How to use social media effectively in real estate marketing

This blog post relates to Rockend, one of our previous brands. For more information please read the press release.

If you think almost everyone and their mother is on social media these days, you’re not entirely wrong. According to social media management tool Hootsuite, just in April 2019 alone, there are about 3.49 billion active social media users worldwide. For context, the worldwide population is estimated at 7.7. billion.

With about half of the world’s population connected in social media, platforms like Facebook and Instagram are easily a hotbed for marketing opportunities, and real estate businesses are noticing its potential as a marketing tool to get more leads at the door.

Why go social in real estate marketing?

A great social media presence is the key to success in an aspirational market where everyone from first-time-buyer Millennials to rapidly expanding families has their heart set on finding their dream home within the right budget. While online search tools allow increasingly time-poor Australians to significantly narrow their search parameters, getting eyes on your property is about much more than simple efficiency. A buyer wants to fall in love with the dream of a lifestyle, not just a property’s bare bones.

Social media posts are the best way to sell that dream, as their potential to influence buying decisions through beautifully styled interior photographs on Instagram or slick videos on Facebook are unparalleled. These sites have enviable cut-through, attracting up to 70 percent of Australians on a daily basis.

With so many agencies turning to online ads signal-boosted by a savvy social media presence, and a majority of consumers preferring to access property ads this way, figuring out how to stand out from the crowd can be overwhelming, but it needn’t be. When done right, using social media for your agency’s marketing offers many great benefits.

Here are 5 quick tips to help you cut through the noise in your prospects’ news feed and truly use these new generation of real estate marketing tools to your advantage.

1. Be specific with your targets

Location is key in real estate and the same should go for your real estate marketing strategies. As a real estate agent or property manager, your knowledge of the sort of buyer that will go for which property in a certain area can give you an idea on how to target your post to exact age ranges, localities and aspirations.

Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram offers business accounts laser-guided targeting, so take advantage of these marketing tools to get your post in front of people who matter most. Often, less is more when it comes to social media visibility: It’s better for your post to be seen by 500 likely buyers than 10,000 who are mostly disinterested. By narrowing down parameters and hitting the target more often, you get the most impact for your money.

2. Know your audience to match your post with the platform

Before you create a post, ask yourself: Who would want to live here and why? Aim for the heart as much as the head when creating content and choosing the best platform to post them in. Here are a few real estate marketing ideas to get you started:

1. If you’re selling a cute fixer upper that will likely appeal to a first-time buyer, Instagram is your friend. Maximise the visual appeal of all photography with funky styling and go wild with the hashtags like #dreamhome. More and more Millennials are using these meta-tags to target their online searches.
2. On Facebook, consider appealing to an older target market with slick videos that feature families sitting down to dinner or having fun in outdoor spaces, or an older couple relaxing on a deck. Veggie patches will appeal to certain demographics while big garages with fancy cars rev up another. Photography should zone in on the details, whether that’s a gleaming kitchen rack with stylish utensils or an exposed brick window perch perfect for reading.
3. Consider showing off local highlights like popular restaurants and cafés, offering the whole package. You’re selling a neighbourhood every bit as much as a home. Keep all posts short and to the point. No one wants to read screeds online.

3. Reel prospects back to your website

Posts published on social media should always lead your target audience back to your business, specifically your website where they can make a transaction. For example, clicking on a post about a property up for lease should lead to that property’s landing page on your website, with much more detailed information and contact details for the correct agent.

4. Analyse performance of posts with marketing tools

The wealth of statistical information offered by social media platforms will reveal invaluable information about who looks at your post, how long for and how they engaged with it, as well as from what demographic they hail. Mining this gold will help you target any future content for similar properties. Even if the post doesn’t do well, you can use the data to try and figure out why. Make sure you post new content regularly and keep an eye on competitors. You want to make sure you’re on the right lines but offering something fresher.

5. Stay classy with your content

Anyone who witnessed the widescale mocking of a recent LJ Hooker Bankstown video featuring OTT models and dubious contemporary dance moves will know that getting millions of eyes on your social media post counts for very little if it (a) burns your relationship with the vendor and (b) leaves lasting reputational damage to your brand.

Real estate is big business and the considerable outlay by vendors and prospective buyers requires a professional outlook at all times. If you’re using a videographer, make sure you keep the story sleek and aspirational, but never tip over into tacky.

Want more tips and ideas for real estate marketing?

Creating the right content is the first step to a successful social media campaign. Learn how to create effective content plus other marketing tools and methods to improve your agency’s online presence with our beginner’s guide in content marketing.

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