5 Real Estate Social Media Mistakes to Avoid: Strategy, Promotion, Feedback, Engagement, Relationships

Neglecting to have a social media strategy

Real estate businesses that neglect to have a social media strategy are missing out on valuable opportunities to connect with potential clients and grow their brand. In today's digital age, having a strong presence on social media platforms is essential for businesses of all kinds. Without a clear strategy, real estate agents and brokers risk wasting time and resources on ineffective tactics that don't align with their overall business goals.

Importance of having a social media strategy

A well-crafted social media strategy can bring numerous benefits to real estate businesses. Firstly, it allows them to reach a wider audience than traditional marketing methods alone. According to the Pew Research Center, as many as 69% of American adults use at least one form of social media platform regularly (Perrin, 2019). By creating engaging content and sharing it across multiple channels, real estate professionals can attract new followers who may be interested in buying or selling property.

Secondly, having an effective social media strategy enables real estate companies to establish themselves as thought leaders within the industry. Through posting informative articles or videos about market trends or helpful tips for home buyers/sellers, they can build trust among potential clients who view them as knowledgeable experts in the field.

Finally, implementing successful social media strategies has led some companies towards achieving business growth through increased referrals from satisfied customers who share their posts online or recommend their services based on what they see online.

Some notable examples of real estate companies that have implemented successful strategies include Redfin Real Estate which leverages Instagram Stories effectively by featuring short clips highlighting different neighborhoods while Douglas Elliman uses Facebook Live events showcasing unique properties around New York City area.

Consequences of not having a social media strategy

On the other hand failing to devise an effective Social Media Strategy could result in negative consequences like missed opportunity cost where you lose out on prospective leads since your competitors might be more active on these channels leading people into thinking you're outdated/ inactive.

Additionally without engaging your audience on social media, you risk losing out on valuable feedback and not addressing customer complaints or concerns in a timely manner which could tarnish your brand's reputation.

Moreover, failing to develop an effective strategy can also lead real estate businesses to waste resources by investing time and money into creating content that doesn't resonate with their target audience. This can result in lower engagement rates, fewer followers, and ultimately less business growth than competitors who have a strong online presence.

One example of such negative consequences is the case of Blockbuster Video who failed to embrace digital platforms like Netflix leading to its downfall. While another example is many small/ medium sized local businesses that are struggling during COVID-19 due to lack of online presence making it difficult for customers looking for their products/services.

Over-promoting your business and services

As a real estate agent or broker, it's important to promote your business and services effectively in order to attract potential clients. However, over-promotion can have negative consequences on website traffic and click-through rates. In this section, we'll discuss the impact of over-promoting your business and ways to avoid being too pushy.

The negative impact of over-promotion

Over-promotion can turn off potential clients who feel bombarded with promotional material. According to a study by HubSpot, 91% of people have unsubscribed from email lists they previously opted-in for due to receiving too many emails. Additionally, 43% of people mark emails as spam simply because they receive them too frequently.

Similarly, social media users dislike being constantly sold to and are more likely to unfollow accounts that post only promotional content. This means that if you're relying solely on self-promotion through social media posts or email campaigns, you may be losing out on potential leads.

Alternative ways to promote real estate businesses

So how can you effectively promote your real estate business without risking turning off potential clients? Here are some alternative methods:

Provide valuable content

Instead of focusing solely on self-promotional messages, provide value-added content that is informative and helpful for your audience. For example, share articles about local market trends or tips for first-time homebuyers.

By providing valuable information instead of just sales pitches, you position yourself as an authority in the industry which helps build trust with potential clients. This makes them more likely to engage with your brand when they are ready to buy or sell property.

Use successful promotional campaigns

Another way is by using successful promotional campaigns like referral programs or giveaways that don't come across as overly pushy but still drive engagement among customers.

For instance,

Referral program: Offer existing customers rewards such as discounts or gift cards if they refer new customers.

Giveaways: Host contests or raffles on social media to encourage followers to engage with your brand.

These campaigns can be effective in increasing brand awareness and engagement without being too promotional.

Balance self-promotion with valuable content

While it's important to promote your business, you should also balance self-promotion with providing valuable content. A general rule of thumb is the 80/20 rule - where only 20% of your content should be promotional while the rest should consist of informative, educational, or entertaining posts.

