Friday Freebie: 60-day Trial of Constant Contact's AI-powered Marketing Suite
Spring selling season is here — time to fine-tune your marketing plan and execute it! Fortunately, that's easier than ever to do in 2024, especially when artificial intelligence (AI) can give you a hand. Don't know what to say in that marketing email? Let AI write it for you! That's just scratching the surface of how AI can assist your marketing efforts. And now you can find out for yourself: in this week's Friday Freebie, RE Technology readers get 60 days to try Constant Contact's AI-assisted email and social media marketing tools for free. How to claim your free 60-day trial of Constant Contact Constant Contact is a name synonymous with email marketing, but the solution offers so much more. Today, Constant Contact also offers tools to manage your social media all from one place (text message marketing is also available as an optional add-on). Even better, Constant Contact now sports an integrated AI assistant that can write your campaign messages for you based on just a few keywords (learn more in this article). Posting to social media? Constant Contact's AI can write variations of the same post for each social platform that you use. Your 60-day free trial of Constant Contact also includes: Email and social media marketing management in one solution Customizable automation workflows Built-in AI marketing assistant List-building tools and sign-up forms Integrations with real estate tools like WiseAgent, Zillow, dotloop, BoomTown, and more Pre-designed templates and a drag-and-drop email editor Comprehensive analytics to monitor campaign performance and help you fine-tune your marketing strategy And more! Make reaching out to your sphere easier than ever. Claim your FREE 60-day trial of Constant Contact today!

Introducing Yourself as a New Real Estate Agent on Social Media
You're a new real estate agent ready to dive into the world of social media marketing, but you're not quite sure where to start. Building your online presence can feel overwhelming, but it's an essential step to growing your business. The key is crafting an introduction across platforms that captures who you are, what you offer, and why potential clients should work with you. In this article, you'll learn how to introduce yourself as a new real estate agent on social media. Choosing the Right Social Platforms to Promote Yourself On Facebook As a real estate agent, Facebook is a must. Create a professional business page to build your online presence. Share listings, post community updates, and engage with followers by commenting on their posts. Also, use your profile to connect with friends and family and spread the word that you're now in real estate. Instagram Instagram is ideal for visually showcasing properties and your community. Post eye-catching photos of homes you have listed or neighborhoods you serve. You can also share behind-the-scenes shots of what it's like as an agent. Follow other real estate accounts and engage with their posts to raise your visibility. LinkedIn Don't underestimate the power of LinkedIn. Build a strong profile highlighting your experience and credentials. Join real estate groups to connect with others in the industry. Share blog posts or articles you've written to establish yourself as a knowledgeable resource. Endorse your colleagues and ask them to endorse you in return. YouTube Creating video content is a great way to build trust and share your expertise. Post vlogs, property tours, tips for home buyers, and neighborhood overviews. Keep videos short, around two minutes. Then promote your channel on the other social networks. Video is engaging and helps people connect with your friendly, helpful personality. Remember! Social media is a marathon, not a sprint. Stick with it and keep putting out quality content and those connections and listings will start flowing your way! Optimizing Your Social Media Profiles Once you've chosen which social media you want to work on, it's time to optimize your profiles to establish your credibility and connect with potential clients. Focus on choosing a professional profile photo and cover image, crafting a compelling bio, and posting regularly. Profile Photo Your profile photo is the first impression people will have of you, so make it a headshot where you're smiling and dressed professionally. A high-quality, well-lit photo can go a long way in building trust and making you appear more established. Cover Photo On platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn that allow cover photos, choose an eye-catching image that conveys your experience and expertise. For example, you might use a photo of a scenic view from a listing you've sold or an aerial shot of your city's skyline. Just be sure any text on the image is still readable when uploaded. Bio Your bio is a chance to share your background, skills, and passion for the work in a personable way. Mention your relevant credentials and experience, but focus on why you love helping people buy and sell homes. Share some personal details and your mission to connect clients with properties that perfectly suit their needs. A few sentences are all you need to make a good first impression. Post Regularly The key to building an engaged social following is posting frequently and consistently. Share listings you have available, tips for homebuyers and sellers, market reports, community events, and behind-the-scenes footage of what you do. Engage with your followers by replying to their comments and messages and re-sharing their posts. Staying active and visible on social media is the best way to gain new clients through word-of-mouth and online referrals. Engaging Followers With Value-Driven Content Now that you've built up your following, it's time to keep them engaged. Posting valuable and consistent content is key. Share neighborhood guides, tips for home buyers, insights into the latest real estate trends, and advice for selling a home. Educate Your Followers Your followers want to learn from you, so teach them something new! For example, do a series on different architectural styles, like Craftsman versus Colonial. Explain the pros and cons of each and share photos of homes for sale in those styles. You can also tackle common questions, like “How much does it cost to sell a home?” Break down all the fees and provide an estimate for your area. Share Local Insights As an agent, you know the ins and outs of your community. Share details about new businesses opening up, community events going on, and developments in the works. For example, posts about a new park being built or restaurants coming to town. Mention open houses for some of the new construction. Your followers will appreciate tips on the best places to eat, shop, and explore where they live. Inspire and Entertain While education and information are important, don't forget to mix in some inspirational and fun content as well. Share gorgeous home interiors and exteriors you come across. Repost photos of dreamy backyards and home libraries. Include humor and lifestyle content like memes or a peek into your own home life. Varied and engaging posts will keep your followers interested and build connections. Post 2-3 times a week to stay top of mind without overwhelming your followers. Respond to comments and questions, and consider doing live Q&A sessions. Engaging with your community will turn followers into loyal clients and word-of-mouth marketers. Keep providing value and soon your social media will be driving new business! Responding to Leads and Inquiries Professionally Once your social media profiles are set up and you start gaining followers, the leads and inquiries will start coming in. How you respond to these potential new clients can make or break your ability to gain their business. Respond Promptly As a new agent, you have to be on the ball. Respond to any messages, posts, or emails within 6-12 hours. People today expect fast responses and quick access to information. Don't keep them waiting or they may move on to another agent. Be Personal and Polite Address people by name in your response and maintain a friendly, professional tone. Thank them for reaching out to you and let them know you're excited to help them in their home search or sale. Politeness and good manners will take you far. Provide Value Right Away In your first response, give them a taste of the value you provide. For buyers, this may be a list of available homes that match what they're looking for or tips for getting pre-approved for a mortgage. For sellers, provide data on comparable properties currently for sale or recently sold in their neighborhood. Educate them on the home selling process and tips for maximizing their sale price. Ask Good Questions To fully understand their needs and priorities, ask open-ended questions about what they're looking for in a home or their motivations and timeline for selling. Let the conversation evolve naturally from there. People will appreciate your genuine interest in their unique situation. Set up a Call or Meeting As the conversation progresses, suggest setting up a phone call or in-person meeting. This allows you to establish rapport, gain a deeper understanding of what they need, and share details about the services you provide. Be prepared to walk them through the steps that lie ahead in their journey towards a new home or successful sale. Conclusion So there you have it. A few simple tips for introducing yourself on social media as a new real estate agent. Remember to be authentic, share your personal story, highlight your expertise, and engage with your followers. Post consistently but don't overdo it. Focus on building genuine connections, not just gaining followers. Most importantly, have fun with it! Social media is all about personality. Let yours shine through. The more comfortable you are just being yourself, the more successful you'll be at winning over clients and establishing your brand as a trustworthy, knowledgeable agent. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog. Related reading Instagram Filters and Tools: How to Use Them in Your Real Estate Marketing How Real Estate Agents Can Build a Professional Network on LinkedIn Social Media Post Ideas for Agents and Brokers

[Podcast] Online Safety: What You Should Never Post on Social Media
Most real estate professionals have heard the advice, "Be authentic!" in regards to posting on social media. And it's true, being your warm, inviting self will draw in far more followers than staid business posts ever could. But is it possible to be too authentic? Where should real estate pros draw the line when talking about their family and personal life, or even their clients and listings — especially in an age of online predators, scammers, and data collectors? In this episode of the Drive with NAR: Safety Series, host Tracey Hawkins talks with two real estate social media stars about the online boundaries they draw to protect their own and their clients' privacy. Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Libsyn Visit the episode homepage for show notes and more detail.

