Article Courtesy of: Inman News
By: Jonathan Pressman
Want some fast, simple ideas for powering your marketing through a summer slowdown and pumping up the volume on your pipeline? Agent Johnathon Pressman has you covered
If you’re like most real estate agents, you’re a regular social media user. You post a couple of photos when you have a new listing, then again when you sell a property. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if you want to make the most of your social media pages, you need to engage your audience and post regularly consistently.
Here are nine ideas you can use to create endless content that can help you connect with your audience, build your brand and grow your business.
1. Reintroduce yourself
Believe it or not, there are people in your natural market who don’t know what you do, no matter how many times you announce it to the world.
Some people might forget, and others might just misunderstand what you do or where you do it. Take the opportunity to introduce yourself and share what you do as an agent, including the types of properties you specialize in and the geographic areas you serve.
2. Give a home tour
You’re used to giving in-person home tours to clients, so why not bring the tour to them on their social media pages? Let your audience see a home from your perspective. Point out things you notice, and give your viewers an idea of what they should look out for when they’re touring a house.
If you’re hosting an open house, take advantage of the downtime to go live and show people around in real-time.
3. Talk about home styles and systems
Don’t wait until you have a listing to talk about the features and systems of a house. If you’re walking down the street and see a beautiful home or an unusual architectural design, show it to your followers.
If you’re traveling, point out some differences between the styles of houses in your local market and the houses elsewhere. The more time you spend in real estate, the more you learn — and your followers value (and are interested in) that knowledge.
So get in front of the camera and explain the differences between radiant heat systems and forced air, show them what an oil tank looks like, or give a quick tip on how to spot knob-and-tube wiring.
4. Highlight a local business
Engaging with the local community is always a great idea, so the next time you’re out shopping, highlight a local business on your social media pages. Introducing your followers to your favorite restaurant or retailer is a win-win that can help you engage with your audience and promote local businesses.
5. Repost or repurpose old content
Sometimes, you’re just fresh out of ideas. This is the perfect time to repost or repurpose old content. If you’ve been posting regularly and gained new followers, they might not have seen some of your older content. Take the opportunity to repost something you shared several months ago, or if you prefer, you can simply repurpose old content with a new spin. In the worst case, you can even repost someone else’s content.
6. Share your thoughts on the state of the market
Everyone wants to know what’s happening in the market, and who better to tell them than you? You can share data from a market report or just tell your audience what you think about the market and trends you’ve noticed.
Pro tip: Check your local MLS for free housing market statistics and graphs.
7. Share ideas for home decor
Homeowners are often looking for decor ideas, and while you’re (probably) not an interior designer, you can still share ideas for inspiration.
If you follow an architect or interior designer on social media, repost some of their content and tell your audience why you love it.
If you’re at a friend’s house and love the way they’ve furnished their guest bedroom, share it with your followers.
8. Offer homeowner tips
Everyone wants to save money, and your listing prospects will appreciate you sharing valuable tips on how they can cut back on the costs of homeownership.
You can remind homeowners of the homestead exemption a few weeks before the filing deadline (this varies by location and is often between February and May), share tips for reducing electricity costs in the summer and winter months, or talk about which upgrades tend to have the highest ROI.
9. Team up with another real estate professional
As you know, buying, selling and maintaining a home can take a small army. In addition to real estate agents, there are mortgage lenders, title agents, attorneys, inspectors, appraisers, surveyors, photographers, stagers and more.
Your social media content doesn’t always have to be a solo performance. Try teaming up with another professional to offer your audience the valuable perspective of someone they might work with on their next transaction. Not only is this a great way to vary your content, but it’ll also help you build relationships and extend your reach to your guest’s audience.
One of the founding partners of the real estate team I work with has a saying: “Your clients have to buy into you before they buy a home.” Don’t forget to be your most authentic self.
Most of us rely on our natural market to generate business, yet we often run our social media pages like we’re targeting strangers. Sometimes, the posts with the highest engagement have nothing to do with real estate but everything to do with you as an individual. So, live your life and give your audience a glimpse of who you are, not just what you do for work.
Jonathan Pressman is a Realtor who writes on a wide range of financial topics.