Social media marketing is still a relatively new way to reach your target audience, particularly in the real estate industry. Due to this lack of familiarity, many agents and brokers aren’t quite sure what parts of social marketing are vital and which parts aren’t worth a second thought. Luckily for you, we’ve been using social media to market on agents’ behalves for years, and we have a pretty good read on what deserves your time and what doesn’t.
THE SIZE OF YOUR AUDIENCE
Followers, Likes, Connections, whatever they’re called on your favorite social network, it’s generally positive to have as many followers as possible (outside of purchased, fake followers). If you post a listing to an audience of 1,000, we can assume that it will be seen by more people than if you had posted it to an audience of 100, right? It also makes you look more credible, more experienced, and frankly more popular if you have 1,000 followers rather than 100.
Importance level: 8/10
THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF YOUR AUDIENCE
Of course we want the members of your audience to be a part of your target market, but investigating each and every follower to see where they live, what you think they can afford, etc. is really not a good use of your time. There are a multitude of reasons someone outside of your target market would follow you on social media. Perhaps they have a son or daughter in your area and they want to help out on the home search. Perhaps they’re thinking of moving to your community from another state. The list goes on and on, but we can confidently say that looking into the specifics of each of your new followers is not a prudent use of your valuable time. Be happy that people have indicated that they’re interested in what you have to say and keep up the good work.
Importance level: 2/10
NUMBER OF INTERACTIONS ON EVERY SINGLE POST
Engagement is the goal of content marketing, which is a huge part of social media marketing. Ideally, you want to share information that people find interesting and then they indicate that interest by Liking, Retweeting, Sharing, etc. But the hard truth is that, unless you have a massive following, the Likes aren’t going to rain down on every single one of your posts. The good news is, that doesn’t mean people aren’t listening to you. Without going deep into Facebook’s Insights, you may never know that 35 people clicked on a news story you shared, though only two people liked it. Without looking at Twitter’s Insights, you wouldn’t realize that hundreds of people saw a tweet of yours and hence were exposed to your brand as a result of only one person retweeting you. The bottom line is that interactions on social media are more complex and hidden than you ever realized so if your posts don’t have hundreds of likes and comments, remember that there could be a lot more going on behind the scenes.
Importance level: 5/10
NUMBER OF LEADS CAPTURED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
As complicated as social media can be, I think we can all agree that leads are the main goal. Whether there are interested parties inquiring about a showing through the comments of a listing post or users are requesting a home valuation, leads are the reason your business has a presence on social media. This is the point of all your efforts and social marketing budgets so don’t ignore leads when they appear! Most agents don’t purposefully ignore leads, but some are simply less vigilant than others. After you post a listing on Facebook, you’re going to want to come back and respond to anyone asking questions. You’d also be wise to check your Facebook messages on a regular basis to make sure you’re responding to any and all inquiries in the form of private correspondence. It’s a simple lesson, but it’s one we feel compelled to reiterate: Keep an eye out for leads in their many forms and respond to them in a timely manner!
Importance level: 10/10