Mastering Instagram: Best practices for real estate agents
Real estate agents, are you making the most of Instagram to grow your business? In today's digital age, social media has become a powerful tool for engaging with clients and attracting potential leads. With its highly visual and interactive nature, Instagram offers real estate professionals like yourself a unique platform to showcase properties, connect with their audience, and ultimately drive business growth. Let's explore Instagram best practices, providing you with valuable insights and strategies to elevate your online presence and expand your network. Whether you're new to the platform or looking to enhance your existing Instagram strategy, this guide will help you leverage the full potential of this dynamic social media channel. We'll cover: Setting up a winning profile Content creation strategies Staying ahead of Instagram trends Engaging with your audience The importance of Instagram for real estate agents Instagram has become an indispensable tool for real estate agents, offering a unique opportunity to expand their digital footprint and engage with potential clients in a visually captivating way. By building brand recognition and creating an interactive platform for showcasing properties, real estate professionals can harness the power of Instagram to attract, engage, and convert leads. Expanding your digital footprint With over one billion active users and 25 million business profiles, Instagram provides a vast and diverse audience for real estate agents to tap into. Utilizing visually compelling content such as high-quality property images, virtual tours and neighborhood highlights, you can effectively showcase your expertise and listings, expanding your digital footprint and attracting a new wave of potential clients. Building brand recognition Establishing a strong brand presence on Instagram can significantly enhance a real estate agent's credibility and visibility within the market. Through strategic use of hashtags, geotags, and engaging captions, real estate agents can amplify their brand's reach and foster a sense of community within their target audience. Building brand recognition on Instagram not only cultivates trust and familiarity but also positions agents as go-to experts in their local real estate market. Engaging with potential clients Instagram's emphasis on visual storytelling and interactive features offers real estate agents an unparalleled platform for engaging with potential clients. By creating compelling narratives around property listings, sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses, and hosting interactive Q&A sessions, agents can forge meaningful connections and nurture relationships with prospects in a more personalized manner. Furthermore, leveraging Instagram's advertising tools and call-to-action features enables agents to drive lead generation and direct client engagement, ultimately converting social media interactions into tangible business opportunities. Setting up a winning profile Choosing the right username and profile picture Select a username that is professional and easy to remember. Consider using your real name or a variation that reflects your expertise. Your profile picture should be a clear, professional headshot to establish trust and credibility. Crafting an effective bio Craft a compelling bio that conveys your expertise and value proposition. Use relevant keywords and a clear call to action to prompt visitors to engage with your content. Your bio should be concise, informative, and aligned with your brand identity. @regoteam The role of highlights and story covers Utilize Instagram story highlights to showcase your best real estate listings, client testimonials, and behind-the-scenes content. Create custom story covers that align with your brand aesthetic to enhance your profile's visual appeal. Explore how to use and design impactful story highlights and covers to effectively engage your audience and highlight your expertise in real estate marketing. Content creation strategies Creating engaging and relevant content is vital for real estate agents looking to attract potential clients on Instagram. High-quality images and videos are essential for capturing attention and showcasing properties effectively. Utilize professional photography or videography to ensure the visual content is compelling and of the highest standard. Before and after showcase posts can effectively demonstrate the potential of a property and highlight the transformation it has undergone. This type of visual storytelling can captivate the audience and make a lasting impression. An effective strategy on Instagram should focus on high-quality visual content, strategic hashtag usage, and leveraging client testimonials and reviews to engage and attract potential clients. Extensive research on trending and industry-specific hashtags is essential for reaching the target audience. Incorporating client testimonials and reviews into posts adds authenticity and builds trust. Encourage satisfied clients to share their positive experiences, and leverage this user-generated content to showcase the agent's credibility and success. @morganwasleygroup Engaging with your audience Engaging with your audience on Instagram is crucial for building a strong presence and establishing meaningful connections. By actively interacting with your followers, you can foster a sense of community and trust. Here are some effective ways to engage with your audience: Responding to comments and messages Acknowledging and responding to comments and direct messages demonstrates that you value your audience's input and are attentive to their needs. Prompt responses can lead to meaningful conversations and help strengthen your relationship with your followers. Moreover, it shows that you are approachable and committed to providing excellent customer service. Running Q&A sessions Hosting Q&A sessions on your Instagram Stories or through live videos can be an excellent way to directly engage with your audience. Encourage your followers to ask questions about real estate trends, property buying tips, or any other related queries. This not only allows you to provide valuable information but also positions you as a knowledgeable and reliable resource in the real estate industry. Hosting live virtual tours Organizing live virtual tours of properties can give your audience an immersive experience and a glimpse into the properties you are representing. This interactive approach allows followers to ask questions in real-time, fostering a sense of involvement and personal connection. It also showcases your expertise in a visually engaging manner, making it an effective strategy for engaging potential clients. Instagram Stories and Reels for real estate When it comes to leveraging Instagram Stories and Reels for real estate, there are several key strategies to consider that can enhance your marketing efforts and engage with potential clients. Tips for creating compelling stories Instagram Stories provide a unique opportunity to showcase properties, share behind-the-scenes glimpses, and provide valuable content to your audience. To create compelling stories, consider using high-quality visuals and engaging captions. Features such as polls and interactive elements can also encourage audience engagement and feedback. Leveraging reels for property showcases Instagram Reels offer a dynamic way to showcase properties and create visually appealing content. With the ability to create short, engaging videos, real estate agents can highlight key features of properties, share tips and insights, and showcase their expertise in a format that resonates with modern audiences. When creating Reels for property showcases, it's important to maintain a balance between entertainment and informative content. Using polls and interactive features Polls and interactive features within Instagram Stories can provide valuable insights from your audience, allowing you to gather feedback on properties, market trends, or preferred content types. By leveraging these features, real estate agents can foster two-way communication with their audience, build rapport, and gather valuable data that can inform their marketing strategies. Scheduling and consistency Consistency is crucial for establishing a strong presence on Instagram as a real estate agent. By scheduling posts at the best times, creating a content calendar, and using automation tools wisely, you can effectively reach and engage your audience. Best times to post for maximum engagement Timing is everything when it comes to posting on Instagram. According to Hootsuite, the best times to post for maximum engagement are generally weekdays between 10 AM and 3 PM. However, your specific audience's behavior may vary, so it's important to use Instagram Insights to determine when your followers are most active. Creating a content calendar A content calendar is an essential tool for maintaining a consistent and organized Instagram presence. By planning your posts in advance, you can ensure a varied and engaging mix of content. Consider using tools like Later or CoSchedule to streamline the process and maintain a cohesive strategy. Using automation tools wisely Automation tools can be a real time-saver, but they should be used judiciously to maintain authenticity. While scheduling posts in advance can help you stay consistent, remember to engage with your audience in real-time as well. Tools like Buffer and Hootsuite can assist with scheduling while still allowing for personal interaction on the platform. Consistency is fundamental in building a strong Instagram presence. By strategically scheduling your posts, creating a content calendar, and using automation tools wisely, you can maintain a captivating and reliable Instagram feed for your real estate business. Staying ahead of Instagram trends In the fast-paced world of Instagram, staying ahead of the latest trends is crucial for real estate agents looking to maximize their presence on the platform. To ensure you are up to date, consider the following key strategies: Keeping up with algorithm changesInstagram's algorithm is constantly evolving, impacting what content users see on their feeds. To stay ahead, it's essential to monitor and adapt to these changes. Platforms like Hootsuite and Sprout Social provide regular updates on algorithm shifts, enabling you to adjust your posting strategy accordingly. Embracing new featuresInstagram frequently introduces new features, such as Reels, IGTV, and live video. Embracing these features early on can give you a competitive edge. Keep an eye on Instagram's official blog or reputable industry publications for announcements about upcoming features and how they can be leveraged for real estate content. Learning from successful real estate accountsStudying successful real estate accounts on Instagram can provide valuable insights into effective strategies and trends within the industry. Identify top-performing accounts and analyze their content to gain inspiration for your own posts. Look for patterns in their engagement, content types, and use of Instagram's features to inform your own approach. Instagram presents a significant opportunity for real estate agents to engage with potential clients and showcase their listings. By incorporating visual content and utilizing Instagram's features effectively, real estate agents can effectively reach and influence potential homebuyers and sellers. To view the original article, visit the iGuide blog. Thank you to iGuide for sponsoring this article on RE Technology! Related reading Real Estate Agent Instagram Bio Best Practices How to Run Instagram Ads for Your Real Estate Business Instagram 101: How to Successfully Build Your Business in 20 Minutes a Week

4 Ways to Put Some Holiday Spice into Your Social Media Posts
It's the most wonderful time of year, and amid all the hustle and bustle, it's all too easy to default to posting simple season's greetings on social media that sound… well, just like everyone else's (including your competitors). "Right around the holidays, I feel like there's like this sea of sameness," says real estate social media expert Katie Lance. "Where it's like the stock photo of the pumpkin or the turkey or the tree with the logo in the corner. And inherently, there's nothing wrong with that. It looks professional, but it's also a stock photo. It's really bland." This season, we want to help you banish blandness and spice up your holiday social media efforts. That's why we're sharing this recent video from Katie Lance, which offers four easy social media post ideas that help you stand out and engage your followers. Watch the video below to discover those four strategies and to learn: Why sharing personal holiday traditions makes you more relatable Advice on what kind of traditions to share Why now's a great time to reach consumers who must sell their home by year's end The perks of turning the spotlight on others, especially local businesses Tips for engaging your audience and building community And more! Related Reading 3 Easy Holiday Marketing Ideas for Real Estate Agents Holiday Light Map Campaign: A Step-by-Step Guide to Seasonal Lead Generation Keep Up with These Seasonal Trends for Google and Facebook Ads 21 Holiday Marketing Ideas for Brokerages

How Real Estate Agents Can Build a Professional Network on LinkedIn
In today's digital age, social media has become an indispensable tool for professionals looking to expand their networks and grow their businesses. While platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can certainly play a role in this endeavor, we're going to focus on the gold standard of professional networking: LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the go-to platform for building a robust professional network, and real estate agents can benefit immensely from leveraging its unique features and opportunities. In this post, we'll explore how real estate agents can harness the power of LinkedIn to forge valuable connections, strengthen their brand, and ultimately boost their success in the competitive world of real estate. The Power of LinkedIn for Real Estate Agents LinkedIn is a place specifically created for professionals to connect, share knowledge, and investigate career opportunities. It is not just another social media platform. An ideal venue for networking in the sector, it has over 774 million users worldwide, including a sizable community of real estate professionals. Creating a Strong Profile Your LinkedIn profile is your digital business card, and it's crucial to make a stellar first impression. Create a compelling headline that briefly describes your position as a real estate agent after uploading a professional headshot. Use the summary section to give a succinct but interesting overview of your professional background and what makes you stand out from the competition. Highlight your accomplishments, credentials, and any real estate-related specializations you have. Don't forget to include your contact details so that potential connections can get in touch with you. Prospective clients and partners will find you more appealing if your profile is comprehensive and well-optimized. Connecting with Industry Professionals Once your profile is solid, it's time to begin expanding your network. Make connections with coworkers, mentors, and peers in your industry to start. LinkedIn makes it simple to grow your real estate network by providing helpful suggestions for potential connections based on your current contacts. Don't restrict your interactions to people you already know. Reach out to people you admire or those in your local real estate market because LinkedIn is a platform designed around professional networking. Making genuine connections can be greatly aided by sending a personalized connection request outlining your shared objectives or interests. Joining and Engaging in Groups Connecting with like-minded professionals in your industry is made possible by LinkedIn Groups. Find real estate-related groups on social media and join the ones that suit your goals and interests. You can distinguish yourself as an industry authority by actively participating in discussions, offering insightful commentary, and helping out fellow group members. In addition, even if you are not already connected, being a member of a group enables you to communicate with its members directly. This can be an effective way to expand your network and find potential clients or collaborators in your specialized field. Sharing Valuable Content Content is king on LinkedIn. Regularly sharing informative and engaging posts can position you as a thought leader in the real estate sector. Share articles, blog posts, and industry news, and don't forget to add your own insights and commentary to spark meaningful discussions. Visual content, such as videos and infographics, can be particularly effective in capturing your audience's attention. Be sure to use relevant hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts and make it easier for others interested in real estate to discover your content. Utilizing LinkedIn's Publishing Platform With the help of LinkedIn's publishing platform, you can create and distribute lengthy articles among your network. This feature is a great way to demonstrate your knowledge and impart in-depth information on real estate issues that are significant to your audience. Your visibility and authority on the platform will increase if your connections interact with your articles. Building Partnerships and Collaborations Networking on LinkedIn isn't just about growing your contact list; it's also about building meaningful partnerships and collaborations that can benefit your real estate business. Here are some strategies to consider: Partnering with Local Businesses Collaborating with local businesses, such as home inspectors, contractors, or interior designers, can be mutually beneficial. These partnerships can provide additional value to your clients and help you tap into new customer bases. Use LinkedIn to identify potential collaborators in your area and reach out to discuss partnership opportunities. Engaging with Real Estate Associations There are numerous real estate associations on LinkedIn. It can be beneficial to follow and participate in these associations to stay informed about market trends, rules, and networking opportunities. You can meet other agents and business leaders by participating in the conversations in these groups. Reaching Out to Prospective Clients LinkedIn is a useful tool for connecting with potential customers. Use advanced search filters to find people who might be looking for a new house or piece of property. Create messages that are specific to them and show your knowledge and desire to help them with their real estate journey. To conclude, in the world of real estate, building a professional network is essential for success. LinkedIn offers real estate agents a powerful platform to connect with industry peers, showcase their expertise, and expand their reach to potential clients and collaborators. By optimizing your LinkedIn profile, actively engaging with your network, and leveraging the platform's features, you can build a strong professional network that will help you thrive in the competitive real estate market. So, if you're a real estate agent looking to boost your career and grow your business, don't underestimate the potential of LinkedIn. Start today, and watch your network and opportunities flourish in this ever-expanding digital landscape! To view the original article, visit the Transactly blog.

