Real Estate Social Media Marketing: A Complete Guide for Agents and Buyers

Social media has become a vital part of marketing strategy for businesses of all sizes, including real estate. Social media platforms offer an easy and cost-effective way for real estate businesses to reach and engage with their target audience. In this article, we will discuss the five pillars of social media marketing for real estate businesses and provide actionable tips for each of them.

Importance of Social Media Marketing in the Real Estate Industry

Before we dig deeper into the topic of understanding the “5 Pillars of Real Estate Social Media Marketing”, it is important to note that several studies have emphasised the importance of social media as a powerful marketing tool for real estate agents and buyers. Check out these research articles we unearthed:

• Home buyers use the internet to search for homes. The internet has become a crucial tool for homebuyers conducting their research. In 2021, the Real Estate in a Digital Age report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) discovered that nearly all buyers conduct at least some of their home search online. Furthermore, 43% of buyers actually found their final home through online channels.

• Social media as an effective marketing tool for real estate agents:  According to a survey conducted by the NAR, nearly all real estate professionals use social media, with 47% of firms reporting that it is their primary method of advertising.

• Social media as a tool to reach potential buyers: The same NAR study found that 90% of agents use social media to some extent for their real estate business, demonstrating the importance of social media as a tool to reach potential clients.

• Social Media Used for Property Research: If you are targeting millennial and Gen X buyers, social media is a must. A survey by the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Network found that 91% of millennials check the social media to look for and research properties up for sale in the market.

• Social Media is a significant tool for real estate buying decision making: One of the most important resources for people looking to make a real estate purchase is social media. According to a study published in the International Journal of Marketing Studies, 71% of buyers say that social media plays a role in their selection of a real estate agent.

• Social Media as a tool for home buying: Homebuyers who use social media during their search are more likely to find their home through a real estate agent and are more likely to spend more money on their home purchase than those who do not use social media. These findings come from the same study published in the International Journal of Marketing Studies.

These findings emphasize the significance of social media marketing in the real estate industry. With the majority of homebuyers using the internet to search for properties and social media playing an important role in their decision-making process, real estate businesses must have a strong social media presence in order to reach and engage with potential clients.

Now that we have established the importance of social media to our real estate campaigns, lets now discover the …

5 Pillars of Real Estate Social Media Marketing

1. Social Media Strategy for Real Estate:

Building your real estate business’s social media marketing strategy is the first step in effectively using the power of this platform for your business. Here are some of the fundamental guidelines for you to create a social media strategy for your real estate business: 

• Define your goals or objectives: Setting goals is crucial to the success of any social media strategy. What is the purpose of your use of social media for your real estate business? Do you want increased sales, brand awareness, or new customers for your new development? Establish specific goals and you’ll be well on your way to developing a targeted and efficient social media strategy for your real estate campaigns.

• Identify your target audience: Following the determination of your campaign’s aims and objectives, the next step is to determine who you want to do it for. Who is your intended audience for your social media marketing efforts? What drives them? What do they lack? What’s their pain point? What triggers them? Understanding who you’re writing for and what they’re interested in will help you create content that genuinely resonates with them.

• Choose the right social media platforms: Choosing the right social media channels for your business is just as crucial as finding the ideal audience for your market. There are numerous options available. To reach your target audience, you must use the channels where they spend the majority of their time. For example, the vast user base and comprehensive advertising options of Facebook make it a perfect platform for real estate enterprises. Instagram is another popular platform that you can choose for your real estate business where you can publish photographs and videos of your properties.

• Develop a content plan: The next step is to plan out the content that will be shared on your social media sites. Make material that is pertinent to your platform, audience, and overall goals. LinkedIn can help you market your blog entries, Instagram can help you highlight your listings, and Twitter can help you spread the word about major advancements in your profession.

The points indicated above are the fundamental steps you can do to create an effective social media marketing campaign for your business. Following the ideas highlighted above may enhance brand visibility and web traffic, as well as generate new leads and sales for your real estate business.

2. Real Estate Social Media Content Creation:

One of the foundation of social media marketing is content creation. Real estate companies must generate intriguing and relevant content that appeals to their target audience. Here are some pointers for developing excellent content:

• Showcase your listings: The major focus of real estate businesses’ social media material should be showcasing their listings. Send high-quality images and videos of your listings, covering both the interior and exterior. Employ detailed and intriguing captions to emphasize each property’s unique selling characteristics.

• Create educational content: In addition to presenting your listings, you should provide value to your audience by creating informative information. Write blog posts, infographics, and videos that provide useful information and insights on the real estate market, as well as buying and selling advice and industry news. This type of material can help your company identify itself as an industry expert and develop trust with potential customers.

• Share testimonials and success stories: Social proof is a great marketing tool, and real estate businesses may take advantage of it by posting client testimonials and success stories. Provide tales and testimonials that emphasize your clients’ good experiences and how your company helped them reach their goals.

