In 2015, 73 percent of US Americans had a social network profile, representing a six percent growth compared to the previous year. – Statista.com
Social media is an incredible real estate marketing tool and in most cases it’s FREE marketing. Social media has the potential to propel your business into a future of solid leads and strong client communication. A recent report by REALTORS, Real Estate in a Digital World, reveal the top reasons REALTORS use social media are
- 81% Visibility, exposure and expand marketing
- 66% Building relationship and networking
- 59% Free advertising
- 51% Promote listing
It’s true there are a plethora of social networks available, but which ones are the key to boosting your real estate business? We’ve done the work for you with this list of the top social media networks and how you can use them.
Facebook
As the largest social media network, Facebook is an excellent place to start. There are many reasons to have a Facebook business page, including increasing traffic to your website and generating discussions with clients. The trick is to make Facebook’s news feeds work for you, according to Mashable.com. One thing to keep in mind is that you must be careful not to flood your feeds with information that is only relevant to people who are interested in buying and selling their homes. Inman.com reports, “Despite the highest frequency of posting, the real estate industry had the lowest engagement rate in HubSpot’s 2015 Social Media Benchmarks Report.” It suggests posting real estate related content only once a week and then using your other posts to share content that is relevant to a larger audience. This enables you to connect with current or prospective clients, while still maintaining a healthy relationship with other readers.
Look into running Facebook ads and target your ads to specific locations by zip code. This way you get in front of your target market and your real estate marketing dollars is more wisely used. Take a new listing or recently sold listing and promote it. Get your brand out there and drive local buyers and sellers to your site.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn, the “professionals” network, is a great tool for getting your content in front of prospective clients. It has grown to over 300 million users which validates it as an excellent platform for sharing information. LinkedIn also has more than 60 LinkedIn real estate groups. The International Wealth Success Blog sums it up nicely: “Three hundred million have joined [LinkedIn], and millions of them are buying, selling, investing, or otherwise dealing in, real estate. Why not join them? It won’t cost you anything.” The short of it is that LinkedIn offers realtors multiple marketing opportunities that you can use to grow your business.
Google+
Google+ is a valuable tool that is gaining marketing and social media ground as REALTORS build a loyal following. There are many great REALTOR benefits to having a Google+ account such as link juice, hashtag marketing and indexing of your post almost instantly – because it’s Google! Strategies include using your dashboard to pinpoint select followers, boosting your website in the Google search engines, and promoting your website through posts just like Facebook. For more marketing tips, read Google+ Strategies and Why Google+ is an Inevitable Part of Your Content Marketing Strategy.
Pinterest
Pinterest is the most visually engaging social media network and could easily end up being your number-one source of traffic to your website or blog. Pinterest is all about visually grabbing your audience so that they will click on the picture on your account which will take them directly to your website. To generate ideas, check out 60 Pinterest Board Ideas for Real Estate professionals. There are many great marketing-based Pinterest tips to consider, plus ways to “streamline the way you find and pin content to Pinterest” (SocialMediaExaminer.com). A great part about Pinterest is that you can pin other people’s images or create your own using sites like Canva.com and utilize group boards to grow your followers. Here are 6 Tips to Grow Your Pinterest Marketing Results that should also help you get started on the right track. Take a few minutes to view Corcaran Group who have created some clever Board ideas that inspire.
Twitter
The key to a successful campaign using Twitter is to gain active and engaged followers. Businesses such as Mashable.com have found success using #bizchat Twitter chats, a Twitter hashtag that allows you to connect with people who want to engage in business-related discussions. SocialMediaExaminer.com can help you learn how to optimize your Tweets for search engines. Twitter is all about reciprocation, so you have to be willing to retweet other people’s content daily, especially when they Tweet your stuff.
Using these top social media networks for marketing yourself is a lot easier than you think. Every time you sell a home, celebrate something special, or receive a great client testimonial you can share it on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter or other accounts. The best part is that social marketing tools are free to use, they just require a little time and effort on your part to create an excellent online marketing campaign.
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