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Most of us spend large amounts of our time interacting with peers, friends and prospective clients daily on social media. Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or the latest app, technology allows us to communicate easily and effectively with almost anyone at every second of the day. This broad reach is the reason why real estate teams are making their social media game a priority.
To make sure your team gets the most out of social media, make sure they know the answers to these questions.
1. Where to post? We all know what they are; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and more but inside of many of these channels, there are multiple avenues available to reach folks; posts, stories, TV channels, etc. Which ones are the most effective for teams to get their message out? Which ones should be considered? Should an approach be developed that utilizes everything available?
Answer: Before you begin, the team must first define their target markets and associated customer demographics. The answer to this set of questions is simply to prioritize and focus on the channels where you would find YOUR prospective customers. Each social media channel has its own set of users. The first course of business is to find out where your customers spend their time and then make sure you are in front of them.
2. How often should you post? Knowing when to post and what kind of schedule to follow can be hard to determine? How do we figure out what the right approach is?
Answer: Consistency is the key. To be the most effective, teams need to develop and then follow a content schedule developed a month in advance. By having this roadmap in place, the team can then focus on the type of content they should publish. There will always be room for things that happen and pop-up in real-time, but start with a plan and stick with it. It can be hard to think each day what to post now, but laying out topics in advance makes that less daunting.
3. So we are really just using these tools to sell, right? Everything we do is about closing the deal, so the same holds true for our approach to social media right?
Answer: That kind of thinking is a bit short-sighted. Really, the first goal is to establish relationships and build trust. Folks like to do business with someone that they can connect with, i.e., trust. As you are planning your calendar and thinking through your strategy, start from a position of developing who your team is and why anyone would want to work with you. Be genuine, and the rest will follow.
4. Okay, now we focus on selling?
Answer: The next goal is to reach out and offer help. For example, if you are working with first-time homebuyers, make a guide available to show them what to expect in the home buying process. Be accessible and be useful. You worked hard to build a relationship and trust, don’t lose it now by not fulfilling your part of the deal. Your job now is to remind them why you are the only team they want to work with.
5. What kind of content is most effective?
Answer: We hear this from almost everyone; video is king! Each social media platform has its own rules that address video format, content, etc, but one thing is clear; video is the most effective tool to get your message across. Video is the essential way to establish who your team is and solidify in your client’s minds why they want to work with you. In a sea of static images, your video will cause a client to pause. A good video will draw them in and a great video will be the start of something deeper!
So to recap; define and prioritize, be consistent, establish relationships, be helpful and accessible, and remember that video is everything. At the end of the day, the key to a successful social media strategy is to be genuine and have fun. If your team is true to who they are and are having fun, prospective clients will feel connected. Those connections allow us to learn more about our prospective customers and for them to learn even more about us. As this relationship develops, they start to see what sets us apart from other agents and why we are the only team for them. It is that sense of connection and trust that will propel you to the next level and provide your team with staying power.