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5 Social Media No-No's for the Savvy REALTOR®

Dec 22, 2016, 07:00 AM by System

With 90 percent of homebuyers starting their search online, and the majority of users plugged in to three or more social media platforms, it’s little wonder that savvy agents are taking care to develop and execute social media strategies that win friends and, ultimately, clients.

Getting yourself out there in front of a lot of people is easy if you are a skilled internet navigator. But social media blunders are commonplace, and miscues can cause you more than lost business; they can earn you a reputation as someone nobody wants to hear from when they log in.

Successful social media marketers frame themselves as personable, knowledgeable and relatable, without coming across as stuffy or arrogant. From my past discussions with a panel of real estate agents and internet marketing gurus, here are five social media no-no’s:

Not Engaging with People – Social media is, above all, social. You want people to get to know who you are. Sharing the occasional photo or video of you with colleagues, clients, or even family and friends can humanize you to your audience and help you to build new relationships.
Too Much Promotion – If you are posting about your business several times a day, you run the risk of annoying your clients, rather than engaging them. It’s okay to share listings and post about your business, but keep it to a minimum and mix it up with the kind of fun and entertaining posts you share with friends and family.
Not Enough Promotion – On the other end of the spectrum, some agents make the mistake of not promoting their business enough. Internet marketing relies upon advertising your business. If all you post are fun, entertaining clips and personal updates, you are missing the boat. Congratulate your new buyers when they close, and mix up your postings so that your clients get a variety of entertainment, listings, and marketing.
Not Providing Useful Information – No real estate agent has unlimited time to focus on social media content. Your focus should be on developing and providing original content drawn from your market, including an occasional post on a sale you just made, a trend in pricing, or a new listing you are excited about. Finding educational, informative or entertaining content from other real estate sources and sharing them on your social accounts can be a lifesaver when you are busy.
Not Having a Plan – Building a successful social media strategy takes time, and not having a plan can be a death wish. Your plan should be centered on two things: building credibility and connecting with prospective clients. One way to be certain you are being strategic with your posts is taking the time to develop an editorial calendar delegating various platform postings. Using a calendar can be a big help when you want to avoid double-posting and are trying to remember which hashtag to use.

Barbara Pronin is an award-winning writer based in Orange County, Calif. A former news editor with more than 30 years of experience in journalism and corporate communications, she has specialized in real estate topics for over a decade.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

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5 Social Media No-No's for the Savvy REALTOR&reg;

5 Social Media No-No's for the Savvy REALTOR®