The biggest mistake agents make on social networks is clogging up their newsfeeds with property listings. The most important thing for every agent is to understand that you should promote yourself on social networks and not your properties. This is the space to build your reputation and your brand as a professional. The rest will come naturally.
Practically everyone who uses the internet has an account on at least one social network, so it’s not surprising that brands and professionals who sell their services try to have a presence on social media as well. Brands outsource their communications to agencies or in-house marketers, while professionals in their own fields usually manage their accounts or pages themselves. Unfortunately, the situation in real estate is rather sad and there is a real lack of successful examples. The good news is that it’s easy to change the situation, and the first to do so will win the most.
The biggest mistake agents make on social networks is clogging up their newsfeeds with property listings. The most important thing for every agent to understand is that you should promote yourself on social networks, not your properties. This is the space to build your reputation and your brand as a professional. The rest will come naturally.
Take a look at the really successful accounts of professionals in other fields with large followings. If you’re at least a little bit active on, for example, Facebook, you probably follow at least a few of these people. Some of them talk only about things closely related to their profession, while others allow themselves to be colorful personalities and share even private moments.
There is no single recipe for success; social networks need authenticity, which means you have to be yourself, have your own voice, your own style, and your own niche.
Imagine that a psychologist only posts promotional messages on their account, such as their consultation times, seminar dates, etc. Would you follow them? Would you find this interesting? Probably not. It is much more engaging to follow a psychologist who is constantly sharing interesting insights and practical advice, commenting on current realities from their own professional perspective, and occasionally showing that they are just like any ordinary person with a family and a hobby. Do they benefit immediately and directly? Not at all. Then why are they doing this? It increases awareness of their personal brand, and their name, and builds a reputation. If they do this successfully, they will be the first person any follower will think of when they need a psychologist.
The same applies to real estate agents. On social networks, people relax, waste time, do anything but look for a home to buy. If they need housing, they go to property websites. On Facebook, they want to see something fun, read interesting things, find out the latest news, or just see how their friends or people they like are doing.
It is absolutely pointless to clog up your account with adverts for real estate properties, occasionally spiced up with a single link to an article without any comment from you.
It is absolutely pointless to clog up your account with adverts for real estate properties, occasionally spiced up with a single link to an article without any comment from you. If you don’t believe us, go to almost any real estate agent’s account or Facebook page. Most of the time, engagement is nearly at zero – any published content gets no attention. This is due to two closely related reasons: uninteresting content and low follower numbers. Don't worry if you recognize your Facebook account in this paragraph. All you need is a will, and then there will be a way – see our tips on how to prepare for communication and not do just anything, how to attract more followers, and how to create interesting, relevant content on social networks.