Why a Social Media Presence Is Non-Negotiable For Real Estate Agents

It’s hard to believe that Facebook is now over 14 years old! Yup, that’s right. But did you know that social media is actually over 20 years old?

The first official social media channel was founded in 1997, called Six Degrees. It allowed users to create a profile and connect with other people on the web. It’s easy to forget that social media is in fact quite established because it’s often positioned as a ‘disruptor’, an ‘up-and-coming’ or ‘new innovative marketing tool’. But the fact is, it is not that new. So, can we really keep using the excuse that ‘we just haven’t got around to that whole social media thing’?

If you still haven’t jumped on the social media bandwagon when it comes to your real estate business we are here to have the tough love conversation (and hopefully the inspiration) you need by breaking down why social media is no longer just a ‘nice to have’, it is essential for businesses.

Reason 1: Vendors and landlords now expect it

Vendors are now requesting social media as a standard marketing inclusion when they sell their home. It is no secret that social media channels have enormous reach, in Australia over 17 million people use Facebook and 61% of 40-49 year old’s login to social media daily. In response to this new demand, in the past year, we’ve seen many agencies implement social media products that allow them to execute vendor paid advertising on the social media channels. We’ve also seen the real estate search portals such as Domain and Realestate.com.au roll out similar products to meet the market.

Agents running social media ads through their company’s socials or their portals might tick the box for their vendor, but that approach won’t do much for the agent’s profile. As agents typically leverage new business from the exposure of current listings they miss out on their profile exposure with this approach. A way around this is to run some or all, of your VPA for social media through your own social channels and you will need a business profile to do this.

Vendors know that social media can provide the extra leverage their property needs to find a buyer, or achieve a premium result. Not only are vendors now expecting social media as a crucial part of their property marketing, but they are quite aware of how the platforms work. This means agents now not only need to have a social media presence, but they need to understand how the platforms work.

Reason 2: Attracting quality buyers is becoming more difficult

As the market continues to stabilize, we are seeing agents shift their focus from attracting vendors to looking at new ways to market their listings to buyers. Social media not only has the power to give your property exposure to more potential buyers, but perhaps even more important, you can build a buyer database with social media, so when you have the right listing you already have a hot buyer waiting.

Reason 3: Critical brand exposure

We’re not going to bang on about this too much, we’ve already mentioned the impressive number of users on the social channels and the frequency these platforms get used. Agents who aren’t leveraging their presence on social media are simply missing out on brand exposure in their marketplace. Check out this blog on why social media should be part of your marketing plan or what every business owner needs to know about social media.

Reason 4: The way customers communicate has changed and will continue to do so

Is it possible that email could be made redundant in the next 5 years? Mashable recently reported that many Millennial’s say that they find email ‘too slow’, preferring to use instant messaging systems (such as Slack, Skype messenger and WeChat) that are quicker, have tonnes more functionally and integrate with multiple business systems. With email potentially on the out, it is not hard to see that the way real estate agents communicate with buyers and sellers is set to continue to transform over the next 5 years. People now expect to be able to communicate with brands through social media messaging and also to find out more information about a business through their social platforms.

Reason 5: Google is now competing with social channels for search

Google is in fact now competing for market share with some social channels like Pinterest, Snapchat and Instagram. There is an abundance of content on the social platforms and these channels are seeing more people coming directly to them to search for information, by-passing the search engines. In response, Google is giving its search console a face-lift to make it appear more like the social media platforms. New features will include more photos and videos as well as a personalised ‘Discover’ feed which sounds awfully similar to Instagram’s ‘Explore’ function.

So there you have it, 5 important reasons why a social media presence for agents is essential and we really hope it helps you. If you haven’t yet set up a Facebook Business Page for your agency or your own agent profile grab our freebie below for a quick guide on how to get started.

Confused about the difference between a personal and business page for Facebook, check out this blog.

Struggling with your digital marketing strategy? Why not reach out to @chroniclerepublic today and we will be in touch.

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Chronicle Republic Communications is a boutique Sydney marketing consultancy for real estate, property and interiors professionals. We specialise in social media, content marketing, email marketing, blogging, search engine optimisation, social media advertising and much more!

If you are looking for social media for real estate, property or interior design our digital marketing experts can help you bring your brand’s story to life.