10 Real Estate Social Media Marketing Strategies That'll Bring in New Business

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The following is a guest post by Leslie Mann, a real estate agent with Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty of Weston, MA.

Buying or selling a home is an important financial (and emotional) decision. Most people are full of questions when they undertake this endeavor.

Your clients want more than someone with a real estate license. They want an agent who will protect their interests and help them navigate the complexities of property ownership. The agent they choose must be someone they’ll feel confident having by their side throughout the process.

That’s where social media comes in. If applied correctly, it can be a great way to open a dialogue, share advice, and forge an ongoing relationship with buyers, sellers, and renters. In this post, learn the benefits of using social media for real estate, a handy list of do’s and don’ts for agents to follow, and examples of posts you can incorporate into your real estate social media strategy.

Ryan Tombul, Nashville Realtor, J.D., says, “Social media doubles as an avenue for free marketing that allows agents to supplement exposure for listings within their own personal network and beyond.” Read on to discover real estate social media strategy tips, as well as things you should avoid.

Tips That Agents Should Embrace

1. Promote the town, not just the house.

Homebuyers want to know the good, bad, and ugly of each town to which they’re considering a move. Yet, most real estate blogs simply give buyers basic demographic statistics and perhaps some flowery language about the area. Instead, use your social media channels to provide potential clients a far richer understanding of the markets you serve, letting them know the pros and cons of each neighborhood.

Many cities have a “@CityOf …” Twitter handle, which you can mention directly in your own tweets. Use these handles to promote properties you have listed in that city. City accounts on Twitter tend to be receptive to these shout-outs and might retweet you — increasing your post’s reach to their followers.

Instagram Business accounts are also prime real estate (no pun intended) for you to post beautiful photos of the town in which your properties are listed.

2. Be yourself.

I’ve heard of many realtors who pay a ghost writer to write their marketing copy, yet this approach has its shortcomings. The copy simply doesn’t ring true; it fails to give clients a sense of who you really are. Studies show that consumers want to make a personal connection with those whom they do business with, and there’s no shortcut to writing your own authentic social media content that resembles who you are as a real estate agency.

Let your personality shine through across each social network you’re on. It’s a great way to open a dialogue with a client before they ever pick up the phone.