Social media seems to mystify most real estate agents. Some say they don’t feel it’s a necessary part of their marketing plan, which by the way, it really should be. For those who buy into the importance, a lot of social media best practices are still a mystery.
At Zentap, we use social media daily and suggest that others do the same. In this blog post, we’re going to walk through the top 5 things real estate agents should avoid doing on social media, and talk about some strategies you can use to elevate your business.
The Social Media Mistakes
1: Posting Listings Only
If all you ever post is listings, your feed is not going to be very engaging. To be clear, we are not saying you shouldn’t share your new listings – just that listings should not be the only thing you are sharing on your social media pages.
People come to social media to be social and find things that entertain and/or educate them. If they only see you selling, they’re not going to feel excited when they see your posts.
Share your listings, but make sure you also show who you are and not just what you do.
2: Worried About Being Too Repetitive
Yes, we just said don’t post only listings. But you should certainly have some consistency in your messaging.
As you know, it’s currently a super-tight, super-competitive, seller’s market. Your prospective clients and audience need to know this. Most don’t even know what that means. So you need to tell them and tell them often.
It’s natural to want the most likes possible, so it’s understandable that you worry about being too repetitive. But trust us, this is like stubbing your toe —a big deal to you but not really to anyone else
3: Not Engaging With Your Audience
Lack of engagement is a major mistake that we see many real estate agents make, especially on Instagram. Like, share, and comment on your audience’s content, NOT JUST YOURS. When they respond, comment back! Facebook and Instagram algorithms weigh heavily on engagement, and when you engage that prompts amplification.
A great way to encourage engagement is to ask a question in response to your audience’s comments on your social media content. This prompts them to answer and provides you the ability to keep the conversation going.
With social media, you have to give what you want. Being engaged with your audience and on other pages is how you grow a loyal following on social media and in your real estate business.
4: Worrying About Being Too Personal
This is by far one of the BIGGEST mistakes we see agents making. Shying away from showing stuff other than real estate is not helping you. The common misconception is that their clients/ friends/ family want to see them buttoned up and professional all the time. News alert! This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
You NEED to be sharing about who you are, your family, your pets, and your hobbies.
You NEED to be relatable.
Share silly things your pet did or pictures of the latest event you attended to help build trust. Followers will feel like they know you and people want to do business with people who they know and trust.
Here’s a great examp
5: Directly Asking for Business
We understand this may seem super-counterintuitive. You might be asking, how are we to get business if we don’t promote it?
If you are running an ad, yes you should be asking directly for business. But you should not constantly ask for business on social media.
We suggest the 80/20 rule, instead where 80% of your posts should be content that educates/entertains and 20% should be asking for business.
Asking for business consistently can come across as desperate. Remember, people go to social media to be entertained, not to be sold to. When you find yourself asking for business, try to reword it so you are offering help. You will see what we mean.
As you think about how to implement these strategies on social media, Zentap offers additional services that can help you build your brand through social media and overall digital presence. To find out more, schedule a call with one of our trained marketing specialists by clicking here.