10 Ways Virtual Assistants Can Help Agents Boost their Social Media Presence
In the fast-paced world of real estate, staying ahead of the competition is paramount. One of the most effective ways to do so is by maintaining a strong social media presence. However, many real estate agents find themselves juggling multiple tasks, leaving them with limited time and energy for social media marketing. This is where virtual assistants come to the rescue! In this post, we'll explore how virtual assistants can be your secret weapon in boosting your social media presence, helping you shine in the crowded real estate market. 1. Content Creation and Curation The foundation of effective social media marketing is compelling content. The work of producing and collecting interesting content for your social media platforms can be delegated to virtual assistants. They are capable of creating catchy captions, striking graphics, and even enlightening blog posts about the neighborhood real estate market. You can consistently deliver engaging content that is current and relevant with the help of a knowledgeable virtual assistant. 2. Social Media Scheduling Social media marketing requires consistency, but posting frequently can be time-consuming. Even if you're buried in real estate negotiations or showings, a virtual assistant can set up a content calendar and schedule posts in advance. This allows you to maintain an active online presence without sacrificing your other responsibilities. 3. Audience Engagement Building deep connections and trust with your audience requires engagement. Virtual assistants can keep an eye on your social media pages, reply to comments, and interact with your audience on your behalf. They are able to respond to questions, express gratitude for positive comments, and quickly resolve issues. This individualization helps build your credibility and strengthen client relationships. 4. Analytics and Insights You need data-driven insights to adjust your social media strategy. Reach, engagement, and conversion rates are examples of social media metrics that virtual assistants can collect and analyze. You can use this information to better understand what's working and what needs to be improved, which will help you make decisions that will maximize your online presence. 5. Research and Trend Analysis It's crucial to keep up with the most recent trends and advancements in social media and real estate. Virtual assistants can monitor market developments, tactics, and new social media sites. They can give you reports and suggestions on how to change your strategy to stay current. 6. Ad Campaign Management Reaching a larger audience can be accomplished with the help of social media advertising. The creation of ad copy and graphics, audience targeting, and performance tracking are all tasks that virtual assistants can handle when managing your advertising campaigns. This guarantees a wise use of your advertising budget and a significant return on investment. 7. Content Calendar Planning Any effective social media strategy is built on a solid content calendar. A content calendar that is customized to your unique objectives and target audience can be created and managed by virtual assistants. This makes sure that important dates, like real estate listings and open houses, are highlighted and that your social media posts are in line with your overall marketing strategy. 8. Crisis Management Real estate is a fast-paced industry, and problems can happen at any time. Your first line of defense when handling crises on social media can be your virtual assistants. They can assist in maintaining your professional image and averting potentially damaging incidents, whether it's responding to negative feedback or handling delicate situations. 9. Brand Consistency In branding, consistency is essential. The voice, tone, and visual identity of your brand can be maintained across all social media platforms with the help of virtual assistants. Your online presence is strengthened and potential clients are more likely to remember your real estate agency thanks to this consistent branding. 10. Time and Stress Savings Last but not least, using a virtual assistant can help you save time and feel less stressed. You can free up your time to concentrate on what you do best: selling properties and providing excellent client service by giving them the social media tasks to handle. To be successful in the real estate business over the long haul, one must maintain this work-life balance. In conclusion, virtual assistants are invaluable allies for real estate agents looking to boost their social media presence. They can handle everything from content creation and scheduling to audience engagement and crisis management, allowing you to shine in the competitive real estate market. With their support, you can build a strong online presence, connect with potential clients, and ultimately, close more deals. So, don't hesitate to explore the world of virtual assistants and give your real estate business the social media boost it deserves. Your success awaits! To view the original article, visit the Transactly blog.

8 Real Estate Marketing Ideas for September
The seasons, they are a-changin' -- and your marketing plans likely are, too, now that the summer selling market has died down. If you need new outreach ideas for these slower days, pull up a chair and dive into these eight real estate marketing ideas for September: 1. Post idea: Where to Find Fall Colors in [Your Area] Whether a social media post, a video, or a blog post, the idea for this is the same. Make a post that highlights where to see fall colors in your area. This autumn foliage map can help you estimate peak times. You can also recommend nearby getaways — or even great "Sunday drive" routes — where the changing leaves can best be seen. 2. Create a 'How's the market?' video Now that the peak sales time for the real estate market has passed, take a moment to create a recap and talk about how the market is in your area. Need some inspiration? Take a cue from the winners of RPR's recent market video contest. 3. Feature 'move-in ready' listings Autumn buyers have different motivations than summer buyers. Where summer buyers may want to move by the start of a new school year, buyers in fall look to move before year's end — and they're starting their home search now. To capture these buyers, highlight properties that are move-in ready. As always, you can make this a social media post or blog, but for this idea, we're particularly partial to using it in an online ad campaign. Create a landing page that showcases move-in ready listings and run Google or Facebook ads that link back to that page. 4. Lead magnet idea: Fall home maintenance tips guide Everyone's heard of spring cleaning, but how many people think to give their house a deep cleaning in the fall? Create a guide to help your audience prepare their houses for winter while the weather is still temperate. Include to-do items for both inside and outside the home. Your "inside" list can include typical "spring cleaning" activities, but you should recommend winter-specific tasks like checking the furnace. Your "outside" checklist should include checking caulk around windows and doors, cleaning and storing patio furniture, draining and storing garden hoses, etc. (We won't tell if you use ChatGPT to help you write this guide, but make sure to give it an edit to add your own voice and to check for accuracy.) 5. Create a 'Fall Home Decor' Pinterest board Pinterest is the unsung hero of driving internet traffic to your website. If you're active on Pinterest, curate a Pinterest board filled with fall home decor ideas and inspirations. Include pins for both buyers and sellers to help them envision seasonal changes in a property. For more Pinterest inspiration, check out: How to Crush It on Pinterest for Real Estate Pinterest Ads for Real Estate Agents: How to Get Started? 6. Host a home energy efficiency webinar As the weather cools, homeowners become more concerned about energy efficiency. Host a webinar about making homes more energy-efficient, which can be a selling point for listings. Team up with relevant local professionals, like installers of energy efficient windows, HVAC pros, etc. Not only can they provide great information, they can cross-promote the event to their sphere. Have a tech geek streak? You can also talk about the smart home gadgets that help homeowners measure and control their energy usage. Learn more about smart home features vs. green home features here. 7. Launch a client testimonial campaign We hope you had a successful selling season, and that summer left you with many satisfied clients. If so, now's the time to ask those clients for a testimonial while the experience is still fresh in their minds. Share success stories and testimonials from past clients on your website and social media. Bonus points if you can create a few video testimonials! For more ideas on soliciting and using testimonials, see: Success with Testimonials: 3 Steps to Getting Them with Ease Online Reviews and Testimonials: A Real Estate Agent's Best Marketing Tool How to Use Real Estate Testimonials Online the Right Way 8. Evergreen post idea: How to Prepare for Your Final Walk Through An "evergreen" post is a piece of content that's timeless; years can pass, and the post is not outdated. For agents, posts like these focus on something that's unchangeable in the home sales process — for example, a blog, social media, or newsletter post that explains how buyers can prepare for their final walk through. New homebuyers will find this post particularly helpful. This should be an educational post or video that explains what a final walk through is, why it's important, and what buyers should expect. We recommend including a checklist of things like turning on and off all light switches, flushing toilets, testing faucets for leaks, opening and closing windows, and more. Buyers should also check that all agreed upon repairs were completed satisfactorily. Don't forget, this article benefits you, too — a smooth walk through experience helps facilitate a smooth closing!

