I was convinced I had found the PERFECT place to live. It was affordable and in an ideal location. The pictures I viewed online weren’t the best, but I figured it was probably fine…
I eagerly drove to the listing only to quickly realize that I had been misled. As I opened the flimsy front door and stepped into the entryway, I couldn’t help but notice the smell of wet dog. I considered following the yellow-stained carpet throughout the entire place, but I was scared of the sights that were waiting for me past the dingy walls. I turned right around and ran for my life! Well, at least to the safety of my car.
As a realtor, you don’t want to “catfish” your clients and cause them the same amount of stress as I experienced. I personally did not use a realtor, I used a sketchy website, so I will take full responsibility for my ignorance.
My slightly traumatic experience led me to research more carefully and look for legitimate resources when finding a place to call home. Let’s talk about three things realtors could be doing on social media to boost their credibility.
Use Social Media to promote video tours of home listings.
Social media makes it very simple to reach an audience quickly through Facebook or Instagram Live. According to Scott McFarland, if a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth millions. In a matter of seconds, your potential clients can experience a full picture of their dream home in a much more impactful way than just clicking through dozens of photos. You can also create Youtube videos to post to all of your social media avenues.
Use Social Media to provide information about neighborhoods.
Lee Davenport, a realtor in Atlanta, found this to be her secret weapon. After just a month of posting about the local area, she was seen as a trustworthy source and gained new leads left and right. It is important to show potential buyers that you not only understand your listing, but you are familiar with the geographical area. Things like location, school district, restaurants, and entertainment are big factors when deciding on a home. Letting people have a glimpse into this, in combination with the individual home listings, shows that you are paying attention and are aware of the importance of the “whole package” of home buying. You can implement this by posting on a blog, sharing photos, or sharing events posted by others on Facebook in the neighborhoods your listings are in.
Use Social Media to share advice.
You don’t have to give away every tool in your toolbox, but sharing fun ideas on your social sites is a way to engage your audience and build trust. Giving tips to first-time homeowners places your knowledge right next to your listings and links the two together. Your audience is looking for someone who is personable as well as a good seller. “That Real Estate Guy” shows how to combine your advice giving with your video skills.
Following these three social media tips, combined with knowledge of your audience and the appropriate channels to reach them, may yield hundreds of new leads and eventually, neighborhoods full of happy homeowners.