third, YOURSELF! Video is particularly valuable in the real estate industry, where trust and relationships are key to an agents success. A study by Wyzowl found that 90% of consumers say that video helps them make buying decisions both on homes and realtors to work with, making it a crucial marketing asset for real estate agents. By using video effectively on social media, agents can differentiate themselves from their competition and effectively communicate their brand identity to potential clients.
3. Utilize hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to reach a wider audience and make it easier for people to find your content. When it comes to real estate, popular hashtags include #realestate, #homeforsale, #justlisted, or #{yourlocation}realestate. By using relevant hashtags, you can increase the visibility of your posts and connect with potential clients. According to a survey by Hootsuite, posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement than those without. The optimal number of hashtags is 3-4 that are relevant to what you do and your location.
4. Create sharable and savable content
In my opinion, this is the most important tip on this list. A trend we are seeing in social for 2023 is a connection. The oversaturated world of video content has left people with a lack in deep connections with the creators. Therefore, In addition to showcasing listings, it’s important to provide value to your followers by sharing informative content. The goal of this content is to provide knowledge and value to the viewer that results in saves for their purposes or shares to friends and family. This could include tips on home staging, the benefits of homeownership, local market trends, top 5 local breweries, stories, motivational & inspirational content, and so much more! Providing valuable content can help establish you as an expert in your field and build trust with your audience According to a study by Social Media Today, 59% of social media users follow small businesses for content that is informative or educational. By sharing informative content, you can attract and engage potential clients.
5. Use social media advertising
While organic reach on social media can be limited, advertising on platforms such as Tiktok, YouTube and Instagram can help you reach a larger audience. By utilizing strategies around broad targeting and organic optimization, you can effectively market your real estate services to potential clients and provide trackable ROI. According to a survey by the National Association of Realtors, 44% of real estate professionals found social media advertising to be effective in generating leads and brand awareness. In addition, a study by Hootsuite found that Instagram has the highest engagement rate of any social media platform, making it a great option for real estate professionals.
6. Engage with your audience
Social media is a two-way communication platform, so it’s important to actively engage with your followers. This could include responding to comments and messages, liking and commenting on other users’ posts, and asking for feedback. Engaging with your audience can help build a community around your brand and establish you as a thought leader in your field. According to a study by Sprout Social, responding to social media messages within an hour can lead to a 20% increase in customer satisfaction.
7. Create a website/landing page
While it’s amazing to promote yourself and your services as a real estate agent on social, your viewers need a place to go to do more research. Social media is a wonderful place to build awareness and share who you are, but once you have someone interested, they are ready to get serious about learning about you and a website is a perfect place for that info to be! This allows you to create a professional online presence and makes it easier for potential clients to learn more about your business and contact you. According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors, 77% of home buyers used the internet to search for a home in 2020, while only 8% used print newspaper advertisements and 6% used a real estate agent’s yard sign. This shows the importance of having a strong online presence, including a website, for real estate agents in order to reach a large percentage of potential clients. Then we can get into retargeting…
8. Utilize Instagram Stories
In addition to posting on your main feed, Instagram Stories can be a great way to showcase your listings and give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your business. Instagram Stories only last for 24 hours, so they can help create a sense of urgency and encourage potential buyers to take action. According to a study by Hootsuite, one-third of the most viewed stories on Instagram are from businesses, and including a call to action in your Instagram Story can increase conversions by up to 50%. What this statistic shows is that its okay to make a request to your viewers as long as your call to action is appropriate and soft enough that it doesn’t lose the trust you have built. I would suggest something like, “if you are interested in learning more, click the link below!” or “if you are considering selling (or buying), you know I am here to help. When you start having questions, reach out to me and I look forward to potentially being your realtor!”
9. Collaborate with other local business
Collaborating with other local businesses, such as home design stores or moving companies, can help expose your brand to a new audience and establish you as a part of the community. This can also lead to potential referral opportunities. A study by Nielsen found that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family, so collaborating with other businesses can help you tap into that trust and reach a new audience. Strategic partnerships and high value networks are HUGE to your success as an agent and social is a great place to grow awareness of those trusted partnerships and networks that you are a part of.
10. Regularly review and analyze your performance
It’s important to regularly review and analyze your social media performance to understand what’s working and what’s not. This can help you adjust your strategy and ensure that you’re effectively reaching your target audience. Tools such as Facebook Insights and Google Analytics can help you track key metrics, such as engagement, website traffic, likes, shares, comments, views, etc. According to a study by Social Media Examiner, businesses that use social media analytics to track their performance see an average of 25% higher profits than those that don’t. There is nothing more important than tracking and analysis. Your time and money are your most valuable assets and while social media is an extremely valuable tool for massive growth, it requires both. With the new changes and updates to algorithms going into 2023, we are targeting based off interest. In the simplest sense, this means that of the 5 videos you create every day, you will quickly know which of those videos your viewers are most interested in. By regularly analyzing your performance, you will know to make more of those videos!