IAmA real estate agent: 25 Subreddits for you to bookmark
If you've tried to Google anything lately, you've likely noticed that search results are less than stellar these days (as tech journalists and bloggers alike have opined). Looking for a solution, internet users have taken to adding "reddit" to their search terms, e.g. "marketing ideas reddit." That's because Reddit is a massive online public community where users can converse with each other on just about every topic under the sun. It's likely that if you have a question about something, someone on Reddit has already answered it — including questions about real estate! If you haven't visited Reddit before, the site is organized like a forum, and each area of interest has its own message board, or "subreddit." Users subscribe to the subreddits that interest them, and posts from each sub they follow are aggregated into a personalized newsfeed. It's a great way to keep an ear to the ground for the latest buzz on the topics you care about most. But like we said, Reddit is massive. The site is home to 130,000+ active subreddits, so it can be daunting to find the ones that matter to you. Don't worry, though — we're not sending you into the Reddit jungle without a map. To help you get your bearings, we've rounded up 25 real estate related subreddits. You can follow them to keep up with the industry, get advice and ideas, find interesting content to share, and more. Talking with peers and colleagues There are lots of real estate subreddits geared toward consumers. These, however, are just for real estate pros to get together and communicate: /r/Realtors - Connect and chat with your fellow agents here. A great place to get advice from your peers. /r/RealEstateMarketing - Need fresh ideas to market your listings or attract new leads? Visit this subreddit to see what strategies your peers are using, and get advice on what works and what doesn't. Keeping up with the market What's going on with the real estate market today, and what's on the minds of the average real estate consumer? Take the pulse of the industry by visiting these subreddits: /r/REBubble - There's a lot of anxiety about the state of today's real estate market (not that we have to tell you that). Visit this subreddit to talk about the current real estate bubble, see recent news stories, and spot trends. /r/realestate and /r/Real_Estate - These two subreddits are aimed towards consumers. Use them to understand what today's buyers and sellers are thinking, wondering, and worrying about. The questions consumers ask here are wonderful fodder for blog post ideas. Simply find a question you connect with and write an article that answers it. /r/CommercialRealEstate and /r/realestateinvesting/ - If you specialize in working with investors or with commercial properties, try these two subs. You can leverage them in a way similar to the pair above. Both investors and real estate pros frequent these subreddits. /r/RealEstateAdvice - Buying and selling a home is a complicated process, especially for the average consumer who only transacts a handful of times in their life. That makes for a lot of questions about the sales journey. Dive in to offer your advice — or just sit back and get a sense of what real estate consumers (and sometimes other agents!) are asking. /r/RealEstateFinance - Financing is a big part of any real estate transaction. This subreddit offers in-depth conversations on mortgages, interest rates, 1031 exchanges, and more. The lighter side of real estate Nothing relieves the tensions of a work day like a good laugh! Check out these two subreddits for crazy listings, ridiculous real estate photos, absurd home features, and more: /r/RidiculousRealEstate /r/ZillowGoneWild The geekier side of real estate Love both technology and real estate? You'll appreciate these subreddits then. Beware, though — the atmosphere in this neighborhood is unrepentantly geeky and there are a ton of technical terms flying around. /r/RealEstateTechnology /r/HomeAutomation /r/SmartHome Home-centric subreddits If you're looking for content ideas, remember that consumers don't spend much of their lives actively buying or selling a home. They spend most of it living in their home! The following subreddits are a great source of content ideas to share with current homeowners. Visit them to inspiration for your newsletter, social media, or blog: /r/Gardening /r/InteriorDesign /r/ExteriorDesign /r/Landscaping /r/DIY /r/HomeImprovement /r/Homeowners /r/HOA Local real estate subreddits As the saying goes, "All real estate is local." Reddit offers a lot of subforums for location-specific real estate conversations. This is great for networking with both local real estate pros and consumers. Many larger areas already have local real estate subreddits up and running, like /r/FloridaRealEstate, /r/LosAngelesRealEstate, and /r/BayAreaRealEstate, to name a few. To find one for your area, type "real estate [your city or state]" in Reddit's search area. Can't find one? Consider starting your own! Above all, remember that while Reddit isn't the place for self-promotion (that will get you kicked out of most subreddits), it's a great place to network, build your reputation, track trends, and get advice. There you have it — the nickel tour of the best real estate subs that Reddit has to offer. Happy Redditing!

The Threads App: One Week Later
Unless you live under a rock, or do not pay attention to news on the internet, television, radio, or TV, but somehow you chose to read this blog, you know that Meta (aka Facebook and Instagram) launched a new social media app called Threads last week. Is it a Twitter killer or an Instagram killer? I bumped into Threads on Instagram. I was invited to "be notified when the app launched." So, I did. I somehow was user number 882,181. I joined the day it launched. The way that Threads launched was to invite Instagram users to join. This is central to my question about killing Twitter or killing Instagram. When I joined Threads, I was not asked to invite my Twitter followers, they wanted me to tow over my Instagram followers. So that is what I did. In the early hours and days of Threads, my notifications were all about people joining Threads and adding me. I am no big deal on Instagram. I have about 1,700 followers. On the other hand, my daughter has 20k. Moreover, her summer internship has her working on the social media team for Paramount Plus and their many shows – hundreds of thousands, or in some cases millions, of followers. Talk about notification overload. In seven hours, Threads hit the million-user mark. As the illustration shows, this is faster user adoption than Netflix, Twitter, Facebook, Spotify, Instagram, and ChatGPT: Getting a million people to do anything in seven hours is absolutely amazing. However, what they really did was move a million users from Instagram over to Threads. Again, when you read the posts on Threads, many users (including me) began to immediately wonder about content spamming. When should I post on Instagram vs. when I should post on Threads. Should I post to both? In truth, I am not a big poster on social media anymore. I am more of a watcher – trying to listen to people and stay connected in some small way. This image came across my Threads feed. I do not know who created it, but it is very funny. How many social media platforms do we really need? I have been trying to use different social media platforms for different things. This was not always the case. For years, I posted everything everywhere and my connects on socials were duplicative. Now I try to put business stuff on LinkedIn, connect with friends and family on Facebook, and stay connected to the dance community on Instagram. Oddly, I rarely used Twitter until Threads launched, then and I jumped back in. There are some great conversations happening on Twitter today about buyer-agency and about Howard Hanna opting out of IDX (inside baseball for real estate). I was using Twitter a lot during COVID because of web3 and stock market posts, but those ebbed as the virus waned and life returned to normal. Sure, I used Clubhouse for a while. It was a nice chance to do random group internet conference calls with folks I know. I am not sure how fast that product was adopted or how fast people left, but I do not recall seeing an invite to Clubhouse on Twitter in more than six months. Back to Threads In five days, Threads hit 100 million users. That is a big number. Instagram is at 2.35 billion users. So, you figure that most or all of the 100 million came as a carve out from Instagram. Instagram, like Twitter and other social media platforms, has a lot of fake accounts and dead accounts. The filtering effect of moving users over to Threads is a nice way to shrink an audience and focus on people that are engaged. We will see where things go on engagement. I am keeping an eye on engagement on Instagram, Twitter, and Threads. For a while, I will have notifications turned on for my accounts. We will see where this goes. As for Threads killing Twitter, if you're apt to believe Elon Musk or Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino, Twitter recently hit a record day of usage since February. We wrote a post last week about brands on Threads. I think that the suggestions in the post held true. You can check it out here. If you need help with your social media strategy and execution, shoot us an email. We deepened our bench in marketing with the addition of Bondilyn Jolly at WAV Group. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

Meta Launches Threads, a New Social Media Platform
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has once again made waves in the tech industry with the launch of their innovative social media app called Threads. This new offering from Meta aims to revolutionize the way we connect and share with friends, setting it apart from other major social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Threads claims to combine the best features of its competitors while introducing unique functionalities that enhance user experiences and redefine social networking. If you have a real estate brand, July 6 is the first day that you can create your brand name on the app. If you already have Instagram, you will be able to re-use your Instagram handle – like mine is @victorlund. Key Features of Threads Enhanced Privacy and Control: Threads prioritizes privacy by giving users complete control over who can view their content. Users can choose to share posts with their entire friends list or create custom groups to share specific updates. This feature sets Threads apart from Facebook, which has faced criticism in the past regarding privacy concerns. Close Friends: Like Instagram's "Close Friends" feature, Threads allows users to create a list of close friends with whom they can share more personal moments. By enabling users to have an inner circle, Threads encourages more intimate and authentic interactions. Status Updates: Threads provides a unique twist on status updates by allowing users to share automatic status updates based on their current activity, location, or even the music they're listening to. This real-time sharing feature allows friends to stay connected even when they are physically apart. Integration with Messaging: Threads seamlessly integrates with Facebook Messenger, enabling users to switch between the two apps effortlessly. Users can send text messages, photos, and videos directly from Threads, creating a cohesive communication experience. Comparison with Other Major Social Media Apps Twitter: While Twitter focuses on public conversations, Threads emphasizes more personal and private interactions. Threads also offers automatic status updates, a feature that is absent on Twitter. Instagram: Threads and Instagram share similarities in their focus on visual content, but Threads distinguishes itself with its strong emphasis on privacy and real-time sharing. Threads' "Close Friends" feature offers a more curated and exclusive experience compared to Instagram's broader follower base. Snapchat: Both Threads and Snapchat prioritize visual communication, but Threads goes beyond ephemeral messaging by offering persistent updates through status sharing. Threads also integrates seamlessly with Facebook Messenger, allowing for cross-platform connectivity. Facebook: Threads is a part of Meta's efforts to offer more specialized experiences for different user needs. Unlike Facebook, Threads concentrates on personal connections and privacy, with an emphasis on real-time sharing and curated friend groups. LinkedIn: Threads differentiates itself from LinkedIn, which is primarily a professional networking platform. While LinkedIn is centered around career-related content, Threads focuses on personal connections and sharing moments with friends. Meta's Threads may be an exciting addition to the social media landscape, offering a fresh take on connecting with friends and sharing personal moments. With features like enhanced privacy controls, automatic status updates, and integration with Facebook Messenger, Threads provides a unique experience that aims to set it apart from other major social media platforms. By combining the best aspects of its competitors while introducing innovative functionalities, Threads sets out to redefine the way we engage with social media and build meaningful connections online. We plan to create an account tomorrow – not sure if Threads will be a hit or a dud, but better to have your name on your account, than delay and not be able to get your name. As always, when you plan to use a social media platform, it is a good idea to read the terms of use and privacy policy. See below: Meta Terms Threads Supplemental Terms Meta Privacy Policy Threads Supplemental Privacy Policy Instagram Community Guidelines To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

