15 Real Estate Social Media Marketing Tips From Top Agents

“Social media marketing regarding real estate is something that I’ve been focusing heavily on. What I’ve learned from some of the most successful Realtors is to have a good Instagram account you need variety. They don’t hit anybody over the head with listing after listing or boring real estate facts. It’s a very balanced page between life, interests, and real estate. All the posts are very tasteful, give the viewer insight as to who that Realtor is as a person. Balance it with good real estate photos and tips, as well as behind the scenes videos of you doing different activities including staging a house, doing an interview, doing a tour, etc. The most important factor in all of this is that you have to be your authentic self in your posts.”

“What many people don’t tell you when you’re just starting out is that social media marketing can be hard—really hard. It takes a lot of trial and error and a lot of learning—which can take a lot of time away from doing what you do best—interacting with your clients. That’s why you should consider using a company like Hibu to manage your social media and help build your online presence. You’ll get a huge head start over the competition, but you’ll still have complete control of your accounts while an expert does the heavy lifting for you.”

Authenticity: It’s not just about pretty pictures. Strike a balance between polished, beautiful photography and the behind-the-scenes gritty details (i.e. sweeping the floors to prep for an OH, painting walls, etc.). It helps tell the story of how you arrived from point A to point B. Engage: Reply to comments on your posts. Get your followers to engage by asking them questions like, “White Marble or Black Granite?” Hearing from your followers helps you better understand what content to post in the future.

Thought leadership: Showing your listings or parts of the neighborhood are always great, but here is your time to shine as a thought leader and expert. Why is one apartment layout better/worse than the other? What are some unique parts of the neighborhood? As the agent, you are the expert, and it is important to remind your followers of that.

Some of the best social media marketing tips for agents and teams:

• Understand the difference between your current, actual audience and what strangers could potentially be interested in—for example, I see a lot of agents posting videos and images of empty apartments on their Instagram feeds, but for people who are already following them they’re very rarely looking for a new place and it’s not effective. There’s definitely a difference between paid and organic social. The listings you’re trying to push are best suited for paid, targeted advertising to a specific audience, whereas organic social is very much for lifestyle, retention, and points of difference as an agent.
• Piggybacking off  that—don’t be scared of paid social! Facebook and Instagram offer so many amazing targeting opportunities for agents—from specific areas, to interests, to periods of people’s lives like newborns or marriages, or any combination thereof. The thought of an additional spend is often scary for agents but when you think about where people are spending a lot of their time it’s a no-brainer to spend some effort there.

One of the biggest mistakes new agents and teams make when trying to build their brands on social is forgetting the basics. If you want to build a successful brand, you’re going to need professional headshots, and a professional logo at a minimum. One secret of professional branding is that a great logo doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars. In fact, a great logo can be very affordable if you use a service like 99 Designs. The best part is that 99 Designs has dozens of designers working on your logo and you just have to choose the best one.

“Post a 50/50 mixture of business and personal stories. You want to be seen as relatable as well as prolific in business. Post several stories at three different points in the day, every day. That way you gain the most engagement as everyone is on Instagram at different times throughout the day.

Don’t just shoot content at your own open houses, shoot stories at other agent’s open houses—and tag the agent too. That same agent will appreciate the exposure and is likely to do the same for you one day.

Be aspirational and celebratory in your postings, but never cross the line into boastful and self-focused—it doesn’t translate well and less of your audience will react.

Hyperlink the story to the property page on your own website. This is great for lead generation, click-through traffic, and further brand exposure for your own business.”

“I find that when I post a listing and ask my followers a question I will get more engagement and in turn, more exposure. There are a million agents posting photos of a kitchen, but when you ask ‘What would you cook here?’ it allows your followers to picture themselves in that kitchen and living in the home. People want to follow YOU, not just your business. It’s important to mix it up and post lifestyle, family, friends, and keep it real.

After I post a photo, I’ll make sure to consistently post to my story for the rest of that day. The photo you posted will drop further down the timeline after an hour or so, while your story will keep drawing people to your page to see your new post.”

Video! Don’t worry about being perfect, just get in front of that camera and show off your personality! Cheapest and easiest way to build trust and show you are an expert at what you do.

“Let’s face it, before working with you, your potential clients need to learn one thing: how well respected you are as a professional. That’s why it’s always a good idea to thank your biggest fans for the reviews they leave on Zillow. Zillow has the biggest market share in online real estate and will prove far more authority and trust to your audience. The best way to do it is to screenshot the great review, tag your reviewer, and give them a heartfelt thanks.”

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“Document your local cultural events (festival, museum, pop-up, etc.) via Instagram and Facebook stories. It’s much more effective than a static announcement of what to do in your neighborhood. Invite a colleague or client (i.e., interior designer, landscaper or crystal healer) to guest curate your page/story for a day via your social channels.”

“Stories: You can use up to 30 hashtags on each story post by typing #hashtag in normal text. You can then drag them off the screen by placing a finger on it and with switching to a second finger drag it off the screen. Tagging: You can also do the same with tagging up to 20 accounts of other realtors with clients in your market. This will send them a DM that they were mentioned in your story and they have an option to share it to their own stories which then links back to your account.”

“Try to make yourself relatable to your audience. Create a forum where people are not just seeing listings, but getting to know the agent. Have fun with it and be genuine. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through.”

“I love telling my client’s stories. Keeping the focus on them and serving them!”

“Go out on a Tuesday for broker’s open houses and target around four new listings to go to and post two to three photos and videos. Remember not to give too much info, just good teaser video and photos with a location of what city the listing is in. People will start reaching out for more info and you will know who is in the market to buy or sell. Also when it comes to your feed remember that your followers want to feel a personal connection as well as an interest in your homes so make sure to add your own touch to your feed, whether that be your own lifestyle or personal photos of yourself or with friends.

“Build your brand authentically via content, for example YouTube videos (www.youtube.com/enesyilmazer). Putting yourself out there through YouTube is an intimate way to showcase your personality and how you do business, which in return can help build brand awareness on a larger scale. We can make an impact on other people and gain business just from the content we create.”