Any real estate broker who wishes to perform at their peak and meet their professional goals must now more than ever have a fine-tuned marketing strategy.
What’s the secret behind a thriving career in real estate? Mastering social media!
Competition is fierce… Just on the island of Montreal, there are more than 5,889 real estate brokers sharing this territory, while there are more than 2,353 brokers active in the Laval area and 2,372 in Montérégie1. Here is some practical marketing advice for today’s — and tomorrow’s — real estate broker!
Become “Social”!
The advantages of the various social media platforms are well recognized; however, despite their immense popularity, they are still not being utilized to their full potential. Players in the real estate world must, in fact, master the basic skills their use requires in order to gain an edge over their competition! Facebook page, Twitter account, Pinterest… What to do? What to publish? How often? Let’s go over the essentials…
Be aware… Your Facebook posts, your tweets and your Pinterest pins must follow the 80/20 rule: 80% of what you publish/tweet/pin must be content that is useful to your followers (keep them informed, entertained, educated), while only 20% should be reserved for self-promotion (your listings, for example). Moreover, all the articles or news you share must always be accompanied by a personal comment or hashtags.
It is essential that you create a business page for your professional activities. You must absolutely never use your personal Facebook account for business purposes; you don’t want to come off as some kind of amateur in the field! Of course, it is possible to post content from your professional page on your personal page but avoid doing the opposite. One of the benefits a profession page offers is that you have access to statistics regarding your publications as well as all kinds of publishing tools… A must!
At a rate of two posts per week, here are a few examples of what you could publish on your business page:
- Share news about what’s going on in the neighbourhood in which you are active (new residential development, new park, etc.), taking care to include a picture (this makes all the difference when it comes to the number of clicks your post will get!).
- Share details about the different activities taking place in this neighbourhood by inviting your followers to leave a comment (e.g., where is the best spot to view the XYZ festival’s fireworks?). This is an excellent way of giving visibility to the neighbourhood’s cultural scene.
- Share your listings! Posts about a property must first, be personalized and second, be a reflection of your Facebook page. Add information that might interest potential buyers (the number of bedrooms or bathrooms, the price, etc.) all while engaging in conversation with all your followers. Ask them to share what they like about the neighbourhood, which is their favourite park, local restaurant, etc.
- Conduct surveys (choose between image A or B – which kitchen do you like best?). People love these kinds of fun polls!
- Hold occasional before/after contests (kitchen or bathroom renovations, etc.), offering a prize to the participant with the most likes.
Master hashtags … you must absolutely use them if you want to tweet like a pro! However, it is generally advised that you limit yourself to 3 to 4 hashtags per publication and, most importantly, that you use them effectively (by choosing the relevant keyword for your tweet). You can easily tweet once a day. Here are some ideas:
- Share articles related to real estate in general (tips for a successful move, home staging tricks, advice for winterizing the home, etc.).
- Share news about the neighbourhood to promote it.
- Start a conversation with your followers by asking them a question (what would your perfect home look like? where are your thinking of going on holiday this year? how often do you renovate your home? etc.) and by inviting them to send a picture or photo with their response.
- Tweet using one of your client’s name (@MrsX) to congratulate them on the sale of their property or their purchase of a new home, and to thank them for their trust.
Often snubbed by professionals, Pinterest remains a platform that attracts 150 million users, 30% of whom are aged between 25 and 34. Pinterest is mainly a platform for discovering ideas, finding information about a particular topic, getting advice, etc. Just like Facebook, it is possible to open a business Pinterest page; however, if you only want to sign up for a single account, you can create boards that will only be visible to you.
With a Pinterest account, you will be able to tap a huge market of potential buyers as this platform is very popular with Gen X, Y and Millennials (all future home buyers). Here are a few ideas and tips you can use:
Sign up for a Pinterest account with a username that corresponds to your other social media accounts. You will then be easier to find.
- Offer several boards, for example:
- Boards targeting buyers:
- Interior design
- My dream home
- Various architectural styles (contemporary, modern, rustic, etc.)
- Landscaping
- Other boards about various topics you are passionate about and that might interest potential buyers (e.g., top ideas for a teenager’s bedroom)
- Boards targeting sellers:
- DIY renovation projects
- Home staging tips
- Advice about organizing space in the home
- Repurposing (furniture or recycled items)
- Boards targeting a specific area:
- Top restaurants
- What to see and do at Nameofcity
- Outdoor activities in Nameofregion (parks, waterways, hiking trails, etc.)
- Boards about yourself:
- Favourite recipes
- Natural marvels
- About me (your passions, what makes you laugh, etc.): why not add a link to the “About me” page of your website in this board’s description!
- Boards about your listings:
- Your listings of properties for sale
- The properties you have sold
- A board to share your blog post about real estate and other relevant material
- High image quality is essential on Pinterest; good pictures are what people go there to see. Also, avoid pinning boring content.
- Your boards’ descriptions must be short and sweet and include a few hashtags. You can likewise add a link to your website.
Remember, Rome was not built in a day… You will find all kinds of information to help guide you the process on each social media platform’s website!