How to effectively use social media for real estate

While businesses of all shapes and sizes can benefit from a smart social presence, the importance of social media for real estate really can’t be overstated.

Don’t just take our word for it, either.

According to a recent study from the National Association of Realtors, social has become integral to scoring clients and closing deals across the industry. Here’s a brief snapshot of the report’s findings:

• 77% of realtors actively use social media for real estate in some way, shape or form
• 47% of real estate businesses note that social media results in the highest quality leads versus other sources
• 99% of millennials (and 90% of baby boomers) begin their home search online (as opposed to in-person referrals)

Translation? Social media is an absolute goldmine for real estate businesses.

Of course, that’s assuming you have a concrete social strategy and aren’t just winging it.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or want to figure out how to win more leads from social media, we’ve got you covered with our guide to social media for real estate.

Real estate marketing tools

If you’re working in real estate, you’re crazy busy. You need to prioritize your time and focus on the social media marketing platforms that make sense.

Based on the previously noted NAR study, Facebook (97%), LinkedIn (59%) and Instagram (39%) are most realtors’ top picks.

Facebook for realtors

Facebook is a no-brainer and remains a staple of marketing for real estate agents. A big reason for this is that Facebook’s user demographics represent the target audience for any given real estate business age and income-wise.

Beyond being where your audience is likely hanging out, the business features built into Facebook are perfect for real estate businesses.

For example, Facebook allows businesses to publish listing-related updates and content, book appointments, communicate with customers and curate reviews in a single platform.

Oh, and don’t forget about Facebook ads which allow you to directly target demographics and users who have shown specific interest in buying property in your area.

LinkedIn for realtors

As a primarily B2B network, LinkedIn isn’t necessarily somewhere to spot real estate clients.

However, it is a fantastic place to network with fellow realtors and show off your industry experience.

In addition to being a digital resume for individual realtors, many realty businesses likewise have specific company pages where employees can share opportunities or go back-and-forth.

While you might not be spending a ton of time on LinkedIn, setting up a profile or company page is a great way to supplement your online presence.

Instagram for realtors

Instagram is absolutely booming for real estate businesses right now.

It’s no secret at to why, though. Stylish property photos go hand in hand with the most popular types of content on Instagram. For luxury or boutique real estate businesses, the platform is becoming more and more of a priority as opposed to a “secondary” social channel.

Additionally, features such as Instagram Stories make it a cinch for realtors to provide quick and personalized property updates day-by-day.

What types of real estate content are right for social media?

Now that we know which networks represent our top priorities, let’s talk about types of real estate social media posts.

Unlike most industries, social media for real estate doesn’t require you to be shy about what you’re selling.

In terms of real estate marketing ideas, it’s important to have a diverse (and not totally sales-y) content calendar. Rather than beat your followers over the head with sales pitches, here’s a snapshot of what you can post to grow and engage your followers.

Property photos

Here’s some good news: social media for real estate is highly visual in terms of content.

That’s why stunning, high-res property photos are central to so many real estate business’ social strategies.

Not only do eye-popping photos encourage “likes” and shares, but also compel your followers to get in touch with you. Take note that almost all photo-based real estate content is coupled with copy that “sells” the property and likewise contains details and contact information.

How do you make your photos stand out, though? Get creative! Premium Instagram filters or interactive photos (think: 360 photos on Facebook) are both solid starting points for making your visuals stand out from the crowd.

Success stories and client testimonials

One of the biggest benefits of real estate social media posts is the ability to highlight your success stories to connect with clients.

Your clients are spoiled for choice when it comes to finding an agent or company, so the more you’re able to provide proof of your satisfied clients, the better.

That’s why we see so many photos that document the story of a client that culminates in their closing day.

These types of posts do double-duty in both building a sense of social proof and showing off the human side of your business. Anything you can do to make your happy clients part of your social strategy is a plus.

Company milestones

Beyond social, awards and accolades are another way to highlight your real estate business’ track record.

For example, check out how Luxury Living Chicago celebrates making the Inc. 5000 list via Instagram Stories.

Don’t be shy about talking up your business’ accomplishments. Again, with such crowded competition, these sorts of distinctions can help you win over clients.

Industry and market news

No matter where you do business, the real estate market at large is constantly evolving.

Whether it’s advice, helpful content or industry reports, keeping your clients in the loop shows that you’re an active participant in your industry.

New listings and properties

Perhaps the most obvious type of post to publish, make a point to stylize and elaborate on your latest listings via photos and captions.

Companies like @properties do a brilliant job by incorporating multiple photos of each listing and using contact information as a sort of call-to-action.

In short, don’t just drop a link to a listing and walk away.

Home tips and renovation ideas

Keeping followers engaged after the sale is a distinct challenge in real estate social media marketing.

Renovation ideas and inspiration are both fair game for your prospective buyers and past clients alike. Any sort of educational content on home maintenance serves multiple audiences and once again highlights your know-how.

Event coverage

Although social media for real estate is indeed a brilliant way to generate leads, there’s no denying the need to market yourself in-person.

If you’re going to be out and about you’ll want to encourage clients to meet face-to-face by letting them know about your latest events. This can be done via Facebook events or a simple image-based post on Instagram.

