Social media can help you attract prospects, build industry connections, and put your services on the map. With the right strategy in place, your active social media presence will become a tangible source of revenue by capturing, retaining, and converting leads.
Here are 45 all-encompassing tactics for top-producing agents looking to boost their social media presence. Oh, and the best part is: They’re all easy.
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6 Fundamental Best Practices
Know Your Audience.
Social media platforms collect data on every account holder.
Looking at social listening tools, like Facebook Analytics, can help you better understand who your audience is and where they like to hang out. When you know who you’re talking to, you can curate your content accordingly.
Follow the Attention-Interest-Desire-Action (AIDA) Rule.
Attention: Grab the reader’s attention.
Interest: Tease them with interesting detail.
Desire: Create desire with the benefits and proof of your product.
Action: Tell the reader what to do next — click, call, sign up, etc.
Remember the 70/20/10 rule.
70% of content should highlight your brand — behind the scenes, how-tos, product information, blog posts, etc.
20% of content should be things that did not come from your mouth — testimonials, press, industry news, etc.
10% of content should be promotional — outlining the benefits of your services (think AIDA rule) so followers feel like they’re getting something out of doing what you told them to do.
Always include a Call-to-Action (CTA).
Everybody has an opinion, but they don’t always feel comfortable sharing it.
That’s why it’s your job to ask. Give your sphere direction by including a call-to-action that encourages them to interact with your content. You could get creative and ask a polling question in the caption or create a poll on Facebook or Instagram.
The more you engage, the more you grow.
Every time you open up the app, go through your timeline and “Like,” “React,” and “Comment” as much as possible.
Every time you interact with content, your name gets seen. How often do you see someone’s name, get curious, and click on their profile to learn more about them — sometimes even going on to follow them? Probably pretty often.
Invest in a social media management tool.
Tracking metrics and posting to individual social media platforms can take a huge chunk of time. Luckily, there are several tools — like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Social Pilot, and Buffer — that can make your life easier by allowing you to schedule posts ahead of time, respond to comments quickly, and prove your ROI.
Digging Deeper:
Breaking Down the 4 Best Social Media Channels for Agents
The six best practices outlined above apply to any social content you create across any platform. But since each social channel is unique, it’s important to make sure you tailor your content and engagement tactics to the channel you’re using.
Let’s dig into tips specially curated with the top channels for agents in mind:
Facebook is all about building community, staying in touch, and sharing personal content.
Facebook is a great place to show off how you’re interacting with your local sphere, promote community initiatives, and bring your expertise to the table in a service-centered way — and don’t forget your #hashtags!
1. WISH PEOPLE A “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
This takes five minutes out of your day and can count as a follow-up with your sphere. Better yet, have an admin or assistant go through your Facebook once a day, make sure everyone’s birthday is up to date on your CRM, and send out personalized messages from there.
2. SHARE COMMUNITY-BASED POSTS
People care about what’s happening in their neighborhood. Content highlighting something you did for a local organization or charity, or an update on the latest development project, are all great topics for Facebook. Also be sure to tag your community; e.g., #missionvalley #sandiego
3. SHOUT OUT SMALL BUSINESSES
Showcase how well you know your community by taking a moment to highlight a local small business — people in your area will want to follow you for more. Be sure to use @businessname to make sure they see your post.
4. UPLOAD PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
Imagery is important on Facebook. Your sphere will appreciate beautiful photos and videos of listings, nature, the community, and so on. And you’ve already got gorgeous listings, so you might as well show them off!
5. RESPOND TO COMMENTS
When you get comments, engage with them. Answer any questions, “react” to replies, or simply say “thanks” for commenting.
6. UPDATE YOUR COVER PHOTO REGULARLY
Use your cover photo to highlight your business’s gorgeous branded content. Doing so will entice both new and existing followers to click on your page to see the latest image.
7. SHARE FUN FACTS
Is today National Puppy Day — or some other strange fact that we need to know about, but didn’t? Sharing fun facts like this will spark interest and grab people’s attention.
8. HIGHLIGHT THE HOLIDAYS
Facebook is a great place to wish your sphere a happy holiday. Try to be as inclusive as possible and mention an array of celebrations.
9. LAUNCH A CONTEST
Build your social sphere by running a fun contest, giveaway, or sweepstakes that prompts people to follow you, engage, and share your posts.
10. DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE FUNNY
Facebook is a light-hearted community. It doesn’t hurt to be friendly, positive, and even a little funny. #listingmemes anyone?
Instagram is all about stunning visuals, eye-catching captions, and showing support.
Instagram’s community is a great place to show off the aesthetic of your business, driving impact through high-quality visual content coupled with a thoughtful caption.
11. POST LISTING PHOTOS
Instagram is all about making a big visual impact, and listing photos are beautiful. Publish your favorite property pics and videos.
12. USE ACTIVE #HASHTAGS
Look up the most-used — and most-followed — real estate hashtags to help put your posts on the map. Aim to use 11 or 12 strong hashtags per post, placed two lines below your caption. You can also create hashtags for events like open houses.
13. POST A NEW INSTAGRAM STORY EACH DAY
Stories let you broadcast your content out to all of your followers and are a great tool to help you boost your page’s visibility and engagement. Here’s how they work.
14. DON’T BE AFRAID TO GET CREATIVE
Instagram posts don’t need to be bland! This is a community that loves all things cool, creative, and visually focused.
15. GO LIVE ON YOUR STORY
Every time you go live, a notification gets sent out to your followers. You can offer real-time real estate advice and give tours of listings while familiarizing your audience with your brand. Here’s how it works.
16. MAKE REELS OF PROPERTIES
Reels have a particularly far reach on Instagram, so if you want more eyes on your listing, take advantage of this tool. Here’s how it works.