• Use visuals to tell a story: Visual material, such as photographs and videos, can help tell a story and develop an emotional connection with your audience. Utilize graphics to demonstrate the lifestyle and benefits of living in the properties you represent, as well as the properties’ distinctive features and facilities.

• Be consistent and timely: When it comes to creating social media content, consistency is essential. Make a content calendar and keep to a regular posting schedule. Furthermore, be timely in your content creation, capitalizing on significant real estate industry events and trends to develop timely and relevant material.

• Use a variety of formats: Social media sites provide a wide range of content formats, such as images, videos, tales, and live broadcasts. Employ a variety of forms to keep your material fresh and exciting, as well as to accommodate to your audience’s tastes.

The steps and strategies provided above can provide you a well-rounded approach to social media content creation for your real estate campaigns. By publishing relevant, timely and high-quality content in forms of articles, videos, photos and other formats, real estate firms can gain credibility as an industry leader, expand their web presence, and increase sales.

3. Social Media Listening and Engagement for Real Estate:

Social media is not only about creating and sharing information; it’s also about listening to and engaging with your audience. Listening to and connecting with your audience can bring advantages to you. Social Media listening and engagement can also help you create relationships and boost your online reputation. 

Here are some social media listening and engagement tips:

• Respond to comments and messages: Because social media is a two-way discussion, it’s critical to respond to comments and messages from your audience as soon as possible. This demonstrates that you are paying attention and are concerned about their needs and worries. Answer questions in a helpful manner, and address any difficulties or complaints in a professional and courteous manner.

• Monitor mentions and tags: It’s critical to keep an eye out on social media for mentions and tags of your company, even if they aren’t directed at you. This enables you to monitor what people are saying about your company and reply properly. You can follow mentions and tags of your company on social media using social media monitoring software.

• Participate in online conversations: Join relevant social media groups and participate in conversations to promote your brand and identify yourself as an industry expert. Answer questions from your audience and share your knowledge and ideas. This might assist you in developing contacts with potential clients as well as increasing your web presence.

• Show appreciation and gratitude: Social media allows businesses to express gratitude to their customers and followers. Recognize and thank your clients and followers for their assistance, and express gratitude for their contributions to the dialogue.

• Use social media to provide customer service:  Real estate businesses can use social media to provide customer service. Answer to enquiries and concerns as soon as possible, and offer helpful solutions to any problems that emerge. This can aid in the development of trust and loyalty among your clients.

• Be authentic and personal: With social media engagement, authenticity and personalization are crucial. Adopt a conversational tone and demonstrate the human side of your company. Offer genuine stories and experiences that can help your audience connect with your brand on a more intimate level.

Doing all the strategies above can provide you a cohesive and well-rounded approach to doing social media listening and engagement to your real estate customers. More than activities, when done right with personalization and customization, you may develop long-lasting relationships with potential clients and improve your online reputation by connecting with your audience in meaningful ways.

But it does not stop there… the next goal is …

D. Social Media Advertising for Real Estate Businesses:

Real estate businesses can use social media advertising to reach a broader audience and create leads. As soon as you are able to attract organic followers and certified buyers, you can grow and scale your following using social media advertising like Facebook Ads, Linkedin Ads, Google Ads and Tiktok Ads.

Here are some of the quick instructions on how you can do real estate social media advertising, the right way: 

• Define your target audience:  Defining your target audience is the first stage in social media advertising. Utilize social media platform targeting features to define your audience based on criteria such as location, age, income, interests, and habits. This will assist you in reaching the proper people with your advertisements.

• Choose the right social media platforms: Various social media platforms have different advertising strengths. Facebook and Instagram are popular platforms for real estate businesses to advertise on since they provide a number of targeting choices and ad layouts.

• Use high-quality visuals: Because real estate is a visually-driven sector, it’s critical to include high-quality visuals in your advertisements. Utilize excellent images and films to emphasize the unique aspects of your homes.

• Highlight the unique selling points of your properties: Your adverts should highlight your properties’ unique selling points. Employ interesting and descriptive language to convey the qualities and benefits of your properties, and support your assertions with imagery.

• Use call-to-actions (CTAs): Your ads should include clear and engaging CTA buttons that inspire potential clients to take action, such as booking a showing or contacting you for additional information.

• Test and optimize your ads: Because social media advertising is an iterative process, it is critical to test and optimize your ads to ensure optimum impact. Experiment with various ad forms, targeting options, and messaging to see what works best for your company. Track your ad performance with social media analytics and make data-driven decisions.

• Adhere to social media advertising guidelines: Each social media platform has its own set of advertising guidelines that businesses must follow. To avoid having your ads rejected or your account suspended, make sure you are aware with the requirements for the platforms on which you are advertising.

Social media advertising is one of the secret and powerful tool to grow and scale your lead generation process for your lead generation business. By doing the strategies provided above, you can create effective and engaging social media ads that drive results for your business.