Note that managing the many moving pieces of your social presence means keeping track of your marketing assets and photos in particular. Tools such as Sprout’s Asset Library can help you organize your social content and keep everything confined in a single platform. Doing so keeps you from having to scramble for a specific photo or lose track of a listing description.

How to win more real estate clients from social media

With an understanding of what to post, let’s talk about what it takes to turn your social traffic into clients.

Below are some crucial elements of your social strategy that can have a direct impact on your bottom line.

Put your contact info front-and-center

This might seem glaringly obvious but it’s definitely worth mentioning.

If you’re working in real estate, your end-goal is to get clients on the phone.

But doing so doesn’t happen by accident. You need to put your essential contact information on display to the point where getting in touch is just a tap away.

For example, make sure that your information and “About” sections on any given social channel are 100% complete with the following:

• Location
• Email address
• Phone number
• Website and/or landing pages to capture leads

On Facebook specifically, enable Facebook Messenger as a means of connecting with potential clients who are more than likely on-the-go. Also, consider adding a call-to-action button on Facebook as yet another avenue for your social visitors to reach you.

For Instagram, optimize your bio to include your contact information. If you haven’t already, convert your Instagram to a business profile which allows you to automatically include contact buttons beyond your bio link.

And as highlighted in some of the examples above, don’t hesitate to add your email or phone number to individual posts. This helps stress that you’re available to clients and are willing to communicate around-the-clock.

Streamline your client communication

Bear in mind that making yourself open to clients means that you’re responsible for responding to them.

Seems simple enough, right?

However, many real estate businesses have a communication problem on social media. According to our own research, a paltry 11% of real estate businesses respond to their incoming social messages.

We totally understand the struggle, though. If you’re juggling between multiple platforms, keeping track of your communication can be difficult.

That’s why we recommend tools such as Sprout’s Smart Inbox to consolidate your communication. Simply put, your messages, DMs and mentions are kept in one place which means less stress bouncing between social platforms.

In addition, activating push notifications and emails on each given social channel is also a smart move to ensure that you don’t miss your clients’ messages.

Discover new clients and relevant real estate conversations

Social media for real estate isn’t all about attracting clients: it’s also about being proactive and seeking them out yourself.

For example, there are tons of dedicated Facebook Groups where real estate professionals network and provide referrals to each other. You can find these simply by searching your target market and “real estate” on Facebook.

Additionally, Sprout’s social listening can help you hone in on conversations across social media for folks who might be looking to buy, rent or sell. Keywords such as your city, zip code or “agent” are a solid starting point for finding people who might be interested in your services.

Step up your social landing pages to snag more leads

Lead generation is a crucial skill for real estate marketers.

And when it comes to generating real estate leads online, your landing pages could mean the difference between a new lead or missed opportunity.

The first thing you need to know is you should have multiple landing pages. All too often, real estate agents make the mistake of using a single landing page for all their lead generation efforts. However, there are several ways to generate leads, so you’ll likely need different landing pages for each.

For instance, you might create a gated piece of content such as “Top 10 Tips on Setting Your Home’s Price,” where people have to enter their email address to view it. But then on your homepage, you might include a lead generation form similar to what Blue Sky does for people to schedule a consultation.

Creating landing pages that convert is both an art and a science. It takes a lot of testing to get right. But here are a couple of resources to help you out. In this helpful post, Instapage talks about the various ways to create real estate landing pages while Unbounce provides some easy templates for you to use.

How to grow your social following as a real estate business

To wrap things up, let’s talk about growth. Assuming you have content to publish and understand how to win leads, there’s still the issue of attracting more followers.

If you want to grow and sustain your following, here are some key tips to consider.

Promote your social accounts anywhere and everywhere you can

No secrets here. If you’re active on social media, you need to be loud and clear about it to your clients and prospects alike. Here are some low-hanging fruit ideas for promoting your social presence:

• Feature your social accounts on your homepage via icons (see below)
• Include your social accounts in your email signature (Wisestamp has some awesome templates for this)
• Add social icons to your business card for networking events

Don’t let your social accounts gather cobwebs

Consistency counts when it comes to scoring engagement and ensuring that your posts are viewed as valuable by social algorithms.

Posting daily might seem daunting, but doing so is much easier with social scheduling through tools like Sprout. For example, you can easily cross-post to multiple profiles at once without having to log-in to them one-by-one. You can also tweak your posts and publish based on optimal engagement from platform to platform.

What matters is that you don’t let your accounts look like a ghost town. When prospects see that you’re posting regularly, they see that your business is thriving.

Let your personality shine through your social presence

Give your followers a taste of your personal life. Crack the occasional joke. Tell stories.

Doing so lets your followers know that you’re about more than just business.

And with that, we wrap up our guide to real estate marketing!

How are you using social media for real estate?

Real estate on social media involves a lot of moving pieces and keen attention to detail.

That said, it’s also a prime place to prospect and generate leads. With so many clients flocking to social in search of their next property, you need to be able to meet them there. With the strategy outlined above, you can do exactly that.

Learn more about how KETTLER used Sprout to engage real estate customers.