By following this rule and providing value-added content alongside self-promotional messages, you can effectively promote your real estate business without risking turning off potential clients.

Ignoring negative comments and feedback

Why responding to negative comments is important

As a real estate agent or broker, it can be tempting to ignore negative comments and feedback on social media. However, this approach can actually do more harm than good for your business. By ignoring negative comments, you may give the impression that you don't care about your clients' concerns or that you're not willing to address any issues they may have.

In fact, studies show that 53% of customers expect businesses to respond within an hour when they leave a negative comment on social media. Furthermore, 72% of consumers who complain on Twitter expect a response within an hour. These statistics demonstrate how important it is for real estate agents and brokers to respond promptly and professionally to any negative feedback they receive.

By responding in a timely manner, you can show potential clients that you value their opinions and are committed to addressing any concerns they may have. This can help build trust with your audience and ultimately lead to increased sales and referrals.

Tips for handling negative comments and feedback

When faced with negative comments or feedback on social media, it's essential for real estate agents and brokers to handle them in a professional manner. Here are some tips for doing so:

1) Respond quickly: As mentioned earlier, speed is key when it comes to responding to negative feedback on social media. Make sure you monitor all of your accounts regularly so you can respond as soon as possible.

2) Acknowledge the issue: Start by acknowledging the customer's concern or complaint. Let them know that their opinion matters and that you take their feedback seriously.

3) Apologize if necessary: If there was a mistake made or something went wrong during the transaction process, apologize sincerely for any inconvenience caused.

4) Move the conversation offline: Once you've acknowledged the issue publicly, move the conversation offline where possible – either through email or phone call – so that further discussion isn’t happening online where everyone can see it.

5) Turn negative feedback into an opportunity: Use negative feedback as an opportunity to improve your business. Ask for more information and try to understand the root cause of the issue so that you can take steps to address it in the future.

6) Follow up: After addressing a negative comment or complaint, make sure you follow up with the customer to ensure they are satisfied with how their concerns were handled. This shows that you genuinely care about their experience and want to make things right.

By following these tips, real estate agents and brokers can turn negative comments into positive experiences for their clients. In fact, some businesses have even turned unhappy customers into brand ambassadors by responding proactively and resolving issues in a timely manner.

Failing to engage with your audience and build relationships

The benefits of engaging with your audience

Engaging with your audience on social media can have a positive impact on website traffic and click-through rates. In fact, according to research by HubSpot, businesses that engage with their followers on social media see a 54% increase in website visitors compared to those who don't engage. Additionally, the same study found that businesses that interacted with their customers via social media had higher conversion rates than those who didn't. This is because engaging with your audience helps build trust and credibility, which can lead to increased sales.

Tips for engaging with your audience and building relationships

To effectively engage with your audience and build relationships through social media, it's important to do so in a meaningful way. Here are some tips:

Respond promptly: When someone reaches out or comments on one of your posts, respond as soon as possible. This shows that you value their input and care about what they have to say.

Be authentic: People want to connect with real people behind the brand. Share personal stories or experiences related to real estate that will resonate with potential clients.

Offer valuable content: Create content like blog posts or infographics that provide useful information for buyers or sellers looking for advice.

Personalize interactions: Use people's names when responding to them directly on social media platforms - this makes the interaction more personal

Build rapport over time: Follow up regularly (but not too often) after an initial conversation has ended - this builds trust over time.

By following these tips consistently over time you'll be able establish yourself as an expert within your field while also creating stronger connections between yourself and potential clients. A great example of a business successfully implementing these tactics is Redfin Real Estate; They use Twitter effectively by sharing helpful articles related homes buying/selling topics alongwith answering customer queries timely way thus providing personalized service leading towards building strong relationships .

Conclusion

In conclusion, real estate businesses must avoid social media marketing mistakes in order to increase website traffic and click-through rates. By developing a solid strategy, promoting content effectively, actively seeking feedback from customers, engaging with followers consistently, and building strong relationships with clients online, agents and brokers can establish themselves as experts in their field and attract more potential buyers and sellers. Social media platforms are powerful tools for reaching a wider audience and amplifying brand recognition. However, using them without care or consideration can lead to negative consequences such as loss of credibility or reputation damage. Therefore it is important for real estate professionals to invest time into learning how to properly use social media for business purposes so that they can reap its benefits fully while avoiding common pitfalls.