17. ASK QUESTIONS
Instagram Stories let you prompt viewers to respond to your content. Ask questions and add polls to make your stories more engaging.
18. SWITCH TO A BUSINESS ACCOUNT
You have the option to use a business account on Instagram to get access to deeper analytics. Here’s more info.
19. POST THE OCCASIONAL MEME
Admit it… real estate memes are funny. Since you’re likely followed by other agents and past clients, don’t be afraid to crack a joke.
20. EDIT YOUR PHOTOS
A few quick tweaks can make a big difference. Boost the brightness, color, and intensity of your photos to make them pop.
21. LIKE AND COMMENT ON INDUSTRY CONTENT
Interacting with other agents’ content will make your profile more discoverable on Instagram search. This is an easy way to earn more impressions and gain new followers who are interested in real estate.
Twitter is home to the quick-blurb, high-impact, short-and-sweet post.
With hashtags galore, Twitter is a great place to publish industry news, share interesting links, and start conversations. Twitter is a place to talk to your audience about “big picture” trends and up-tothe-minute news.
22. KNOW WHAT’S TRENDING
Don’t be shy to put your two cents in on Twitter — especially when it comes to trending topics. Using hashtags with traction can get your posts noticed by audiences that are relevant to your business.
23. POST NEWS ARTICLES
Twitter readers love quick takes on relevant news. Share your favorite articles as they roll out to easily fill your feed with interesting content.
24. RESPOND TO TWEETS
Twitter is all about having conversations. Respond to others’ tweets to boost the visibility and engagement of your account.
25. REMEMBER TO RETWEET
If you see a strong post, retweet it! Carefully curating a stream of information makes you a valuable resource your audience can count on to learn about real estate news.
26. HONE YOUR VOICE
Your voice on Twitter should align with your brand identity. Hone your tone, language, and style on Twitter to streamline your greater online presence.
27. POST FREQUENTLY
Twitter is a fast-paced social network that only puts the most recently posted content on users’ news feeds. Post at least two times per day to get noticed.
28. BE RELATABLE
Maintaining a relatable tone will make people feel comfortable reaching out to you, which is key when potential clients have questions.
29. MAKE THE MOST OF A LIMITED WORD COUNT
With only 280 characters allowed per post, Tweets aren’t meant to be overly wordy. Get to the point and make it worth your audience’s time.
30. SHORTEN YOUR LINKS
It’s the norm on Twitter to turn long website URLs into shortened hyperlinks — and agents should be following suit. Bitly.com is a great free resource to shorten links with ease.
31. ADD IMAGERY
Don’t forget to add a nice picture every now and then. Photos and videos are a good way to diversify your feed on Twitter, especially now that Twitter allows for bigger images and crop control on mobile.
LinkedIn is the most professionally-oriented social media channel — and it should be used accordingly.
The best type of engagement strategy for LinkedIn is one that speaks to other professionals in your field. LinkedIn is better suited for communicating with business-based real estate pros than with out-of-the-industry clients.
32. REMEMBER WHO’S OUT THERE
LinkedIn allows you to engage with an educated and experienced audience.
Use LinkedIn to connect with potential team members, industry leaders, and other agents.
Although you may find potential clients on LinkedIn, your primary focus should be on building your professional network.
33. POST RECRUITING CONTENT
Target job seekers who heavily use LinkedIn for new opportunities by adding recruiting content to your monthly publishing cadence.
34. WRITE WELL THOUGHT-OUT CAPTIONS
LinkedIn posts should be more detailed than content you would share on fast-paced networks like Instagram or Twitter.
35. DON’T USE SHORTHAND
LinkedIn posts should be spell-checked, edited, and free of any errors.
36. SHARE NEWS AND LINKS
Add your perspective on the latest article you read and share it with your sphere, asking for their opinions on the topic.
37. PUBLISH MARKET DATA REPORTS
Other professionals are just as interested in real estate market data as you are, meaning that sharing reports can drive engagement.
38. HIGHLIGHT YOUR TEAM
Use LinkedIn to put your team on the map. Introduce your team and what you do on your LinkedIn profile.
39. POST YOUR PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Customer review success stories, homes sold this year, or impressive recent closings are all strong candidates for LinkedIn content.
40. CONGRATULATE OTHERS
When other agents post their wins, offer a quick “congratulations” to build camaraderie.
Final Things to Remember
No matter the platform, keep these maxims in mind:
41. DON’T EXPECT INSTANT RESULTS
Growing a social media presence takes time.
Don’t give up because “it’s not working.” It’s not going to happen overnight. But if you rely on these strategies and keep pushing forward, eventually you’ll get where you want to be.
42. WHEN IN DOUBT, GET CREATIVE
Don’t fall into a social media rut.
People want to follow accounts that are exciting and reflect the latest online trends. Regularly update your social media tactics to test new ideas to figure out what works. Even a little bit of variety goes a long way.
43. BE ACTIVE IN THE INDUSTRY
You (understandably) don’t want to promote your competition on social media, but don’t hesitate to engage with their content — especially when it’s valuable. Social media networking can facilitate future collaborations between agents. Aim to generate conversations with the larger industry by helping other industry professionals become figureheads in their markets.
44. REMEMBER THE BALANCE BETWEEN PERSONAL AND BUSINESS
When your social presence grows, the line between personal and business can sometimes get blurry. Remember that social media is a public forum — one that’s representative of your business and career. Be mindful of what you share, how it may affect people, and where opinions are best kept private.
45. ABOVE ALL ELSE, ALWAYS ADD VALUE
The secret to successful growth on social media? Give your audience something valuable. They’ll always come back for more.
