There are so many reasons to use social media if you’re in the real estate industry. The greatest one of all is simple. Your current and potential clients are already there, and some of them may already be shopping. A social media presence makes it easy for people to be in touch with you on their terms, “opting-in” to your messaging by liking your Facebook page, following you on Twitter, or subscribing to your blog.
A second important motivation to use social media is the ability to respond to any negative comments that may appear in social communities, diffusing possible inconveniences before they can occur.
So what’s the worth of social interactions that take place on Facebook or Twitter versus those that take place via email or phone? Consider that these negative comments are made public and can be easily viewed by anyone. The online world is a huge public forum, so would-be clients can get a first-hand look at how an agent works. How are their communication skills? Are they knowledgeable? This kind of transparency is priceless, especially when it comes to making highly emotional investments like real estate.
Keeping track of social mentions and interactions can be a complex task, but there are various tools at our finger-tips that allow realtors to observe mentions of their name and other important keywords. Setting up Google alerts is easy and free, but paid tools like Spiral16 or Radian6 can provide more valuable data and analysis.
The role of social media in building consumer consciousness for realtors and real estate firms can be as straightforward as posting market updates and buyer/seller tips, or it can be as multifaceted as monitoring social communities for individuals talking about buying and selling real estate as well as keeping in contact with them. By frequently posting useful, valuable content that demonstrates your brand’s breadth of industry expertise, you improve your company’s stance as a market leader in the eyes of the online public.
