How are you using social media to help grow your business? The fast-paced world of social media is always changing, and it can make creating a successful social strategy somewhat difficult at times. Whether it's being able to create the type of content that provides value to your audience or understanding the best ways to manage paid advertisements, it's never been more important to be in-the-know when it comes to the current best practices of today's most popular social networks.

You've put in the hours and laid the groundwork for your social pages. Once you've established your content strategy and looked at your page stats, you'll have an idea of which posts are taking off.

Now it's time for the long game – how do you keep your social pages updated with fresh, consumer-friendly content? Keeping up with consumer trends can be tricky, but it's not as difficult as some may think. To get you started, here are three ways to come up with fresh, quality posts.

The best way to connect with your followers is to humanize your brand. Showing the personal side of your company helps to draw in followers and show that you are more than just a hub for listings. While it's important to post content about your properties, showing viewers that you can also be a great resource for home buying or selling advice will prove your usefulness in the long run. Including information on topics such as home decorating can also increase your usefulness to past clients, since you will be providing them with valuable advice after the home buying or selling process.

Another way to maintain your followers' attention is to engage in real-time marketing. Engaging with followers on a real-time basis is one of the most important areas of marketing. A recent survey of Twitter users found that 53 percent of consumers who directly tweet a company expect a response within an hour. However, if that tweet is a complaint, the figure jumps to 72 percent. The same survey noted that if a company didn't respond to the tweet within that hour, 60 percent of consumers reported that they would respond by posting negative messages through social platforms. Besides monitoring your own pages, real-time marketing involves keeping up with current events, and posting relevant content to your pages. Working with a news alert system, such as Google Alerts, can help you stay up to date on what's happening in the industry.

Finally, support your neighborhood by showing local love. Focusing posts around current happenings in your area is a great way to show your followers that you are involved in the community. Share information about a local farmer's market, community theater production, or holiday festivity. Another option is to use an app like Foursquare to check-in at restaurants, coffee shops, or other businesses and write a quick review. Your followers will begin to think of you as the go-to person for the latest local hot-spots.

Growing your social pages is a long, but worthwhile process. To view all of the seven steps to generate more business through social media, download the Homes.com Social Media Checklist 2015: 7 Steps to Generate More Business.

To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.

More In This Series

• Social Media Tips for 2015: Set Goals
• Social Media Tips for 2015: Be Everywhere They're Looking
• Social Media Tips for 2015: Establish a Content Strategy
• Social Media Tips for 2015: Engage and Grow Your Audience
• Social Media Tips for 2015: Start Investing in Paid Advertising
• Social Media Tips for 2015: Measure Your Success