But, it doesn’t end with social media ads. One of the most important pillar is crucial that if you neglect it, the whole campaign will cave. This is …

5. Social Media Analytics and Report for Real Estate:

More than content creation, publishing, and engaging, analytics and reporting is critical for assessing the effectiveness of your social media strategy versus your goal and objective. Measurements, when done right can also empower you in making data-driven decisions. 

Here are some recommendations for social media analytics and reporting:

• Set up tracking and analytics: Setting up tracking and analytics on your social media accounts is the first step in social media analytics and reporting. Track metrics such as engagement, reach, and impressions using analytics tools accessible on the networks you use, such as Facebook Insights or Instagram Insights.

• Define your key performance indicators (KPIs): The next stage is to determine your key performance indicators (KPIs). What are the KPIs that are most important to your company? Do you want to generate leads, raise brand awareness, or boost engagement? Establish your KPIs based on your company’s objectives.

• Create a reporting schedule: To track your social media performance, create a regular reporting routine. Depending on your requirements, this might be weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Create reports using your analytics data to highlight your success against your KPIs.

• Analyze your data: Identify trends and patterns in your social media performance by analyzing your analytics data. Determine which content performs best, which platforms produce the most engagement, and where your target audience resides. Make data-driven decisions to improve your social media strategy with this information.

• Use A/B testing: A/B testing includes comparing the performance of different versions of your content. For example, you may experiment with different ad forms, messaging, or imagery to discover which ones produce the best results. A/B testing can help you improve your social media performance over time.

• Benchmark against your competitors: Utilize your analytics data to compare your social media performance to that of your competitors. This can assist you in identifying areas for improvement and discovering new possibilities to stand out in a crowded market.

• Use your data to refine your social media strategy:  Utilize the data acquired from your analytics and reporting to continuously improve your social media approach. To reach your company objectives, make data-driven decisions about which platforms to focus on, what content to develop, and what

READ ALSO: Successful Real Estate FB Ads and Why They Work

The strategies and steps provided above can allow you to track social media performance, uncover trends and patterns, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your social media strategy and campaign in general.

But wait. There’s more…

Other Reminders When Doing Real Estate Social Media Marketing

There are a lot of things that will be happening in between campaigns. That is why I am adding this list of other additional reminders when doing social media marketing for real estate businesses:

• Stay Updated with Real Estate Social Media industry trends: The real estate market is continuously changing, so it’s critical to remain on top of the latest trends on how social media is used in generating leads and sales. To keep informed, read industry periodicals and attend conferences and events.

• Ensure compliance with regulations: Real estate is a highly regulated sector, and it is critical to maintain regulatory compliance when engaging in social media marketing. Work with legal and compliance professionals to ensure that your social media marketing initiatives comply with applicable laws and regulations.

• Build relationships with local influencers: Relationships with local influencers can help you broaden your reach and establish your brand in the local community. Search for people in your area who are relevant to your brand and reach out to them to discuss partnership prospects.

• Leverage user-generated content: User-generated content, such as images and videos of your properties shared by clients, can be an effective marketing tool. Encourage your clients to share their social media experiences and to publish their content on your own social media sites.

• Use storytelling to create emotional connections: Create emotional ties with your audience by using storytelling: Real estate is a highly emotional purchase, and employing storytelling in your social media marketing can help you develop emotional connections with your audience. Utilize stories to illustrate the lifestyle and benefits of living in the properties you represent, as well as the properties’ distinctive features and facilities.

• Be transparent, truthful and honest: Building trust with your audience requires transparency and honesty. Be honest and truthful about the properties you represent, and be clear about their characteristics and benefits.

• Continuously adapt and evolve: Because social media is an ever-changing world, it’s critical to consistently adapt and evolve your social media strategy to stay ahead of the curve. Try out different forms, messaging, and methods to see what works best for your company, and have an open mind to new ideas and chances.

The other social media marketing strategies and tactics above are additional guidelines that you can use for your effective social media marketing for your real estate businesses. By following the other notes indicated above, your Real estate agency and brands may grow their brand online, reach and engage with potential clients, and produce leads and sales by following these reminders.

In Conclusion…

Social media is a great tool for real estate companies to reach and engage with their target audience while also building their online brand. Building a strong and effective social media presence for your real estate brand and business can be done by following the five pillars of social media marketing: designing a strategy, providing interesting content, listening and engaging with your audience, advertising, and assessing your performance.

It is critical to remember that social media marketing is a continuous process that necessitates regular effort and attention. You can optimize the benefits of social media marketing for your real estate business by regularly reviewing your social media performance and modifying your approach accordingly.

Hence, whether you’re just getting started or wanting to improve your present social media marketing efforts, the five pillars of social media marketing for real estate enterprises will help you reach your goals and stand out in a crowded industry. By following these tactics, you can create long-term relationships with your target audience, raise brand awareness, and produce leads and sales for your real estate company.