With more than a billion users on Facebook and Instagram, half a billion on LinkedIn and more than 300 million on Twitter, social media must never be overlooked as a marketing channel. Through social media, you can communicate with your existing clients and attract new prospects. The conversations here can also provide you with valuable consumer insights. Social media is probably a mainstay in your real estate marketing toolbox — but have you maximized your engagement while minimizing your risk??
Here are some strategies to do just that…
Use Facebook Live
Facebook Live drives a greater level of engagement because you’re sharing live video with your target market in real time. Live posts may receive five times more “organic reach” than ordinary Facebook image posts.
Going live might be nerve-racking initially, so start off with some short posts and graduate up to longer live sessions. Be aware that it’s easy to say the wrong thing accidentally with Facebook Live broadcasts. This has the potential to jeopardize your business! Stay away from inadvertent defamatory comments, poor or outdated advice, or incorrect facts and figures. When dealing with a real-time audience, you need to be at the top of your game. For best results: Plan ahead exactly what you want to say, and practice it ahead of time.
If you don’t feel quite ready for Facebook Live, try pre-recording a video for social media. You now have an opportunity to rehearse on camera and check the content before going public with the post. If you use video on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, optimize it for “autoplay” so it will play automatically in newsfeeds. Also, make sure you feature movement in the video early on to attract attention immediately.
It’s beneficial to use subtitles on your videos as well. Why? Over 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound! Be sure your audience can still receive your message even if they’re in an environment where they’re unable (or unwilling) to listen to the audio.
Keep Content Current and Valuable to Encourage Interaction
Content becomes truly engaging when it offers something of value to the target audience. Posting valuable content that can actually help your clients or prospects will earn you more interaction, which will further increase the visibility of your content through your social media channels.
There are only so many hours in the day and you’re a busy real estate agent. But even if you don’t have the time to create your own content daily, sharing content created by others can also help you drive engagement. The content just needs to be relevant and valuable to your target market.
Check syndicated content thoroughly before you share. Why? If you inadvertently share information to your audience that isn’t factual or true, you could lose credibility with your audience — or find yourself facing a lawsuit.
Post at the Right Time and Be Prepared to Moderate
To maximize your engagement on social media, consider the timing of your posts. HubSpot has created an amazing resource to help you do this effectively. Check out their infographic to find the best time and day to post for all of your preferred social media platforms.
Increasing your engagement does mean you’ll need to monitor comments and discussion on your social media pages. You’ll also need to keep an eye on discussion and comments on your shared content — just in case there is anything defamatory that could potentially lead to issues for you in the future.
As an administrator, you’ll be able to control the visibility of comments on your Facebook business page. If you do see something inappropriate, you can hide or delete it. Under “General” settings, “Visitor posts”, you can choose to review posts before they’re published.
Social Media Channels are an Asset — Protect Them
Social media is, no doubt, a significant driver for engaging with both existing clientele and new prospects. But it’s necessary to have an awareness of the potential risks and security issues which can arise. Protection of your passwords and computer assets to avoid unauthorized access to your social media accounts is an important step to protect your professional and business reputation.
For ultimate peace of mind, consider the superior coverage of CRES Real Estate E&O + ClaimPrevent®. With more than 20 years of experience protecting real estate agents just like you, CRES uniquely understands the daily risks you face. Call us at 800.880.2747 or visit CRESinsurance.com to find out more.
Have you experimented with Facebook Live in your real estate business to maximize engagement? Were you pleased with the results?
