
No-Cost Social Media Marketing Ideas To Leverage
Lauren Nowacki6 minute-read
PUBLISHED: June 03, 2021 | UPDATED: August 16, 2021
Using social media is a great way to gain exposure for your brand as well as the properties you represent. It also allows you to connect with potential clients around your community. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can leverage social media without spending money.
Here are a few suggestions for using your social media platforms to boost your marketing efforts. Best of all, they won’t cost you a dime.
Did you know 2.7 billion people use Facebook? If you want to reach a lot of people, Facebook is a great way to do so. The platform’s goal is to build a community and bring people together. With this mission in mind, you can use your network to connect and share content.
Here are a few ways you can use Facebook to increase business.
Post Relevant Content
Julie Upton, REALTOR® with Compass Marin and Sonoma Counties, suggests, “Keeping content relevant to your audience and micro-targeted or hyper-local is great. For example, I will post about weekly Marin County community events or weekend festivals that are of interest to those who live or are looking to purchase in Marin County.”
Posting applicable content will let people know that you’re an expert in the community. If you always post about the best events in town and are tuned in to the heartbeat of your surroundings, your future clients and prospects may trust your knowledge and expertise when it comes to selecting or selling their home.
Go Live
Benjamin Ross, real estate agent with Mission Real Estate Group, says, “People love live content, and guess what? They do not expect it to be perfect. That’s where the charm is. Facebook Live allows your customers to ‘meet’ you. It is very important, and it is free.”
Going live lets people see your personality. Instead of being an avatar hiding behind the screen, you can allow people to get to know you.
Keep In Touch With Your Clients
Staying in touch with your former and current clients can help you continue a lasting business relationship. People like to know that you care and that your relationship wasn’t just about earning your commission. Reaching out to them directly from time to time will make them feel valued and appreciated. In real estate, building lasting relationships can set you apart from the others in your field.
Twitter is a widely-used social media platform that allows users to create short posts, otherwise known as tweets, to engage their audience. You can follow anyone, from celebrities to your friends and family.
Here are a few ways real estate agents can use Twitter to their advantage.
Use Hashtags
While many think hashtags serve no purpose, they can double your engagement if you use them correctly. Search for hashtags that are used every 5 minutes that relate to your business or content you’re posting. You can search for relevant hashtags right from your homepage.
Promote Local Activities
If your community has various events that attract a lot of attention, it’s wise to begin tweeting about them. If you can catch the audience at the right time, you may increase your visibility and the number of people who engage with or follow you. If they’re interested in the activity or event, they may think it’s wise to follow you to learn about other events in your community.
Instagram is used to connect people with the products, services and brands they love. As a real estate agent, you can use this platform to connect with other REALTORS® or potential clients. Instagram is a great way to show off your properties and the uniqueness that makes you, you.
Here are a few ways to make the most of Instagram.
Be Unique
Upton says, “You are your brand, so use your social media to show off your unique self, in a professional way. I may highlight my volunteer work with animal welfare organizations in the community as that is something near and dear to me.”
Instagram is a great way to highlight the unique aspects of your brand and business. Instagram users will connect to some of these aspects and want to work with you because they can relate to you.
Connect With Your Audience
Upton adds, “Engage with your sphere regularly, at least a few times a week, but daily is even better.” Engaging with your audience helps you build connections. You can do this by commenting on photos that relate to your brand, replying to comments left on your photos, tagging people in your stories and any other creative initiatives you can think of to engage your audience.
Create Instagram Stories And Polls
Another great way to engage your audience is to add polls and stories to your account. Getting Instagram users to engage with your account is one of the best ways to build connections and broaden your reach.
LinkedIn is a great way to highlight your current and previous work experience. You can request references, connect with colleagues and build a network that may advance your real estate career.
Join LinkedIn Groups
You can expand your network by joining groups related to your real estate business. For example, you may want to join groups like MLS or the National Association of REALTORS®. Try to follow the discussion in each group and contribute your unique content. This will help you gain exposure and market yourself to others in the industry.
Connect With Professionals Outside Your Network
Try connecting with other professionals like lawyers, financial planners, lenders or tax service providers. Connecting with professionals in other industries will help create a sphere of influence outside of the real estate community.
TikTok
Compared to the other social media platforms on this list, TikTok is relatively new. The video-sharing social network, released in 2016, allows users to create and view short-form video content that lasts anywhere from 15-60 seconds. Early on, it appealed mostly to a younger audience, but the app has recently gained popularity with older generations. Today, 48% of users are age 18-29 and 20% of users are 30-49, according to Hootsuite.
Here are a few ways to make the most of TikTok.
Create Educational Videos
From dance challenges to song covers and satire, there are a number of genres of short-form videos available to TikTok users, including educational. Consider your client base and determine their needs. What can you educate them on when it comes to buying or selling a home? Making short videos on one specific topic will make it easier and more entertaining to digest.
Show Off Your Homes
Virtual walkthroughs have become more popular since COVID-19, and TikTok can give you a platform to take your followers into your best homes for sale. Buyers and sellers alike will enjoy any extra attention to their listing and a video highlighting a home’s best features can bring the property to life and help draw more interest than static images can.
Additional Tips For Leveraging Social Media Across All Platforms
While there are specific ways you can use each platform, there are always universal tactics.
- Give your audience great content they can use. “Give something of value to the consumer,” suggests Ross. “It may be expert information, entertainment or both. Social media content should add value to your followers. It’s really not about you.”
- Use the same image and colors across all social media platforms. Consistency like this allows your clients to know what to expect from your brand and can help drive business.
- Prioritize professionalism on all platforms. It’s important to stay away from controversial posts. You don’t want to share anything that can be taken the wrong way or make anyone feel uncomfortable. Before you schedule any posts, make sure they are appropriate and will help grow your brand.
- Ask your followers or connections to share your content. It may surprise you that many people are willing to share your content if you simply ask.
- Produce video content, even when it’s not perfect. Everyone loves video content because it’s a great way to digest the information without spending a lot of time or thought looking at it.
- Select one or two social media platforms that can help you shine. It’s hard to build connections with people across several social media platforms when you’re also trying to build a business. Focusing on one platform can help narrow your focus and truly build a following.
The Bottom Line
Putting your social media accounts to use is a great way to interact with the community while building your business. Use these tips to set your brand apart from the rest.
How do you use social media to engage your audience? We want to hear from you! Please leave your advice in the comments below.
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Lauren Nowacki
Lauren is a Content Editor specializing in personal finance and the mortgage industry. Her writing focuses on reporting the best places to live in the U.S. based on certain interests and lifestyles. She has a B.A. in Communications from Alma College and has worked as a writer and editor for various publications in Philadelphia, Chicago and Metro Detroit.
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