Beginner's Guide: All-Things-Instagram for Real Estate Agents
Nearly 100% of home shoppers start their buying journey online, meaning you need to ensure you're seen where they're searching. The National Association of REALTORS® 2022 Member Profile found that Instagram, one of the top social media platforms in the world, is a key outlet for real estate professionals to promote their business. With social media endlessly surging in popularity and shaping consumers' behaviors, how can you make the most of the popular photo and video platform? We're giving you a crash course in Instagram: how it can help your business, setting up your profile, and what posts can work best for you. How Can Instagram Help Your Business? Instagram's heavy usage of over 1.27M monthly users makes it easy to connect with your community and build your brand by tapping into broader audiences. Its visual-focused format also offers you various posting options across stories, Reels, and your feed, making Instagram the perfect place to display listings and show off what you offer. Before you dive into posting a variety of content, let's zero in on what Instagram can offer to help amplify your business. Your Profile = Your Portfolio Think of your Instagram profile from its first glance and treat it like a professional portfolio — infused with plenty of personal elements. As you get started with your profile, make sure you have the following foundational pieces: Your profile photo: Upload a current, snazzy, professional headshot so followers and prospective connections know that it's you. Your profile name: Whether it's your username or your display name, make sure you share the name of your business — even if it's simply your name. This will help people remember who you are and recall where they can find you on Instagram. Your bio section: This is where you can start to introduce yourself before people engage with your posts. Be sure to include your location and what areas you serve so people know where you can work with them. This setup is the virtual business card, or lead-in, to the rest of your profile. Make sure it's clear and prepares your followers — and prospective followers — for who you are and what your page is about. Pro Tip: When you set up your profile, make sure it's a creator account. This will give you flexibility in how you manage your online presence and allow you to access deeper insights into your audience and post performance. Get More Eyes on Your Listings Now that your profile is set up, you can start posting! You want to be strategic with your posts and focus primarily on your business. Still, the beauty of Instagram is that it offers plenty of opportunity to integrate your voice and personality into your posts and profile. A great way to use Instagram is to make posts to promote new listings, allowing you to tap into new audiences to get more eyes on these properties. Promoting new listings also gives your followers a good idea of your areas of speciality and expertise. You can also promote old listings to continue to reinforce your experience and success rate. Consider highlighting these listings with testimonials from the happy clients, too. Real estate is a people business, so including personal posts in your regular schedule allows potential clients a peek into your personality and interests. This helps them picture working with you and also gives you a headstart on finding common ground and building rapport. Pro Tip: Make and post Reels regularly. Reels are short-format videos that drive higher engagement and views than regular photo posts. If you don't fancy yourself a cinematographer, not to worry: all you need is a smartphone and some inspiration. Instagram has made creating these videos super easy — check out their guide to making Reels here. Make Connections, Quickly and Easily Instagram offers simple ways for you to find your real-life contacts' profiles on the platform. You can connect your phone's Contacts list, your Facebook account, and your email address to find people you already know. Once you start adding them, other suggested contacts will appear. These are usually people they're following or people they're being followed by. You may also see suggestions for pages with similar content to theirs. Take advantage of these second- and third-degree contacts to grow your following and get more eyes on your business. Start by following these profiles, and engage with their posts regularly. Like and comment on their posts, and reply to their stories. Reminder: Don't focus solely on selling. Provide value to your followers and the people you engage with by educating them about real estate, your local market, your interests, and other topics. Offering a full view into who you are professionally and personally helps offer a well-rounded display of what you bring to the table. To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

[Podcast] Build Confidence, Captivate Viewers and Convert Them into Leads with Chelsea Peitz
In this episode of Decoding Real Estate, we welcome real estate's go-to guide for social media marketing, Chelsea Peitz. As a consultant and coach, Chelsea specializes in camera-first branding and social media strategies. She frequently speaks to real estate agents, teams and companies on topics ranging from disruptive innovation, social media trends and video-friendly platforms such Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Join hosts Reggie Nicolay and Genie Willett as they chat with Chelsea about her unique journey from REALTOR® to social media maven, combining her background in clinical psychology and passion for neuroscience to create a powerful marketing approach. You'll hear all about Chelsea's "Three Cs" strategy for creating videos that connect: Confidence, Conversions, and Captivate. These "Cs" focus on building camera confidence, creating content that leads to conversions and captivating new audiences. Get tips on how to boost your on-camera presence by practicing regularly, embracing authenticity and finding joy in connecting with others online. After listening, you'll boost your camera confidence with the one-to-one video technique, which involves sending personalized video messages to potential clients. You'll also understand how direct messaging can benefit your social media algorithms and create an omnipresent feeling without constant content creation. Don't miss this episode of Decoding Real Estate with guest Chelsea Peitz! Decoding Real Estate is hosted by Reggie Nicolay and Genie Willett. Subscribe/Follow And be sure to check out these helpful and relevant links: Chelsea Peitz.com The Chelsea Pietz Podcast Realtors Property Resource Listen on: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Stitcher To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

Real Estate Hashtags for 2023
Social media has evolved from a place where people meet to socialize to where businesses conduct their daily operations. The realty world isn't left out either — real estate businesses are now using social media to drive up property sales. The National Association of Realtors reports that 77% of real estate agents actively use social media. In comparison, 47% of Realtors say that social media brings the highest quality leads than other sources. The study also suggests that more than 90% of millennials start their home searches online instead of in-person referrals. This means that social media is a goldmine for any real estate business. To ace the social media concept, you need to have a solid strategy to navigate the social media waters. A great way to get started is by using hashtags. What Are Hashtags? A hashtag is an extra phrase that you can add to your social media posts. A hashtag is usually written with a hash symbol followed by any additional keyword that you want to add. The feature helps people to track exciting and relevant topics. Hashtags give your posts more context and depth. They also make your posts visible to a broader audience. For example, if you post a photo of the sun setting, you can caption it as "Sundown. #skybrilliance #sunsetlover," etc. Users who want to find images or posts about sunsets can type the hashtag into the search bar and find the post quickly. When using real estate hashtags, you need to make sure that you tag your posts appropriately so that whenever a potential client types the hashtag, they can find your posts easily. For instance, if you're sharing a photo of an apartment in Washington DC, the hashtag can read #DCApartments. Any tenant searching online for an apartment in DC only needs to type in the hashtag #DCApartments, and they will find your listing. If you aren't sure of which keywords to use for your real estate post, you can refer to the following hashtags to help you out. #home #homesforsale #househunting #apartmenthunting #homesweethome #realestateagentforlife #sold #dreamhome #fixandflip #NYCApartments General Real Estate Hashtag Usage Rules Hashtags are not only applicable to Twitter and Instagram. Hashtagging your post on LinkedIn allows you to connect with other agents. In the same light, hashtagging your posts on Facebook makes you visible to prospective clients on Facebook Marketplace. However, there are limits to the number of hashtags you can use for every social media site. Overusing hashtags makes your post appear spammy to the platform's algorithm. For LinkedIn, you should stick to, at most, five relevant hashtags for every post. Twitter might have started the hashtags feature, but it also has a limit to the number of hashtags you can use. For non-paying users, the platform allows you to post a maximum of 280 characters including hashtags (paying users can write up to 10,000 characters per tweet). Due to this limitation, you need to ensure your hashtags are relevant to your real estate business and properties. Ideally, you should stick to two hashtags per post. Facebook users don't actively use the hashtag feature. However, at least one hashtag can drive up maximum engagement for business posts on a site. If you want to go all out with as many real estate hashtags as you want, then Instagram is the place for you. This social media platform allows you to post up to 30 hashtags for every post. However, this doesn't mean you should go on a hashtag spree. If you're going to use all 30 hashtags for your post, make them relevant to the real estate business and the home you're selling. Interestingly, Instagram allows you to reverse search some of the hashtags to find prospective clients who are looking for properties. Things to Note 1. Don't Overuse Hashtags Overusing hashtags makes your post look spammy, and may result in low or no engagements. It also makes you look like an amateur who is new to social media. 2. Keep Up with Your Competitors Social media is an ever-evolving business and socializing tool. Every day, new and fruitful hashtags appear, which may be useful in driving engagement your way. Always monitor how your competitors use their hashtags. Keep a close eye on which hashtags they use and which ones receive a lot of user engagement and implement the ideas you obtain to your advantage. 3. Be Specific General real estate hashtags are useful for driving user engagement. However, to appeal to and find more prospective clients, your hashtags should be specific and targeted. For instance, you can use location-centered hashtags, the home's pet policy and other features to help you appeal to a broader client base. In conclusion Hashtags are a powerful engagement tool when used appropriately. They help bring in more views to your real estate posts and ultimately close deals with prospective clients. Always try to use relevant hashtags to avoid getting spammed. To view the original article, visit the Wise Agent blog.

How to Use Social Media to Advertise Your Rental Properties
In today's digital age, social media platforms have become powerful tools for businesses to reach a wider audience and connect with potential customers. As a rental property owner or manager, you can leverage these platforms to showcase your properties and attract interested tenants. Here are some tips on how to use social media to advertise your rental properties: 1. Choose the right social media platform The number of social media platforms seems to grow yearly, and it can be tough to keep up with which ones are best for you and your business. Determine your target audience and what social media platform they are most likely to use. For example, if your target audience is older and more established professionals, consider focusing on Facebook and LinkedIn. 2. Create engaging content Social media is often a visual platform, so it's critical you create engaging content that will appeal to your target audience, capturing the eye of potential tenants. Use high-quality images and videos to showcase your properties, highlighting key property features. You can also use tools like Canva to create interesting and fun graphics for your posts or virtual staging apps to show off the versatility of your spaces. Check out our post on how to create a power listing. 3. Use hashtags Hashtags are a great way to increase the visibility of your posts and reach a wider audience. Use relevant hashtags that are related to your properties, locations, and target audience. For example, if you have a luxury apartment for rent, you could use hashtags like #luxuryapartment, #apartmentforrent, and #luxuryliving. Consider using a hashtag generator or tracker to find the best ones for your post. 4. Engage with your audience Social media is a two-way conversation, so it's important to engage with your audience and respond to their comments and messages. This will help to build a relationship with them and establish trust and reliability. You can also use social media to answer frequently asked questions and provide helpful information about your properties and the surrounding neighborhoods. 5. Advertise and/or boost your posts In addition to organic posts (posts that don't have any dollars behind them), you can also use paid social media advertising or "boosted posts" to promote your rental properties. Platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram offer targeted advertising and boosted post options that allow you to reach specific audiences based on demographics, interests, and more. These are powerful tools that allow you to cast a wider net and reach potential tenants who may not find your properties through organic posts. By following these tips, you can use social media to effectively market your rental properties and reach a wider audience. Remember to stay consistent with your posting and engage with your audience to build a strong online presence for your business. To view the original article, visit the Rental Beast blog.

