According to Global Web Index, one out of three Internet users look for information about a product or brand on social media networks. Aware of this trend, more and more real estate agencies are turning to social media to promote their brands. However, the more agents that shift to social, the more difficult it is for any single real estate professional to stand out in the crowd.
Realtors that want to be successful on social media need to come up with a unique marketing campaign. Being unique doesn’t necessarily mean being trend-focused or innovative. Sometimes, old is gold, and old school marketing tactics have surprisingly great relevance on social media. Try these four classic marketing techniques to reinvigorate your real estate agency’s or your personal social media campaign.
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Classic Technique: Word-of-Mouth/Friends and Family Recommendations
Reimagined Technique: Online Referral Programs
Online referral programs are the online equivalent of in-person word-of-mouth campaigns. Social media provides the ideal platform for implementing a referral program. It enables the members of your referral program to reach out to a virtually endless pool of potential real estate customers and spread recommendations like wildfire. Additionally, it allows you to recruit new members and give out rewards easily and quickly.
Referrals and recommendations are tried and true marketing tactics in the business world. As the backbone of a good word-of-mouth marketing campaign, they’ve helped numerous businesses expand their customer bases. While it’s an effective way to gain new customers, an offline referral program cannot scale quickly, because it takes more time and effort for a member to spread the word about your business.
In the past, only big real estate companies were able to use referrals and recommendations to great effect. Now, smaller firms can compete on a level playing field with them, thanks to social media.
There are many ways to run a referral campaign. You can either recruit existing customers, vendors, contractors, community organizations, or the general public to become members of your referral program.
Upon completing their required tasks, which can range from lead generation, such as passing on a friend’s email, to conversion, such as securing a client for you, you can reward them accordingly. Make sure to follow state-by-state guidelines of referral programs for agents to understand what’s allowed and what is not.
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Classic Technique: Building Engagement and Trust In-Person
Reimagined Technique: Conversing with Customers Online
Although social media is a powerful tool for improving visibility, it shouldn’t be used for advertising alone. It’s also an excellent platform for engaging and building trust with your customers because it allows for more intimate interactions. Building trust and credibility is especially crucial in the real estate business, where transactions usually involve large sums of money and substantial consideration.
When you share a blog post or another type of content, include a question at the end of it and invite readers or viewers to leave a comment. By doing so, you’ll create a network effect that can lead to greater visibility and engagement. It’s essential that you converse with your social media followers calmly and professionally, in much the same way as you deal with customers in your office.
Recommending or selling a real estate product in a face-to-face situation comes naturally for many real estate agents, but selling online may seem a bit forced or awkward. You can overcome this problem by encouraging your customers to talk about your company or the experience they had working with you on social media.
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Classic Technique: Raising Brand Awareness
Reimagined Technique: Conducting Contests and Giveaways
Holding a contest enables you to reach out to your target demographic. For instance, if you’re targeting millennial home buyers, it’s a good idea to hold a tech-related trivia contest with a new tech gadget as the prize. Always look up state-by-state contest guidelines before running an online contest on social media. After the contest is over, you can use the participants’ contact information to create a custom Facebook audience and continue reaching out to them with great content.
Giveaways are one of the most effective ways to spread the word about your real estate business. You can significantly increase your brand exposure by giving away items that bear your company’s name and logo. It’s recommended that you hand out useful everyday items such as caps, t-shirts, pens, or coffee mugs so that they can advertise your business on a regular basis. Be sure to follow real estate guidelines and best practices when handing out any items.
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Classic Technique: Creating Urgency
Reimagined Technique: Offering Limited-Time Deals
Besides increasing visibility and engagement, social media can also help your real estate agency convert leads into customers. Limited-time offers are natural calls to action that can create a strong sense of urgency in your customers.
Traditionally, such offers were communicated via paid advertising, email marketing, and celebrity endorsements. On social media, you can use niche influencers to create awareness among your target consumers. These influencers can be popular individuals, bloggers, or Facebook groups that belong to your target demographic.
While consumer trends and marketing tools are constantly changing, some age-old marketing tactics have remained perennially effective. By implementing these old-school tactics, you’ll add a whole new dimension to your real estate agency’s social media marketing campaign.
