Social Skills: 5 Social Media Red Flags Every Agent Should Avoid

While social media is an essential tool for real estate professionals looking to expand their reach, knowing the best (and worst) practices is crucial. Having a successful online presence involves careful consideration of the content you share, and an understanding of what could lead to potential pitfalls that could undermine your professional reputation. 

Explore these five types of social media posts that every real estate agent should avoid. From safeguarding client confidentiality to maintaining a reputable and trustworthy image, these actionable insights will ensure your online presence and social media profiles lead to more sales, transactions, business relationships and success.

Your schedule: Protecting your privacy and security

While it may be tempting to share your busy schedule and upcoming appointments, posting detailed personal or business schedules can pose inherent risks, particularly for personal safety, as well as privacy. Be sure to limit posting your schedule to only your open house dates and times, and offer a website, phone number or calendar invite for specific meetings.

Instead of sharing the details of your schedule, focus on content that emphasizes your expertise, recent achievements and market insights. This will help you maintain a professional image without compromising your safety and security.

Confidential information: Safeguarding trust and legal integrity

Real estate, whether buying, selling or shopping, involved confidential and sensitive details. Disclosing information about ongoing deals, client specifics or other proprietary information not only breaches trust, but can also have legal consequences. Showcase your successes without divulging confidential information that could harm your reputation and business relationships.

Prioritize the privacy of your clients by maintaining a professional approach and discretion on social media. Instead of posting client information or details during a sale, consider asking your clients for testimonials that you can share with your audience.  

Political content: Staying neutral for a broad audience appeal

Politics can be a polarizing topic, and expressing personal political views on professional social media accounts may alienate potential clients. To appeal to a broad audience, it is crucial to remain neutral on political matters, as it can polarize your audience and create hostility in your business.

Focus on sharing industry-related content, market insights and your expertise to establish a professional identity that transcends personal beliefs, creating a more inclusive and welcoming online presence without the influence of personal political biases. 

Stolen or copyrighted content: Respecting intellectual property

Reposting content without proper attribution or permission can lead to legal repercussions. To build a reputable online presence, respect intellectual property rights and avoid sharing images, articles, videos or any other content without crediting the original creators. Sharing content without proper attribution can result in legal issues, damaging your professional reputation and potentially leading to financial penalties.

Showcase your own work, share success stories and establish yourself as a thought leader through original and valuable content will ensure your standing as an authentic and relatable industry professional. Creating and sharing your own content will demonstrate your expertise and originality.

Negative or inappropriate content: Maintaining a positive and professional image

Your online presence is an extension of your professional identity. Negative or inappropriate content can tarnish your reputation, making it difficult to attract clients and build successful business relationships. Maintaining a positive online image ensures a favorable first impression when potential buyers and sellers start researching an agent. 

Curate content that showcases your commitment to professionalism, client satisfaction and ethical business practices. Foster a positive and inviting online presence that highlights your dedication to providing a seamless real estate experience.

Are you looking to boost your online presence, enhance your content and grow your real estate business? RISMedia’s ACESocial is truly simple content marketing proven to highlight your expertise, increase engagement, generate leads and build brand awareness—all in one place. To learn more or sign up today, visit  acesocial.rismedia.com.