Social Media as a viable tool in Real Estate

Social media is a relentless globe trotter who has proven over the years that he is on an unending quest and like Duracell battery; “it never says die,” however don’t abuse it because doing so will be at your own peril

Social media is one of the fastest and most cost effective ways to share your brand with a large audience. Social media grants you the leverage to connect with clients and expand your professional networks, that’s how viable the tool is.

Although Real Estate is a business that thrives on in-person connections, there is a need to go the extra mile if you have big dreams for your real estate business and just like many other human endeavour, a growing social media presence in real estate is beginning to take the driver’s seat. Social media has become the most utilized tool of human preoccupation. The amount of time and attention social media gulps to his promiscuous self is mind puzzling; show me anyone who hasn’t used at least one social media platform in a lifetime and I will show you a dead man.

“What am I saying, sef?” Even the dead get busy in the after-life with facebook as they await rapture, right?

The use of social media platforms is a worthy effort in growing your real estate business because it helps you to stay in touch with clients, ensures that you are accessible to your clients and helps you respond to your clients faster. It also gives you a real picture of who to market your real estate business to, therefore social media should be an integral tool in your real estate marketing plan.

So if you ain’t doing social media in that real estate business of yours then your party hasn’t gotten started yet.

However it is possible that a lot of people involved in real estate business are actually social media beginners or have not even began social media interactions to start with so telling them to apply social media in their real estate businesses may be a drawback. But we can try to change our orientation, can’t we?

Consequent of the aforementioned premise, NREH rounds up a handful of social media dos and don’ts for real estate that will have you socializing (and building your brand) like a pro in no time at all, as extracted from “the dos and don’ts of social media for real estate by Geneva Ives,” marketing writer for Point2;

DO Pick Your Poison
Be wary of spreading yourself too thin. There are literally hundreds of social media platforms out there. It’s better to be good at a few than to be bad at all, so choose one or two places to start and focus on posting consistently. You can always expand your presence later. Facebook, Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn are great options for real estate because they have a critical mass of users and a good mind share of the general public.
DO Stay Positive
No one wants to follow a Negative Nancy. We all have bad days and tricky clients from time to time, but it’s important to project a positive image of yourself and your business. Instead of sharing what’s going wrong for you, focus on what’s working in your favor. Share good news, inspiring photos and helpful tips. And never miss an opportunity to publicly say ‘thank you’ via social.
DO Interact
Interaction is key to creating a social media personality that attracts connections and referrals. If someone tweets you, reply promptly. If you like a post, let the author know by taking the time to share it or leave a thoughtful comment. What goes around comes around in the world of social media. The more you reach out to others now, the more likely they are to reach out to you in the future.
DON’T Only Post Listings
Many agents see Twitter and Facebook as exciting new avenues for sharing listings – and they’re right to a degree – but don’t forget the bigger picture. If you only post listings, you’re not being social, you’re being a salesman, or even worse, a bulletin board. And, like all other obvious advertising, it won’t be long before your intended audience tunes you out.
DON’T Over-share
On the other end of the social media spectrum is the agent who over-shares – broadcasting every moment of his or her day, whether it’s real estate related or not. Remember that you are communicating with potential clients every time you post. The topics of your public posts, and the language you use, should be similar to what you would say in the workplace.
DON’T Give Up
Even if you follow all of these pointers, if you’re charming and consistent and you share useful content, you probably won’t gain thousands of followers in the first week. But don’t quit! Slow and steady growth builds a strong and loyal network. Review your history to see which posts on which platforms created the most engagement and tweak your future social media actions accordingly

Now you must agree with me that you have all it takes to inculcate social media into your real estate. Realty point clocked 10 years last month and one of the most utilized tool that has put them in the fore front of real estate business in Nigeria is their various social media platforms. Remember the arguably biggest real estate blog in Nigeria -Nigeria Real Estate Hub; www.nigeriarealestatehub.com  is a franchise of Realty point – another worthy social media platform that ensures realty point get rave reviews.

In summary, it is important to establish a social presence in the media for your real estate business to stay afloat. However, real estate agents have failed to effectively use the various social media platforms to get engagements and create expansions for their real estate business due to ignorance, lack of education and sheer neglect.

If buying a home is arguably one of the most important purchases in an individual’s life then don’t you think the most time consuming tool of human avocation should be one of the most sought after tool to accomplish that big purchase. A business without a social media presence had better have other viable means it dwells on for its success.

Needless to say that you can be all you can because all you can be is in you!