The world is digital and mobile, and we have heard it many times. We have seen many businesses advertise on social media. Some ads are worth the time and investment, while others are not. In fact, what many businesses and professionals do not see is that social media marketing is more than what meets the eye.

Toronto is digital savvy and is among the fastest-growing cities in North America. The Canadian metropolis is a hotbed for real estate investment. However, the city is currently enduring the highest prices ever endured in its existence.

Toronto’s Real estate businesses have been using social media in promoting their business and properties (especially Toronto Condos). This has helped buyers find their desired home online conveniently without having to spend a lot of time at the realtor’s office.

Social media marketing for real estate businesses is an essential marketing strategy that helps realtors get connected with their audience. Today’s audience spends quite some time on social media these days.

In fact, social media marketing is a key part of the marketing strategies of all businesses and corporations alike (real estate is no exception). It is suggested that around 77% of realtors are actively using social media for their businesses in one way or the other.

Keeping in view the ever-evolving usage of social media channels across various demographics, the existence of real estate businesses on social media is no big deal.

Factors making social media a top platform for realtors and real estate businesses alike is the ability to connect, engage and promote to their target audiences based on their behavior, interests, and locale.

Realtors can always explore multiple channels to promote their services to the right prospective customers. In order to stay ahead of the competition, realtors must follow some of the best practices in the market to stay ahead and thrive.

Advantages of using social media marketing in real estate

Real estate is a competitive market and realtors need a platform to reach out to their target audience. They need to reach their customers, create their brand, catch & nurture prospective leads into buyers, expand their network and curtail unnecessary marketing costs.

Some advantages real estate businesses have in using social media for their promotion are as under:

• It helps raise the outreach.
• It creates an opportunity for brand building.
• It enhances realtors’ networks.
• It aids in creating top-quality leads.

Best social media marketing practices for real estate businesses this year

Realtors use social media networks and apps (like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat and YouTube) in order to connect & engage with their customers and prospects. Such also allows them to publish content, interact with customers, answering their queries, contacting them and advertising to the right target audience.

Social media is a powerful marketing tool all realtors can take advantage of. It is hence imperative to follow certain best practices so they can bring the best out of their social media marketing strategies and stay ahead of the competition this year.

Let us now have a look at some of the best practices’ realtors should follow for their social media marketing strategies this year:

1. Using the correct social media channels

Based on the product(s), service(s) and audience(s), there is a multitude of social media channels & networks a real estate business can use. They need to identify the right network(s) based on their target audience’s demographics.

They must ensure that the demographics and persona of target prospects are represented in the demographics of social networks. Among them are age, education, location, profession, income group and the like.

Another top practice for these businesses is to explore alternate social networks. LinkedIn is a business networking platform having millions of users from diverse demographics. Hence, real estate businesses must leverage on such platforms to target their audience whenever they spend time on it.

Pinterest is another interesting social channel for real estate businesses. They can showcase beautiful images of their properties’ portfolio in engaging users. They must share their contact info to talk to users and prospective customers directly. In fact, educating the audience on home improvement is a bonus tip to help them get engaged with more users.

2. Consistency is key to their success

On social network channels, there are millions of subscribers (including brands & businesses alike). Numerous brands have established themselves on these networks and have made it hard for newcomers to enter and create their communities here.

One of the key solutions to this is for them to publish relevant and relatable content on their social media handles, consistently.

Regardless of whether its Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or Twitter; consistency is key for real estate businesses to win more followers and engaging them.

Each channel has its ideal number of posts per day. For instance, Facebook specialists suggest around 8 to 10 posts daily can gather enough, likes, shares, comments and followers to their channel. Similarly, Instagram demands more consistency in terms of posting content.

Hence, it is best for real estate businesses to consistently publish 4 to 5 posts in their content daily. This will help them build a strong social community and stay ahead of the competition. They can plan their content ahead of schedule with a social calendar & use tools like HootSuite and Buffer to schedule their future posts.

3. Posting customer success stories helps add creativity to content

Real estate businesses should post pictures of properties they are selling or renting out. But they need to add more creativity to their content. One of those creative ways is sharing customer success stories and testimonials. This is a proven way to emotionally engage their audiences.

Another way for realtors to creative content is not just about sharing pictures of residential and commercial properties but content around the neighborhoods and locales surrounding the properties.

Other ideas for creative content include the company’s accomplishments in the field, highlights from events, market and industry trends, home improvement ideas and showcasing special properties. In fact, realtors can use Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat stories to share engaging videos of properties in the spotlight.

IGTV is Instagram’s TV channel and it allows users (and businesses alike) to share longer videos on Instagram in comparison to regular posts. They can use tools like story slicer in order to create engaging videos of client interviews, giving users a sneak peek in select properties, walkthroughs in neighborhoods, event coverage and the like.

Content from influencers and industry thought leaders can be shared on social media with due credit being given to the owner.

4. Engaging constantly with followers is a must

Social media networks are the best platform in creating an online community around the brand and keeping it engaged. To engage them, the business must be in constant engagement with their connections and followers.

Real estate businesses must ensure that every comment on their social pages is replied to and must also respond to any and all tags wherever the page is mentioned. Facebook messenger is another good place for connecting with followers regularly. Instagram and Facebook story features must be utilized to ask followers questions in order to understand how to serve them better.

Another way for them to engage with their followers is to go live. This feature is available on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Taking the audience on a live tour of the next event helps garner real-time engagement on a new level.

5. Budgeting the finances accordingly

It is essential for real estate marketers to leverage all marketing solutions and technologies via the best channels to reach the audience is no longer a secret. It is also a good way to cut through the fluff. One way of doing such is social media ads.

Social media ads are formatted using algorithms and help give insights to real estate professionals into who, what and where their advertising needs to be targeted. This prevents wastage of time and resources spent on broader and unrelated demographics.

Data collected from advertising modules determine which advertising initiatives generate the most interest, where the interest comes from, and which demographics are most engaging. This provides intellectual insights driven by outcomes that can help optimize future marketing campaigns into more cost-effective and smart advertising efforts.

6. Checking outcomes

Real estate businesses should always check data and keep analyzing the results of campaigns. Social media analytics will help them keep track of the content’s performance and helps realtors understand which content performed the best, which timings are best to post, when does the content receive engagement and which channel adds the most value.

Through analytics, real estate marketers can find the all-round sentiment around the brand on social media, which platforms deliver maximum value, which advertising initiatives brought the maximum ROI and how they can be used to improve both organic and paid social strategies. This can also help in creating future content and messaging.

Conclusion

The goal of real estate businesses is to catch quality leads from their marketing tactics. Social media ranks among the finest channels in lead generation and creation of communities where they can connect, engage and converse with their audiences. The practices mentioned above can help real estate businesses make the best out of their social media campaigns for 2020 and beyond.