Friday Freebie: 'Master the Market' eBook Series Will Help You Master Your Marketing
Your social media posts are about to get a lot more interesting! That's thanks to RPR's newly released Shareable Market Trends, a click-to-share feature that lets you quickly share charts and graphs to social media and your other marketing channels. This feature opens up a lot of intriguing new marketing possibilities for REALTORS®. That's why, in this week's Friday Freebie, we're highlighting a series of free eBooks from RPR chock-full of creative ways to use this new feature — and draw in leads with informative and attractive graphics. Free download of RPR's Master the Market eBook series RPR's Master the Market eBook series is designed to help REALTORS® like you harness the power of data-driven insights and transform your marketing strategies across various platforms. When you download this comprehensive series, you'll learn how to: Craft compelling listing presentations using data-driven insights Enhance your buyer and seller guides with valuable market trends Captivate your audience on social media with shareable market trends Create engaging market analysis videos Utilize data-driven content in webinars, virtual events, direct mail campaigns and print marketing Each eBook is packed with practical tips, expert advice and step-by-step instructions to help you leverage RPR's Shareable Market Trends in your marketing efforts. By mastering these techniques, you'll not only stand out from the competition, but also provide invaluable information to your clients — making you their go-to local market expert. Ready to rev up your marketing? Download RPR's Master the Market eBook series now!

Social Media Post Ideas for Agents and Brokers
Are you ready to make a splash on social media and start landing new leads? As a real estate agent, social media can be an incredibly powerful tool for connecting with potential clients. But coming up with content ideas that will draw in your audience without being overly sales-\y isn't always easy! That's why we put together this list of ideas for post topics that can give your feeds the boost they need to stand out from the competition and engage followers – no cheesy hard sells required! Read on for our top picks. Post photos of your listings with captivating descriptions As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. And in the world of real estate, this couldn't be more true. With the influx of listings popping up left and right, it's more important than ever to make your properties stand out. One way to do this is through captivating photos and descriptions that showcase the unique features of your listings. Whether it's highlighting the stunning views or the sleek, modern design, each photo should tell a story that entices potential buyers or renters. So don't just snap a quick photo and call it a day. Take the time to carefully curate your photos and craft descriptions that truly showcase your property's best features. Share tips and advice on how to make the process of buying/selling a home easier Buying or selling a home can be one of the most stressful experiences in anyone's life. To make it less overwhelming, offer tips and advice that can make the process easier. Here are some ideas: Explain how you help guide clients through the entire process Mention how friends or family can be a good source of additional insights into the process Recommend doing research and knowing your budget before jumping into the market Emphasize the importance of patience and not rushing into any decisions Highlight local businesses and services that can help potential buyers and sellers You can help support services in the communities you serve by recommending them to buyers and sellers. There is a multitude of options available that can help make the process much smoother. From home inspectors to mortgage brokers, local professionals are equipped with the expertise and insights buyers and sellers need to make informed decisions. Additionally, using local businesses for home repairs, landscaping, and other services can be a win-win situation for both parties, ensuring that your money stays in the community and helps support local economic growth. Provide real estate market insights and news updates The real estate market is always abuzz with activities and events that shape the industry. From changes in interest rates to national housing policies, the market can be volatile and unpredictable. As such, staying informed is crucial for anyone who is looking to buy, sell or invest in properties. Emphasize that you are the right resource for all the latest insights and news updates in the real estate market. Feature homes for sale in different neighborhoods in your area Show buyers and sellers how you regularly scour the local market to find the best homes for sale in every neighborhood. Mention the listings you've singled out in your posts, get your readers excited, and link directly to the property details pages on your website. And you can encourage readers to visit your site to start searching on their own where they can become registered leads for you to start working. Interview successful clients about their experience working with you As a professional in your field, there is no greater satisfaction than hearing from your clients that they've had a positive experience working with you. Make it a point to interview your most successful clients about their journey with you. Not only does it provide valuable feedback on your strengths and opportunities for growth, but hearing their stories of achievement and progress will inspire other buyers and sellers and make them want to work with you. The trust and collaboration between you and your clients is essential to your mutual success, and these interviews only strengthen that bond. Go do it! So there you have it – some incredible ideas for social media posts that can you build an impressive following, attract new leads and stand out from the crowd. While posting photos of your listings with captivating descriptions, highlighting local businesses, and providing real estate market insights are all important steps in the process, don't forget to add some personality to your posts as well! Through storytelling, you can display the expert knowledge and personal touch that embodies your professional style – helping to solidify relationships and drive sales. To view the original article, visit the iHomeFinder blog.

3 Vertical Video Ideas for Real Estate Marketing
Gone are the days when the traditional horizontal video was king. Thanks to social media and the widespread consumption of content on smartphones, vertical now rules the roost. If you're not already creating TikTok videos or Stories and Reels for Instagram and Facebook, now's the time to start. But don't let the format change intimidate you—let it save you time instead! Because vertical video is more casual and off-the-cuff in nature, it takes less time and effort to create. There's no need to use fancy equipment, set up shots, or spend much time in post-production—your smartphone is all the tool you'll need! Vertical videos are so easy to create that you can get started ASAP. Watch the video above to learn: How to create better content with less effort 3 types of vertical videos to create for your real estate business Tips and tricks for making your videos more watchable And more! Further Reading How to Leverage Instagram Reels for Real Estate 7 Adjustments That Will Make You Better on Camera TikTok: Video Makes the Real Estate Star 7 Fresh TikTok Video Ideas from TikTok Influencers

6 Ways Agents Can Dominate on Twitter
Having a solid social media presence as a real estate professional is crucial to your overall marketing strategy, not only for boosting brand awareness, but also to establish your company as the go-to authority in your area. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that nearly 47 percent of real estate businesses say that generate the best quality leads through social media compared to other platforms. And 77 percent of Realtors say that they leverage social media to connect with young buyers. Considering the popularity of social media as a source of information for both buyers and sellers, it is crucial to learn how to maximize the benefits you may reap from platforms like Twitter. Read on to learn more about connecting the dots to effectively dominate Twitter as a real estate agent. 6 Ways to Effectively Market Your Real Estate Business on Twitter As millions of users continue to use social media for marketing their businesses, it is vital for real estate agents to catch up to these marketing strategies for business brand exposure and business success. And Twitter offers just that. Here are tricks to get a business edge on Twitter: Establish Your Goals Establishing your goals can provide the clarity required to effectively market your business on Twitter, whether your objective is to attract the attention of consumers, sellers, or top recruits in your area. Promote Your Brand To attract more Twitter followers, establish your brand identity and spread the word about your brand. This means that you must be consistent in your presentation. For example, your logo, theme, and color must be consistent throughout all platforms. Then, share tweets about your brand to get exposure and user engagement and generate leads. Engage with influencers Real estate agents should interact with influencers. Connecting to those with a good following in the real estate niche is ideal. Establishing productive relationships with influencers can significantly benefit your company's success. Post Engaging Content In addition to engaging with influencers, one of the most important things you can do to keep your current audience interested and draw in new ones is to put time and effort into creating content they enjoy. The best way to increase your visibility on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and the rest is to create high-quality content. You can achieve this by posting high-quality images, videos, infographics, and the like. Adding a few real estate-specific keywords to interesting material may also help you gain more followers. Leverage Twitter Tools Juggling your day-to-day tasks with your listing appointments and showings can be challenging. However, if you want to make the most out of your time on Twitter, you should consider getting tools that will help you keep track of mentions, reply to tweets, engage with your followers and increase efficiency. Some of these tools include: Buffer Sprout Social Monitor Your Progress Nothing is more frustrating than sending out tweets only to discover that no one has read them. Keeping tabs on the response to your tweets is an excellent approach to stay ahead of your performance. Also, you can use Twitter's analytics tool to track your account activity. Conclusion Keep in mind that these are only some of the suggestions that could help you attract new followers and maintain the interest of your current audience. In the end, what matters is providing your users with a comprehensive overview of your services and to offering amazing content that will keep them engaged and help you in enhancing your online presence. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Knowing What to Share on Social Media
When it comes to social media, it's a big deal to be engaged. You must go beyond that daily post and respond to comments and questions on your various feeds. Sharing your advice, tried-and-true best practices, and niche expertise are some of the most long-lasting ways to build your personal brand and lend more credibility to your organization. Engaging and sharing valuable information shows potential clients that you have a genuine interest and you are an actual person – not some app that posts all the time. Doing this for even 15 minutes a day can boost your posts in other feeds and drive crazy engagement with your brand. Most importantly, make sure your content is interesting and attractive. The posts you create should have variety to them and not necessarily always about real estate. Post about upcoming community events, tips for home improvement and DIY projects for homeowners. Round the content out to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about owning a home or current mortgage rates. Videos are another great way to connect and engage with Facebook users. Share a video introducing yourself and telling others what you do and what a "day at the office" looks like from your perspective. You can create a video about what it's like to live and work in a specific community or any client testimonials others have generated for you. Use property videos to promote listings; do this at least once a week (or more), showcasing your different listings. You can also create a synopsis video about a blog post that just appeared on your real estate website; give a summary and a little teaser with a call-to-action link or button below the video or in the first comment below the post. Walk through a community and film the highlights–these videos can prove to be a useful resource to people who are looking to move to the area! Why not go one step further and use live video to promote your open houses? With a smartphone and a Facebook or Instagram account, you can double, triple, or even quadruple the number of people that you reach when showing off a house. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

