Social Media Advertising: Does it matter for agents?

Social media is everywhere these days making the pressure to advertise on these platforms huge. But advertising on social media can be difficult and time-consuming. Does it pay off? Does it matter?

It does.

Further along in this blog we’ll talk about traditional, purchased ads on social media, but first there’s something more important to cover: if you want to get the most leads out of social media platforms, you need to revamp your definition of advertising.

Your business’s social media pages are ads in of themselves.  

They are one of your best options to build relations, increase brand recognition, and expand your sphere of influence. Here are our five best practices rules for turning your social media sites into effective, low-maintenance tools for effective brand advertising.

1. Keep your focus local. Prove yourself to be an expert in local culture, markets, and interests. When you’re planning out your content and connections, think about local issues and community members. What popular local businesses or groups can you boost from your page? What stories will make residents feel good about their community? What unique advice can you offer because of your real estate experience?
2. Consider it a top-of-mind campaign. Social Media is about relationships and fans. That’s another way of saying it’s ideal for top-of-mind campaigns. You can build relationships on social media faster than you can in person and with less effort. Reply to people’s comments. Ask your followers questions. Keep your posts professional and polite, even if others online aren’t behaving well.
3. Follow the 80/20 rule. This means 80% of your posts should be content that focuses on your clients’ wants, needs, and likes, while only 20% should directly advertise your services. Does this make social media posting sound like a waste of time because you’re only posting about your business one-fifth of the time? Think again! Remember, your whole business profile is an ad. Posting a high volume of local interest content pulls in more
4. Post your listings. Listings fall somewhere in between the above two categories, because they broadcast your business and intrigue your followers—especially ones interested in real estate or thinking about moving. Exactly the type of people your top-of-mind campaigns should target.

But what if you want to go the extra mile and take out actual paid ads on social media?

Facebook ads are a great place to start:

• Target people through their interests and behaviors. Facebook has a behavioral category for “people likely to move.” Start there! But also think about the demographics you usually serve— income, age, hobbies, community connections, zip codes—and use these to focus your ad profile.
• Include a call to action in your ads. When a viewer is looking at you’re ad, they’re thinking only about you. Capitalize on that by giving them something to do! Offers to download special information—like more information on a listing or exclusive advice—are classic. Give viewers a specific reason to trust you and contact you.
• Remember Facebook ads are display ads. That means they’re in the Facebook newsfeed or off to one side, and viewers know they’re ads. To grab and keep their attention, your ads need to be visually engaging, direct, and simple. Keep your pitch clear and always include simulating visuals.

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