Employ a Purposeful and Productive Strategy Through 4 Main Content Categories
No matter what social media platforms you engage in…and hopefully there are several…you likely face the same dilemma that most other teams face: What should you post, and how often should you do it?
First, let’s acknowledge that this isn’t math, and there isn’t necessarily one right answer. That being said, what I have discovered while working with agents, teams and brokers nationwide in my coaching programs is that a purposefully balanced approach to social media is proven to generate both increased visibility and additional listing and sales opportunities.
To accomplish that, include the following four types of content in your team’s social media posts:
General Real Estate & Lifestyle: One staple of establishing and maintaining a social media presence is consistently sharing general-interest articles that are related to homes and lifestyle. These keep your name and brand in front of your audience, with the best part being that this can be automated so that it requires very little time or effort on your part. I recommend using ACESocial by RISMedia for this part of your strategy (and you can sign up for a free trial of this service here).
Local Real Estate Activity: You should always post information about any real estate activity that you are doing personally—open houses, new listings, just solds, etc. Doing this will reinforce both your presence and your effectiveness in your local real estate market. If you do not have enough current listings or other activity of your own, however, expand your focus by sharing some of the following: select listings in your area (as allowable in your market), real estate achievements by you or your company, or helpful real estate information about your specific market. The point of this is to demonstrate to your contacts that you are actively engaged in local real estate.
Personal Messages: People need to see your face and hear your voice. The most effective social media strategy must include personal messages directly from you—preferably with video but, at the very least, with photos. You can mix in various topics—personal, client related, funny…whatever—but look at the camera and connect with your audience. When the time comes to list or sell a home, clients and prospects will remember your face and your voice a lot more than they will remember articles or other impersonal (though helpful) information, so this piece is absolutely critical to your social media success.
Lead Generation: Lastly, and arguably most importantly, incorporate current prospecting into your social media outreach. Whether solely within your existing contacts/connections or by also running social media ads, build a system wherein you offer something for free—for example, a first-time seller checklist, new homebuyer guide or a webinar sign-up—and the viewer must provide their contact information (typically name, email and phone only) in order to receive it. In our coaching program, we help our clients implement this using social media, landing pages and their CRM to attract new prospects and then convert them into clients by immediately and automatically providing the requested information and then following up with direct contact.
The frequency that you will post the above messages depends on what social media platforms you use, your current activity and your own personality. I typically recommend that posts occur anywhere from one or two times per week up to daily, or even more often if you have a lot of activity or are an active Twitter user. However often you do it yourself, by following the balanced social media strategy recommended above, you will maintain relevance in the real estate market for your sphere and will expand your opportunities through intentional lead generation.
To learn more about how we have successfully coached our clients to social media success and achieved increased closings as a result, schedule a free 30-minute strategy call with Sherri Johnson Coaching here.
Sherri Johnson is CEO and founder of Sherri Johnson Coaching & Consulting. With 25 years of experience in real estate as an agent, broker and executive, Johnson now shares her proven methods through coaching, consulting and keynote speaking services nationwide. She is a national speaker for the Homes.com Secrets of Top Selling Agents tour and is the Official Real Estate Coach for McKissock Learning and Real Estate Express. Johnson has also been named an RISMedia Real Estate Newsmaker in 2020 and 2021 as an Influencer and Thought Leader. Schedule a free 30-minute coaching strategy session or visit www.sherrijohnson.com for more information.