Real Estate Media Trends You Should Follow in 2023
As a real estate pro, staying ahead of the curve and being up-to-date on the latest industry trends are essential. This not only allows you to serve your clients better but also allows you to stay ahead of the competition. The media landscape is constantly changing, and it can take time to keep up with the latest trends. However, following the industry trends is vital to stay on top of your game. Here are the top six real estate media trends for 2023: Virtual Reality Is More Favored One of the significant technologies changing the real estate landscape today is Virtual Reality (VR). VR allows potential buyers to virtual tour a property and its location without physically visiting the space. It also allows real estate developers to present complex projects in an immersive and realistic view. It is an excellent tool for real estate marketing. Realtors can create virtual tours of properties, making it convenient for potential buyers to view and ask questions about the property. So remember to keep up with VR and its continuous helpful effect on the industry to continue to provide your clients with the best possible service. Drone Footage Is Needed Another hot trend in real estate media is drone footage. Drones offer a unique perspective that allows viewers to see properties in a whole new way. 3D mapping is becoming popular as time goes on. It uses images taken from a drone to create highly accurate 3D models of buildings, landscapes, or objects that are not visible from ground level due to their height. Drones are an effective tool for real estate marketers. Given the demand for exceptional real estate photography and detailed property listings, this trend will be around for a while. Social Media Will Remain a Powerful Tool Social media is a powerful marketing tool in the real estate industry. Real estate professionals use social media to increase awareness, educate potential buyers, and generate leads. It is also a great way to connect with people in your community. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can be used to share information about events, news articles, or pictures of your listings. Get on TikTok TikTok is one of the practical marketing tools that can assist agents and brokers in reaching a larger audience and increasing their conversion rate. It enables you to present your listings and services to instantly catch homebuyers' attention. The app has become a popular app for real estate. TikTok's true power stems from its relative simplicity. You can create lead-generating material that indicates your authority on the subject and help position you as the go-to real estate professional in your community with a few clicks using the information you already have. Harnessing the Power of Email Email marketing is becoming a necessity in this day and age. More than an online presence is needed; you also need a sound customer relationship management system. This means that you need to send out newsletters regularly. Real estate pros need to send out more marketing emails to reach your business goals and connect with your target audience. You're busy seeking new homeowners for your properties; automated email marketing campaigns deliver the appropriate message directly to them. Real estate email marketing used correctly, can help you reach more clients and close more deals. Prioritize SEO SEO is a crucial part of marketing strategy for the growth of a real estate business. Building a solid online presence can help differentiate your company from the competition and grow your business. Search engine optimization (SEO) is optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). This process includes on-page factors such as page load speed, content relevance, title tags, and keyword density. There are many things to consider regarding SEO and real estate. The keywords that you use on your website, the content you post, your design, and how often you update your pages all impact how well your website ranks in search engines. The most important thing to remember about SEO is that it's not something you do once and forget about later. It's a process that requires constant attention and care if you want to see results. To Wrap Things Up Real estate media trends are changing rapidly, and agents need to keep up with these changes. With the emergence of new media technology, agents and brokers can reach a wider audience and increase their lead generation. In recent years, online platforms such as social media, blogs, and websites have provided agents with the necessary solutions for marketing their businesses. Following these trends will improve your real estate business, whether you try them yourself or get in touch with experts to help you stay on track. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

2 Steps to a 2023 Social Media Plan You'll Actually Use
We want to make planning and executing a social media strategy for 2023 as simple as possible for you. So here are two easy steps and 100+ post ideas to help you do just that. Step 1: Build a Content Calendar with this Template Putting a social media strategy in place involves some serious scheduling, and that means using a calendar. But don't start from scratch—save time by using this Social Media Content Calendar template. Learn how to customize the calendar and decide what to post in this video: Step 2: Schedule Out Your Posts Once you set your calendar up, it's time to schedule your posts. Get post ideas from these 116 resources: 42 Customizable Posts for Social Media 10 Market Update Templates 64 Graphics for Promoting Your Listings Strategize Better Up your game by learning how to integrate social into a broader promotional strategy. Meet (and beat) market challenges by using social media to thrive in a low inventory market. Need inspiration? Check out these 12 Real Estate Influencers Who Built a Business on Social Media, or read more articles about social media.

TikTok Trends for Real Estate Agents
Do you want to get in line with Gen Z and promote your real estate business through a more immersive and intuitive strategy? Use TikTok! Technology is not only changing, but it is doing so fast. Since its rise to popularity, TikTok has quickly risen to the level of Instagram and other social media platforms. And according to Statistica.com, users spend an average of 52 minutes every day on the app compared to Instagram's 28 minutes daily. This means that following TikTok trends and incorporating them into your real estate marketing strategies will give your business an edge and much-needed exposure. Trends on TikTok for Real Estate Agents Before making content for your real estate business on TikTok, you must create a Tiktok account. A lot of boomers might find it a little challenging to try out TikTok, but that shouldn't be the case because just about any content regarding your business will go a long way. This is mainly because the platform already suggests every user's content to other users whether they follow each other or not, creating a high chance for your videos to reach a huge audience really quickly. Here are some TikTok trends real estate agents can pick up to market their businesses on the platform. Property Tours Many TikTok users find home tour videos very fascinating, especially of luxury properties. And many of these users are not only fascinated, but are already looking for properties to buy. So a short tour video will come in handy. We recommend that real estate agents make sure to use every free marketing service available out there at their disposal to showcase their business and services. All you need is a smartphone to get your business kicking with the latest home tour videos. Snippets of Your Real Estate Business Your real estate clients have no idea about the million and one details that go into running your business. Get imaginative and show them minor habits or facts about your job and workspace. Consider creating a video on any of the following topics: Celebrating a client's new home Workday routine Random conversations you have at open house events and more. Real Estate Tips and Tricks TikTok is home to a vibrant community of real estate professionals, investors, and enthusiasts who are happy to share their knowledge. As a real estate professional on the platform, you can attain your marketing goals by sharing real estate investment tips, videos on property listing tips, as well as tips on when to buy a property. This will help you amass loyal followers through insightful real estate tips. Make Videos that Answer Frequently Asked Questions You can find the ideal song lyrics to address a frequently asked real estate question. Make a video of yourself answering the FAQs, add suitable hashtags and upload it to TikTok. Additionally, you can ask your followers questions which they can answer in your comments section. All in all, this will go a long way to establishing your position as an authority in the field, making you a go-to source of information for your followers. Conclusion The marketing potential of TikTok is quite extensive. By following some of the trends on the platform, you can pull traffic of potential clients to your real estate site, improving your market scale and productivity. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

5 Strategic Tips to Make You a Social Media Pro
Social media is known to be a great way to build your brand and engage through multiple platforms. Your social media presence tells your brand story to new clients and displays your business' personality to potential clients. Your social profiles act as the voice that your brand needs. You want to keep your social media posts professional but also have some casual, funny posts to show who you are and build trust with your followers. You have the control to set the tone of your interactions. Here are a handful of tips to help you manage your social media success. Shine Your Personality Through Your Social Media Social media is a great platform to share your day-to-day life, but also maintain your business professionalism. You can post things that your viewers can connect with like family/pets, events in your community, or that beautiful sunset shot you captured over the weekend. Try to keep those personal posts to one a week. You can also show off your properties — but instead of always sharing the listing itself, share the selling point of the home. Maybe the house has a killer entertaining area that is a must-see. You can also share design tips or maybe how-to's on a budget that brings a different view to your followers. Keep Promotional Posts Going, but Limited If you've ever heard the 80-20 rule being thrown around, social media is one of the best places to use this strategy. You want to be productive, but also mindful so you continue to engage with your followers and potential clients, and prove yourself as the best in business. Going overboard can cause people to lose interest. While creating your posts, you want to keep 80% of your posts that are relevant to your target audience with no benefit to you or your business. The remaining 20% of your posts can be used to promote your listings, what you offer, or even yourself. Be Creative with What You Post Instead of just posting the same old property listing or a list of your services, post content with a creative side to it. Have your previous clients create a video testimonial for you, showcase a local event you're attending or hosting, and promote a business referral partner you rely on and trust. They can do the same for you! The more creative you get, the more likely you're able to grab the attention of your target audience and viewers. Go LIVE! I know, it may sound scary at first, but it is a big way to get in front of your audience in real-time. They can see your video instantly and even ask questions while you're shooting your video. While you're at a listing or event, make it happen through either Facebook or Instagram. Don't Forget to Engage This may be one of the more important items because it shows you care and that you have a real interest in your followers. It also helps build those relationships by proving you're a real person instead of someone who just automates their social media. Doing this for 10-15 minutes a day can boost engagement with your brand and help boost your posts. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

12 Real Estate Influencers Who Built a Business on Social Media
Social media presents a wealth of opportunities for real estate agents. You can use Facebook, YouTube and other platforms to market listings and generate leads. You can also use them to build a niche and promote your brand. But social media also can be used to generate secondary income or spin off a new business. In this post, we'll review some real estate professionals using social media for this latter purpose. Here are 12 real estate influencers who built a business on social media: *Influencers listed alphabetically. 1. Ricky Carruth Ricky is a real estate agent in Orange Beach, Alabama. He has been the number one REMAX agent in the state three times and has sold more than 100 properties every year since 2014. Ricky promotes a second business as a real estate coach and speaker on Instagram, where he has 31,000 followers. 2. Bryan Casella Bryan is a real estate agent in Southern California. Since 2012, he has been making videos on YouTube that touch on real estate best practices, cars and his general lifestyle. The high quality content has helped him attract 123,000 subscribers and build one of the most popular real estate channels on YouTube. 3. Sam DeBianchi Sam started DeBianchi Real Estate in 2011 and made a cool $25 million in sales in just three years. Since establishing herself in Miami real estate, she has used social media to drive more business as a keynote speaker and real estate commentator on the Fox Business television network. 4. Tom Ferry Tom Ferry is a prolific YouTuber, where he has nearly 1,000 videos and more than 275,000 subscribers. He built his business around real estate coaching, private event speaking and sales training. He has been ranked as the #1 real estate educator by Swanepoel Power 200 and is a bestselling author. 5. Luna Ge Luna is a Philadelphia-based real estate agent recently named as a top 100 real estate agent by Property Spark. On Instagram, she doubles as a fitness model, providing workout tips and motivational quotes for other exercise obsessives. 6. Katie Lance Katie is one of the top social media marketers in real estate. Named one of Inman's 100 most influential real estate leaders, Katie provides online courses and books on how to build a business through social media. 7. Max Maxwell Max is a real estate investor who has built a business wholesaling. On his YouTube channel, he coaches new real estate wholesalers by sharing advice and experiences and hosting a podcast with others in the business. 8. Chastin J. Miles Chastin began as a real estate agent in 2014. He soon branched off into a career providing tools for other agents. On his YouTube channel, he provides scripts for client calls, roleplaying for client negotiations and lead follow-up steps. He also packages his courses into books and toolkits for sale on his website. 9. Kevin Paffrath Kevin is a real estate agent in California who has sold over $100 million in the last five years. On YouTube, his videos focus on real estate investment tips and wealth strategies, as well as general commentary on the economy, which has helped him develop a subscriber base 1.85 million people strong. 10. Graham Stephan Graham is a real estate agent in California. He started in real estate when he was 18 years old and within 10 years, he sold $120 million in residential real estate. He started his YouTube channel in 2016 where he shares investment advice, wealth strategies and general details of his life. With more than 4 million subscribers, Graham's channel is one of the most followed in real estate. 11. Loida Velazquez Loida is a real estate agent in Florida. She also has a fast-growing YouTube channel targeted to other agents. In her videos, Loida shares advice on succeeding in real estate and provides the details of her struggles and success in the business. 12. Kevin Ward Kevin got his start in real estate selling residential homes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Within three years, he was selling 100 homes annually. In 2010, he started a YouTube channel, which he uses to help build his training course, YesMasters Real Estate Success Training. Now you have a solid base of inspiration for starting your social media business and becoming a real estate influencer! To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

