The world changes on a near-daily basis. In times of crisis or sensitivity – when emotions are high, opinions abound and uncertainty looms – it’s smart for real estate agents to reevaluate their social media strategies and adjust accordingly. In a crisis, many marketers pull back spending. But turning to social media can actually help continue building a brand and engaging customers – if done correctly.
Considering March saw a 70% increase in all Facebook apps usage, according to eMarketer, there’s no better time to pay extra attention to posting.
Here are four changes real estate agents can make in their social media today.
1. Know Your Audience
After discovering basic information, like what age, gender and income level your audience is, ask, “What does this mean?” Put yourself in the customer’s shoes, and find out what they’re feeling and thinking in this moment in time. Consider if they’re working from home, trying to stay active or keeping busy with kids at home. Now, step back. What new opportunities or different ways can you share your knowledge? How can you better meet the needs of your customers right now?
2. Focus Less on You, More on Them
The middle of a global pandemic might not be the best time to focus on the KPIs you focused on before. So instead of focusing solely on ROI, pay attention to engagement metrics: clicks, likes, shares and comments on the content you are gearing toward that audience you identified in step 1 above. This is the time to build mutually beneficial relationships, so once someone is ready to buy or sell again, you’ll be their first contact.
3. Explore New Things
Video. Video. And more video. Now is the time to experiment with new types of content … like video. Demonstrate your expertise by showcasing your knowledge of the housing market or local community, and stop worrying about making it professionally produced. While you’re exploring new things, try out polls on Facebook or Instagram, spend more time listening to comments (on your posts but also on competitors’ and influencers’), and engage customers by calling for user-generated content.
4. Expect Uncertainty
There are three points to consider here: 1. Get rid of the baggage that’s weighing you down. You know those tools that create extra work or serve only one purpose? Kick them to the curb. 2. Getting your content right is important, but perfection shouldn’t stand in the way of getting something done. Social media is about moving quickly and efficiently, remember that. 3. Try your best to stay on top of trends, customer sentiment, and feedback. Dedicate some time to this on a regular basis and find ways to gather and track those insights.
Bonus: Best Times to Post on Social Media
Real estate agents can use these suggested times as a starting point, but it’s important they also track their own data and analytics.
Facebook: 11 a.m., any day
Instagram: Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at 11 a.m. and Tuesday at 2 p.m.
Twitter: Friday between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.
LinkedIn: Wednesday at 3 p.m., Thursday 9-10 a.m. and Friday 11 a.m. to noon
RE/MAX affiliates: Photofy (for creating posts on-the-go) and remaxhustle.com (for customizing videos, Hustlegraphics and digital welcome mats) are great tools to help take social media to the next level. For agents in the U.S. and Canada, there’s also Megaphone (for marketing listings on social media) and BombBomb SocialPrompt (for RE/MAX generated content).
Guest post written by Kayla Roofe, a 2020 Shorty Award Winner and the Senior Social Media Manager with RE/MAX, LLC
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