Social media is a must for every agent. Regardless of where you stand in your career, whether you’re just starting out or you’re an industry veteran, social media is an unavoidable necessity in today’s world.
However, not only is it important to get into the social media game, it’s important to do it right, and the first thing to do is to avoid these common mistakes.
1- Posting Only About Listings
Constantly posting about listings makes for a pretty stale and boring feed which may discourage people from following and interacting with you. Listings should only be a part of your social media content strategy instead of the main focus.
2- Worrying about Revealing Too Much
Don’t shy away from sharing aspects of your “real,” non-professional life. Social media should be a platform to share all aspects of yourself to engage people, not just your professional side, this may range from hobbies to pets.
3- Comparing Yourself to Other Real Estate Agents
Don’t succumb to vicious tendencies of comparison, social media is a highlight reel of people’s lives and so you should focus on curating your own rather than comparing it to others. Focus on putting the best of yourself and your content on social media rather on seeing what others are doing.
4- Focusing on Yourself Instead of Your Clients
The purpose of your social media is to connect with your clients and share with them certain aspects of your life. That’s why you should think of your clients, present or ideal, and develop your content around them. Make your posts about them and their needs rather than about you.
5- Asking for Business
Always offer your help and work on attracting business, but don’t mistake this for asking for business. It’s important to never outwardly ask for business, this will backfire on you and project a negative image on your business.
6- Embellishing Listing Features or Business Information
You should benefit from the influence of social media to post pictures and information about your real estate listings. However, it’s important not to make the mistake of taking things too far and exaggerating. It’s best to adopt a strategy of transparency.
7- Paying People to Engage on Social Media
There are two ways to attract more engagement, an organic social media strategy or paid ads. Paying for likes and fake reviews should be avoided at all costs, while it may seem to be a good short term idea, it has no long term benefits and will only end up backfiring on you.
8- Ignoring SEO
Nowadays, SEO is a key component of any online content, it’s impossible to build a strong, sustainable online business presence without proper optimization. Having an up-to-date SEO strategy is a must to ensure people find you.
9- Posting Only in One ‘Style’
Leverage the endless possibilities offered by social media and post a variety of types and formats of content. Don’t limit yourself to a specific type or style of content which may become redundant and boring for your followers.
10- Not Engaging with Your Audience
Always interact with your audience and make sure to acknowledge their interactions with your content. Just like they comment and like, you should as well. Ignoring your audience may leave a bad taste in their mouth which will negatively affect your reputation and consequently, your business.
11- Not Using Proper Grammar & Spelling
Make sure you’re using correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. All eyes are on you and it’s important to reflect a positive and professional image, an image that would evaporate should you use incorrect grammar and spelling.
12- Not Posting New, Original Content
Curating content is a strategy adopted by many, it is helpful due to the lack of unlimited resources to dedicate towards creating content. However, it’s vital not to neglect the importance of creating original content because this content will be driver of your social presence.
