While Trulia, Zillow, and other MLS listing sites have helped realtors increase their rate of success dramatically in recent years, there is no doubt that most realtors have experienced heightened success thanks to their efforts in the social media realm. Social media presents dozens of great ways for realtors to get themselves and their listings out there, and allows them to reach more clients in more engaging ways than ever before. A few of the latest trends that are most benefiting realtors include:
All-Inclusive Facebook
As all real estate agents know, Facebook reigns as king when it comes to your online social presence, and the timeline feature makes it easier than ever to fully define yourself as a brand. The new cover photo application allows you to highlight the realty firm you are with, and your Friends and Fans can now more easily see all of the listings that you post to your page.
The goal of Facebook is to essentially be your one stop shop for prospective buyers, and you should attempt to drive all traffic to your page. On the site, you want clients to be able to gain a strong image of who you are, the type of clients you represent, and the properties you have available. To do this, you need to have a solid profile picture, describe who you serve in your about, and actively post photos and listings to your timeline. Also actively use the several apps Facebook have. Facebook Places, in particular, is highly useful as it allows you to pin your various listings on a map so that Friends and Fans can more easily find them.
Shout Outs on Twitter
Although you can sync your Facebook and Twitter accounts, you should never do so. By syncing your accounts, you cause your Followers and Friends to lose interest in one or both accounts due to duplicate information. To use Twitter most effectively, Realtors need to use the platform as a way to convey quick snippets of information to create a buzz about yourself as a real estate and about the properties you are listing.
Tweet “Open House at 4536 Deer Creek is going great. Lots of interest expressed! We'll be here until 4 PM for all those interested!” when hosting an open house, or “New listings available. Those interested check them out on Facebook or Pinterest.” to create a further buzz about new properties. Your goal should be to use action words, and to give away just enough detail that it will make prospective homebuyers check out your listings on your other sites.
Pinterest – the New MLS Site
While MLS sites like Realtor.com are great for listing, they aren't nearly as engaging, organized, or fun as Pinterest. Pinterest is the newest of the social media platforms to enter the market, and it has gained rapid popularity due to its iconic nature.
For realtors, the site is a gold mine. Realtors can create Pins that debut their properties with one great picture and a link back to their listing, and then pin it to a Board designated to a specific neighborhood or area in which they do business. So for example, realtors who do business in San Diego can create boards for South San Diego, Downtown, La Jolla, and Mission Beach, and then Pin respective properties onto each board – making it easier and more interactive for both Followers and non-followers to scour through properties.
Virtual Tours on YouTube
For realtors who really want to draw interest and more efficiently use their time, there is no better way to do so than by creating virtual tours potential clients can view through YouTube. Creating an exclusive channel on YouTube is a great way for real estate agents to offer out-of-town or out-of-state buyers the opportunity to tour properties without having to travel in. It also allows all types of buyers to view properties without forcing you to drive all over town. This way, when they are interested, they can contact you to view specific properties of real interest – saving both you and the client stress and time.
Social media shouldn't simply be used; it should be completely integrated in to every aspect of a real estate agent's marketing efforts. Each social media platform has a better use, and each requires a different amount of effort. Don't use Twitter like Facebook, and don't use Twitter like you would Pinterest. By effectively utilizing each site for their specific use and niche, you will be able to engage and effectively use more social media users – and ultimately, increase your sales rate.
Maya Szydlowski is a community manager for Veterans United Home Loans, the nation’s leading VA loan provider and news source for the military community.
- Realtors
- Trends
- Social Media
