If you are a real estate agent who has a blog and are not using Pinterest as part of your social media marketing strategy then you are missing the boat! If you ask most real estate bloggers who have adapted Pinterest as one of their social networks, more than likely you’ll hear rave reviews of just how good the traffic can be. One of the unique things about Pinterest is the length of time in which something that is shared can drive traffic. When you share something on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or any other social site there is usually a good rush of interaction over the first few days and then your exposure quickly dies down. This is not the case with Pinterest – in fact, it’s quite the opposite!
Pinterest is the number one source of social media traffic to Massachusetts Real Estate Exposure, my combination blog/real estate site. One of the reasons for this is the “shelf life” of the pins you share. Pinterest sharing is an endless cycle that continues to generate more traffic when the content is exceptional. Outstanding real estate content on Pinterest can be shared for months and months even years.
There are a number of ways to ensure that Pinterest will become an important place for real estate social media exposure. The first piece of advice is to be sure that your mindset is not on your real estate listings. I see this mistake all the time from real estate agents. Very few people are going to share them unless you are marketing a luxurious mansion. Instead, show off your knowledge as an agent.
Here are some quick tips to make Pinterest work for you as a REALTOR®:
- Like any other social network, make sure what you are sharing is quality content.
- The most shared pins are those that are “tall” and not squares. Pay careful attention to this.
- Reciprocate with others. Social media is not just about sharing your own content. The best social media marketers readily share other people’s content.
- Don’t just share real estate content. Make sure your boards are well rounded with other appealing content. In fact, you can check out my Pinterest profile to see how my boards are constructed.
- Make listings a small part of your focus. Most people couldn’t care less about the 3 bedroom ranch you just listed. Unless the property is a glamorous luxury home it won’t get pinned.
- Apply for “Rich Pins”. This adds html mark-up to your pins that make them stand out from others.
- Join the best real estate group boards!
Why Join Group Boards?
Once you have gotten your feet wet on Pinterest it will be time to really ramp up your exposure. There is no better way of doing this than by joining some of the top Pinterest real estate group boards. Group boards allow anyone who has been invited to collaborate together. They typically have rules that must be followed in order to keep the board on topic and focused.
The beauty of group boards is they typically have a massive following, far more than an individual would have. Why does this matter? The keyword here is, again, EXPOSURE. When you share your best content to group boards it gets seen by far more people. The opportunity to have your content shared by a focused group of people, like real estate professionals, goes up exponentially. This creates opportunities for you to grow your following very quickly. If you share something interesting on a group board many of the people looking at it could end up following you.
What Are the Real Estate Groups to Join?
So what are the best Pinterest group board for Realtors® to join? Below are some of the largest and most active real estate boards found on Pinterest.
- Pinterest Real Estate Group Board– This is one of the largest real estate boards found on Pinterest with just under 12,000 followers and 300 members. This board encompasses a variety of real estate topics from general sales advice, financing, staging, home improvement, marketing, technology and social media. Invited members are highly influential in the real estate industry and often are seen in other social networks. There are some strict rules including not being allowed to pin listings, market reports, news or local information. There are over 7,100 pins!
- Real Estate/Home Improvement/Realtor® Advice– This board is similar to the above mentioned board and has many of the same rules that need to be followed. There are currently 8,300 followers and 102 members. There are 2,400+ pins.
- Real Estate/Mortgage/Social Media– This is an up-and-coming board that is just starting to grow in size and stature. There are just under 7,000 followers with only 15 active posting members. Let’s get this one growing people! There are 700+ pins.
- Buying a home and mortgage advice– This is another excellent group board not only for real estate agents, but mortgage professionals as well. Much of the content focuses on home buying along with finance and mortgage topics. The board is quite large with just under 16,000 followers and 140 members. There are 1,600 pins.
If you have not added Pinterest group boards to your social media arsenal, I would highly recommend you do so. By joining these boards, your content will be exposed to a large, active group of people currently using Pinterest as part of their real estate content marketing strategy. You can join these real estate boards by emailing the respective owners. This information can be found by visiting the boards. Just remember to make sure you are respectful of the group board rules!
Other Pinterest Resources Worth a Look
- Using Pinterest For Real Estate via Placester.
- How to master Pinterest as a real estate agent via RESAAS Blog.
- Using Pinterest for social media exposure via Massachusetts Real Estate News.
Use these additional resources to learn how to use Pinterest well as a real estate agent. Once you have some of the ground rules down for Pinterest, you will find it a fantastic place for drawing web visitors back to your blog or website. Best of luck on your Pinterest journey!
Bill Gassett is a nationally recognized real estate leader who has been helping people move in and out of the Metrowest Massachusetts area for the past 29+years. He has been one of the top RE/MAX REALTORS® in New England for the past decade. In 2015, he was the number 5 RE/MAX agent in Massachusetts. Connect with him on Google+.
This post was originally published on RISMedia’s blog, Housecall. Check the blog daily for top real estate tips and trends.
