Do You Have a Healthy Social Media Strategy?

Let's take a quick inventory of your social media profiles. Are they dominated by multiple links to your listings and generic market updates? Do they contain overly personal updates with little mention of your business? How about your posts—are they collecting likes, shares, and comments, or just dust?

If all you're posting is self-promotional items or, at the other extreme, deeply personal (read: unprofessional) updates, you run the risk of alienating your followers.

Successful social media is all about balance, according to Realtor and social media expert Jeff Lobb. Lobb is leading an all-star panel at the upcoming realtor.com® Results Summit that's all about finding the sweet spot between being professional and being relatable on social media.

You don't want to come across as a robot focused on business only, but you also don't want to make your followers feel awkward because of overly intimate posts. Here are a few tips that can help you find that balance (for in-depth advice, register to attend the realtor.com® Results Summit):

• Treat social media like a party - When considering what's appropriate to post, think of social media like a social event. You wouldn't walk up to a stranger and immediately start bragging about all the homes you sold last month, right? We didn't think so. Similarly, you wouldn't start unloading your marital or health issues on someone you just met, so don't do it online, either! Save that for your nearest and dearest.
• Separate your professional and personal accounts - If you don't already have a Facebook business page, set one up! This will make it easier to separate your personal and professional (but still warm and engaging!) online lives. The same goes for other social accounts, like Twitter. Set up a separate account if you need to, but be sure to set your personal account to private if you tend to get very personal there.
• Sort your friends into groups - You can also sort your contacts into different groups in order to restrict the content they see from you. On Facebook, these are known as "Friend Lists," and "Circles" on Google Plus. Put your close friends and family on one list or circle, acquaintances on another, and professional contacts on a different one. That way, you can share personal updates with only those closest to you and reduce the risk more distant contacts unfollowing you.

Speaking of followers, what's the best way to build your social media audience? Organically, through regular posts, or should you pay to boost your posts and reach more people?

There are pros and cons to both, but a combination of the two methods can help your reach the ultimate audience on social media. Jeff Lobb is leading a second panel full of the newest tips, as well as tried and true tactics, for building your following. Learn how to grow your following--and break through to a higher level of business--at the realtor.com® Results Summit in Las Vegas. Register today!