Would you buy a house from someone on Facebook?
Would you list your property for sale on Instagram?
As an estate agent, are you using business accounts on social media platforms to buy and sell houses?
If social media is not something you are familiar with, it might seem like a strange idea at first. However, in 2021, advertising a house on social media platforms is arguably one of the most powerful ways to create a buzz around property listings, reach several potential buyers and finding the perfect property for you – either to live in or for investments purposes.
The property industry has responded to this increased demand over the years online by advancing their marketing process through social media. These tools at our fingertips help estate agents, letting agents and investors alike to share information about properties they have available with an audience wider than they could ever have dreamed.
Over the last few years, the importance of social media within the UK property market has grown exponentially. Like many other industries and businesses, property investors and all the other associated services like sale and letting, are using social media like never before to help build and grow their businesses to successes far beyond what they have ever been before.
According to a recent study from the National Association of Realtors, 77% of estate agents use social media, and 99% of millennials begin their home search online rather than in-person referrals. That is an astounding statistic. This might sound cliché but what this ultimately means is that if you are not using social media – whether you are buying or selling or looking to rent – you are most definitely missing out. The fact that most of these channels are free also makes it easier to get involved and to utilize their offerings.
If you want to build your brand and help create a wider exposure to your properties or view potential property deals, it is key to learn how to the maximize the advantages of social media marketing. Here are our top tips and tricks for getting started.
1. Decide which platforms to use
Firstly, choose and decide which of the platforms are most effective for your property business. Take some time out to research how each platform works, who their audience demographic is and how it can help enhance your business. When you decide who you want to reach and how, you will be able to see which platform has the most synergies between you and your business and which ones will be the right fit.
In the UK, the most popular and most used social media platforms are listed below:
1. Facebook
2. Youtube
3. Instagram
4. Linkedin
5. Twitter
6. TikTok
7. Pinterest
Facebook, YouTube and Instagram work well in the UK for property investors. There is a large network online across these platforms of people from all over the UK who are engaged, helpful and active. These networks also include a wide range of people in specialist roles so not only can you advertise and find properties, you can also count on these networks to help find new and recommended members for your power team. This could include a local accountant, estate agent, builder, plumber, survey…. The list goes on!
It is also important to note that you don’t have to use every single social media platform available. We all have a finite number of hours in the day and managing social media accounts can be overwhelming. We would suggest you pick one, two or three depending on how much time you are able to dedicate and create a plan and just focus on the tools you have chosen.
2. Identify your target audience
Once you have decided which platform you would like to use, you need to identify your target audience. Your audience might be very targeted, for example, if you have a variety of serviced accommodation units in Sunderland and you want to advertise them, you will need to ensure your followers and following is made up of the type of person who is similar to your clients who book regular stays.
You might be using social media for a variety of reasons – to advertise your properties, to find investors, to search for a new builder, or even for design and style inspiration for your latest bathroom renovation. It is okay to have a wider desired audience, you just need to consider these different groups of people when posting and interacting in order to connect with as many of them as possible.
Once you have started posting and gaining moment, many of the tools allow you to drill down into exactly who is engaging with you. You can often view age groups, gender and location. This data will help you get a better understanding of whether your account is going in the direction you desire or not and you can make changes and tweaks based on this information.
3. Post, share and interact
If you have just decided to create a social media account for your property investment business, it is really important to spend time thinking about what you are trying to achieve from your posts. This will then inform the nature of the content you post and make your life a little easier. Without direction or a plan, your posts might seem like they are a little off-brand or do not really have a purpose. Each post needs to have a purpose and meaning, even if it is a throwback or a holiday snap. As long as your message is clear, this is a great start and a step in the right direction.
The more you post, the more comfortable you will get over time with using social media as a tool for your business. There is so much to be gained from using these tools. The more organized you can be, the better. Creating content in batches and planning out weeks and months in advance can really help. It is useful to create a content calendar and look at various special occasions throughout the year that you know you want to post about. You can also use free scheduling tools such as Hootsuite and Sprout Social to help manage your posting and automate some of the work.
Take advantage of hashtags too. Using hashtags in your posts can attract a broader and more diverse audience outside your circle of social media friends and followers. Use hashtags that are relevant to your topic. Hashtags are important on Instagram but less so on Facebook, for example. They can work well on LinkedIn too so just make sure the tips and tricks you are learning are relevant to the platforms you have chosen to use.
The main point to remember is that you are creating a community and community is there to be interacted with. You can post all you want but if you do not engage with your followers and those you follow, you might not see the results you want.
4. Photos & videos are King!!
With regards to property investing in particular, it is really important to remember to take great pictures of all your projects. You can create amazing before and after collages or ask people’s opinions on what they think you should do next.
Pictures and videos can be really powerful when helping you sell a house. Just like on Rightmove and Zoopla, pictures are super important on your social media platforms. Even if your message is poignant and exciting, across most platforms, visuals are just as important and the message might get lost without a picture to accompany it.
Use your phone or use a photographer – whatever works best for you. The more you capture in images, the more content you have available to share and enjoy.
It is also important to remember that people want to know about YOU! They want to know about you personally - why you are online and why you are sharing what you are sharing. People work with people who they know, like and trust and your followers and community won’t be able to like or trust you if they don’t know enough about you. Get out of your comfort zone and share information about yourself in order to help build a stronger brand and therefore, a stronger connection to others.
5. Virtual home tours
Bring your properties to life with videos. Today, most people spend hours daily watching and scrolling through videos on online. Why not get a maximum online exposure of your property postings through virtual home tours?
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, video tours of properties are becoming more and more common. Most buyers would want to browse the internet and do their property search rather than doing in-person viewings. Most estate agents offer walk-through videos and you can do the same. Showing people inside your properties is a great way to showcase your brand, the quality of your refurbs and are great sneak-peaks for potential news tenants or buyers who exist in your following.
You can narrate the video yourself or add fun music and words to grab people’s attention.
6. Share your expertise
It is important to remember to be helpful. If you can add value to someone’s experience, they are always more likely to like and trust you and ultimately, do more business with you in the future. You can do this by writing and sharing blog posts with helpful tips and information that you have learnt from your experiences. These can also be recorded as videos for Youtube too. Helping people, offering advice and sharing your knowledge is something that will really add value to your brand and platform.
Creating inspirational content allows you to showcase yourself as a critical thought-leader in your industry and in turn, people will respect and enjoy what you have to say and share.
In summary…
Social media and the online world can be daunting, however, we strongly believe that if it is something you are committed to engaging in and working on, it will pay dividends in the long run. It is a great investment for your business and brand.
Over the last few years, we have used our social media to buy properties, sell properties, raise angel finance, find solicitors, make wonderful new friends and so much more. Anyone can do it – you just have to try!
The most important thing to remember is to have fun! Managing social media accounts can be fun and exciting and you get the opportunity to be as creative as you like with what you right and capture and share.
If you would like more help learning exactly how we grew our brand the way we did on social media, and for any extra top tricks and tips, you can book a 1-1 Power Hour with us today - https://calendly.com/lucy-winovaproperties
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