Every broker today takes photos of a new property listing, plus video in many cases, and posts them to a multiple listing service (MLS) and sites like Zillow and Realtor.com, as well as their company’s website and the agent’s personal website if they have one. Job done, right?
Wrong. In today’s crowded marketplace, if agents aren’t also turning to social media to promote their listings and themselves, they are losing out on a crucial way to market a home and target buyers. As a broker with a strong social media presence, I find that many of my sales over the past few years and my clients have come from people who follow me on social media. I therefore consider it to be a crucial marketing tool.
[Related:How Your Real Estate Agent Should Be Marketing Your Listing]
How to Use Social Media as a Real Estate Broker
To begin, I recommend focusing on only one social media platform. Options include Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn. Focus on the one where you feel most comfortable. Since creating a social media presence is time-consuming, you should focus your efforts on one platform and do it well rather than spread yourself too thin. Many agents enjoy using TikTok to promote listings, but I find Instagram works better for me (with less pressure to post videos exclusively).
The most obvious way to use social media as a marketing tool is to post your listings. Include those great photos and/or videos, which your followers will view. If you’re new to this, you may worry that your only followers are friends and family, so your reach is not very large. However, there are simple, affordable tools you can use to expand the reach of those listings.
With Instagram, the first step is to make your profile public so others beyond your connections can view your posts. You should also include appropriate hashtags on real estate-focused posts. For example, if I post a listing in Chelsea, New York City, I will include a hashtag like #Chelsea, #LuxuryRealEstate, #NYCrealestate, etc., which can attract views from people who follow those hashtags.
Next, you can pay a modest fee to expand the reach of your listing. For example, for a cost of approximately $6 per day, you can opt to target people within a 20-mile radius of your listing who have shown interest in real estate. The cost depends on the reach you select: You can pay more to reach a larger radius, or pay less to narrow down. Frequently, when your paid post shows up on someone’s feed and they find it interesting, they will choose to follow you. Your future posts may then show up on their “explore” page, so they may view more of your future posts. This is also a great way to expand your followers. To simplify: The way the algorithm on social media works is that the more followers who like your posts, the more the system will send your posts to other people in their contacts, so your posts keep reaching even greater numbers of people.
[Read: How AI Is Streamlining the Real Estate Listing Process]
Create a Presence: This Is Who I Am
Posting new listings — especially when supported by paid promotions — is a great way to attract followers, but building a strong social media presence involves much more. Social media offers a unique opportunity for your audience to get to know you and, over time, feel as though they truly do know you. When it comes time for them to choose a broker, they’re more likely to reach out to someone they feel familiar and comfortable with — someone who feels like a friend. That’s why it’s essential to ensure your social media presence authentically reflects who you are. If you present a curated persona that doesn’t match who you are in person, it can create a disconnect that may turn potential clients away.
My social media is focused on my life as a working mom in New York City. I include posts about activities that I do as a broker, as well as activities I do with my kids. I’ll post a picture with my children doing fun city-focused activities, along with pictures of me attending real estate industry events. This is who I am. When people choose to work with someone, they generally pick people with whom they feel they have something in common, so by accurately representing my life, people who identify with me will want to work with me.
Another important aspect of my social media posts is video. I select useful and/or educational topics that are important to me and I believe will be useful to my future clients. I’ve discussed topics such as why I enjoy raising children in Manhattan, the importance of having an experienced broker help you navigate the NYC real estate process, and five signs it’s time to look for a larger apartment. I keep these upbeat, fun and relatively brief — lasting from 60 to 75 seconds at most. These videos are meant to be useful for buyers and sellers in the market, as well as for people to get to know me and my personality.
Include Your Social Media Presence on Everything You Do
Sending out a marketing email? Make sure your social media links are at the bottom. Posting a listing on a website? Be sure a link to your social media account appears there as well. Basically, anywhere your name appears, especially on digital outlets with linking, your social media should be there as well. All roads should lead people to your social media.
[READ: How NYC Co-Ops Hurt Themselves With Restrictive Rules ]
Collaborate for Even Greater Exposure
Savvy brokers also know how to use social media collaborations to mutually benefit both parties. Wearing a great outfit in your post from a local boutique? Include a hashtag for the store in your post and ask the store to post the picture on their social media, linking back to you. This can work for jewelry and accessories as well as restaurants, hotels, and more. Any time it benefits a company for you to promote them to your followers, consider asking them about a collaboration that will promote them with a hashtag, while also asking them to include it on their feed. That way, their followers will also see your post.
It’s Never Too Late to Start Posting and Create an Online Following
In today’s real estate market, social media is indispensable. As a real estate broker, my primary job is to market my listings and social media offers the most effective and affordable way to reach a wider audience. Agents who aren’t leveraging these free (or low-cost) tools are missing out on valuable opportunities to connect with potential buyers. What’s more, clients increasingly ask how I will use social media to promote their property. They expect it to be a key part of my strategy to find the ideal buyer. As a result, real estate agents who don’t use social media — whether to promote their listings or themselves — are falling behind in a competitive market.
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How Real Estate Agents Can (And Should) Use Social Media originally appeared on usnews.com
