Agent Resources

Social media is a great platform for all types of businesses, allowing them to engage with their audience in a number of different ways. Through the various channels that are available, they can build their brand image, show their expertise and inform their customers in ways that websites cannot.

However, social media can often be a bit of a minefield and an expensive marketing strategy, especially when you’re outsourcing. However, spending a little bit of time on social media, sharing articles, blogs and your latest news, can help you to amplify your reach and it doesn’t need to cost you a fortune. Here’s how:

Choose the right channels

Time and budget will limit how much you can do on social media, so instead of spreading yourself thinly across a multitude of different channels, choose the ones that you’re going to benefit most from and that you’re most comfortable using. Think about the ones you can create the greatest impact with, what will fit in with your company’s personality and where your clients are likely to be. Some of the recommended channels for estate agents are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest.

Understand your audience

It’s incredibly important that you understand your audience and your chosen platform because without this you could be posting content that’s irrelevant and this could result in you losing credibility. For example, people using Facebook in the evening may be looking to catch up with friends, whilst those on Pinterest may be looking for inspiration and be in shopping mode. Understanding these behaviours will enable you to tailor your content for your targeted audience, understanding who’s wanting to find sold property prices and who just wants to browse uninterrupted.

Create a system

Some people can afford to spend hour after hour on social media, but as a busy estate agent you probably won’t be able to find time to spend hours chatting to your “followers”, uploading regular amounts of content onto each channel. So, to make sure your social media marketing works, you need to create a system and delegate various pieces to others, and this doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to outsource these services.

Look at your staff to see who could help with your social media, but don’t just opt for the youngest employee in the office because they’re always on social media channels. A lacklustre social media presence is worse than not having one at all, so consider who’ll be best suited to producing content and engaging with customers. Equally, it’s worth spending some time producing a guide, so your employees know what they can or can’t post on a particular platform.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll need to figure out how much time you need to allocate to each channel, providing the employee with an hour or two a day to perform these tasks. It’s important that your staff know you’re committed to this marketing effort and that you’re willing to invest time in it.