#GrowthHack: The Types of Accounts You MUST Follow for Success on Instagram
There are plenty of real estate influencers you can follow on Instagram—but we're not talking about specific accounts today. Instead, we're talking about the TYPE of accounts you should follow in order to game the algorithm, forge connections, and make your posts, Stories, and Reels more visible to your followers. In the video above, the Broke Agent explains why you should follow these types of accounts to maximize your Instagram success: Content you want to see in your stream Accounts to follow for the algorithm Accounts of people you do business with Other local agents Accounts to follow for referrals Accounts for inspiration and motivation Try following these account types to make your "Following" list work in your favor. (P.S. Okay, we'll give you one specific account to follow—strictly for the eye candy and aesthetic motivation: @midmodsacramento. Its narrow focus on one, particular architectural style in its market is *chef's kiss*)

Real Estate Agent Instagram Bio Best Practices
Once considered the domain of angsty teenagers and artsy photographers, Instagram now has more than 1 billion monthly active users. That's about 1 in 3 people who use the internet across the entire world. As its popularity has expanded, Instagram has become an important place for brands and businesses to increase their profile, engage existing customers, and win new clients. Real estate agents are no exception. More and more agents are using Instagram, and many are asking how to create a strong Instagram profile. The first step is clear: Your Instagram presence requires a compelling and informative real estate agent Instagram bio. The Instagram bio appears at the top of your Instagram profile, and is how you introduce yourself to the masses. How can you make the most of this small but essential space? Learn the best practices to consider as you create an Instagram bio, and see some of the strongest Instagram bios used by top agents across the country. 1. Register your Instagram as a business and register as a real estate agent Having an Instagram account can help your business, but only if prospective clients and fellow agents can actually identify that you're a real estate agent. The first step to make that happen? Make sure you use Instagram for Business and register as a real estate professional. When you register as a real estate-related business account, your profile will include the tag "Real Estate" beneath your name. For example, Christy Robinson, a Keller Williams agent in Arkansas, has an Instagram for Business account. Note that Robinson's bio includes the "Real Estate" service tag and notes her position as a "Central Arkansas Realtor." Robinson further identifies her real estate practice by including the line "Buy – Sell – Invest – Build" in her Instagram bio. This way, it's understood that Robinson represents buyers, sellers, investors, and those who want a newly built home. People who visit Robinson's account won't be confused. She's a professional real estate agent who is ready to do business. 2. Showcase your location and local market A home's value is often described with the phrase "location, location, location." The same is true for real estate agents. Your location determines your home market, your clients, and the new business you hope to earn. In her real estate Instagram bio, Brittany Mikes makes clear her location in Savannah, Georgia. The 912 area code in her phone number also reinforces her Savannah location and membership in the Teresa Cowart Team. A prospective client viewing Mikes's Instagram bio won't have questions about her home market. 3. Include your brokerage or agency information Along with your location, your brokerage or agency information is something consumers want to know. After all, a client's experience can vary widely depending on whether their agent belongs to a brokerage or agency. Whitney Korger, a real estate agent in Lincoln, Nebraska, clearly advertises her affiliation with RE/MAX Concepts in her Instagram bio. She lists her status as an agent, and includes a link to her agent website, which prominently displays her RE/MAX membership. Potential clients now know Korger is a RE/MAX agent, and when Korger's colleagues view her Instagram, they can be assured that she is advertising her agency in addition to herself. 4. List contact information In the past, you may have provided your contact information exclusively through yard signs or business cards or billboards on the side of the road. But nowadays, people will see your profile on social media, which makes listing contact information on your Instagram bio a must for real estate agents. April Baker, a Maryland agent with Samson Properties, lists her contact information on her Instagram bio. Notice how she lists her email address and phone number next to emojis of an envelope and a cell phone. Someone who comes across her Instagram will immediately be able to reach Baker, whether they prefer to email, call, or text. 5. Include your tagline or slogan Patrice McKay of Kelly Realty in Montgomery, Alabama, has a strong real estate agent Instagram bio. The phone number, the email, the website, the clearly-listed position as an agent – McKay's professionalism is obvious. But McKay also stands out from the crowd of agents with her tagline, "Call PM in the A.M. for all your real estate needs!" McKay has positioned herself as a unique agent with a specific brand identity. Even better, McKay lists her tagline just before her phone number. She's suggesting that consumers call her and provides the phone number to do it. 6. If you have an agent hashtag, use it The modern-day, digital version of taglines and slogans is a hashtag. Savvy agents include them in their Instagram bio. For example, agent Hector Pardo of Miami leads his real estate agent Instagram bio with the hashtag #PardoSold. By searching #PardoSold on Instagram, consumers and fellow agents will find posts featuring Pardo's sold and leased listings. #PardoSold helps Pardo tell everyone in the real estate game that he's a successful, experienced seller agent who is also familiar with digital marketing best practices. 7. Highlight agent awards and recognition Telling consumers that you're a good agent is fine. Being able to show consumers proof that you're a real estate whiz is what turns them into clients. Randy Louis, CEO of the Washington, D.C.-area's The Premier Realty Group, understands that the best proof of agent accomplishment is agent awards and recognition. That's why Louis includes his agent awards in his Instagram bio. Louis's "Top 15% in the world" line refers to his status as a Homesnap Top Agent Award winner in 2022. Even more, Louis has a pinned story in his Instagram bio titled Homesnap that includes his Homesnap Excellence in Client Service Award. As a top-producing Homesnap Pro+ agent, Louis's awards represent the value he provides to clients – those in the past and present, and those who are just now viewing his Instagram for the first time. 8. Use a bio landing page such as Linktree It drives real estate agents crazy, but it won't be changing anytime soon: You're only allowed one link in your Instagram bio. This rule exists for good reason. Instagram doesn't want the platform to be cluttered with spammy links. But since Instagram also doesn't permit links in comments or post descriptions, you're limited to one link for your entire Instagram presence, except for Stories. Not being able to share multiple links in an Instagram bio could curtail significant traffic to valuable channels for real estate agents. Agents such as Lisa Lejes Rosen of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in Coral Gables, FL approach this challenge by using a landing page – in this case, Linktree. Rosen's Linktree is listed at the bottom of her bio. Visitors who click on it are redirected to a landing page that includes links to her other social media accounts, email, and agent website. In addition to centrally hosting her links, Rosen's Linktree tracks the traffic each channel receives, informing her overall marketing strategy and demonstrates whether her clientele prefers viewing her YouTube or LinkedIn or simply sending an email. Linktree certainly has Instagram's approval. The Instagram for Business homepage actually has a Linktree in the bio. 9. Take advantage of pinned Stories Instagram Stories allow users to share all moments of their day, in live time and in a multiple photo and video slideshow format. Users can create "pinned" Instagram Stories that live at the bottom of an Instagram bio and contain thematic, archived content. For agents, pinned Instagram Stories are especially useful. Shakyra Cortes Mendez, an agent at La Rosa Realty in suburban Orlando, has a strong and uncluttered collection of pinned Instagram Stories. Mendez organizes her archived Stories into four categories: "Reviews," which contains client testimonials on Instagram and Google about her service "Sold," a collection of posts about recently sold properties "For Sale," which features properties for which she is the listing agent "Pending," for homes that are about to close With her Stories, Mendez is able to communicate to people who visit her Instagram that she is an active agent with a portfolio of listings. Moreover, she can showcase a slideshow of positive reviews – solidifying her reputation as a top-tier seller's agent while earning trust and legitimacy from people who want to put their home on the market. 10. Link to TikTok, YouTube, and other social media accounts Instagram is valuable, but it's not the only social media channel on which agents should develop a presence. And while your real estate agent Instagram bio should be built for Instagram, remember to work in your presence on other social media channels, which also contain valuable content. One real estate agent who highlights cross-channel social media content in her Instagram bio is Rita Bogus, a Coldwell Banker agent in Chicago. Bogus has her agent-branded TikTok content featured as the first of her pinned Instagram Stories. Those who scroll through her pinned Stories also find YouTube content. Bogus's Instagram profile shows that for business providers like real estate agents, Google is a form of social media. Buyers and sellers go to Google to identify, check out, and interact with real estate agents, so Bogus's 5-stars on Google line in her Instagram bio lends her profile extra gravitas. Bogus demonstrates that for real estate agents, social media profiles don't exist in isolation. Various social media channels should work in concert to promote an agent's experience, abilities, and digital wherewithal. 11. Link to your agent website Google and social media are important, but real estate agents shouldn't underestimate the value of a strong website. Agent websites are still crucial to an online presence, and are worth a mention in your real estate agent Instagram bio. Jaime Cooper, a Realty Lyon agent in Alabama, includes her website – www.SouthAlabamaAgent.com – in her Instagram bio. Cooper's website is a particularly strong addition to her Instagram bio because the URL mentions South Alabama, Cooper's market. Between her website, phone number, and email address, Cooper has given consumers ample opportunities to contact her, and established a smooth, professional online presence. 12. Demonstrate connection to your local market As a real estate agent, your reputation is effectively tied to what your neighbors think about you. You sell in the region and even the neighborhood in which you live – having a demonstrated, deep connection to your local market sets you above your competition. For a real estate agent Instagram bio, establish local market bona fides with a strategy such as Jorge Martinez de Castro's. De Castro, of Carmona Realty Group in Miami, includes a palm tree emoji and the hashtag #miamirealestate in his Instagram bio. There is no doubt that he's from Miami, but he takes it a step further by also including pinned stories that showcase his properties in specific neighborhoods such as Coral Gables, South Miami, and Palmetto Bay. De Castro isn't just in Miami, he's of Miami, and can point to a book of business in specific, desirable neighborhoods. Logically, de Castro's connection to Miami and its neighborhoods makes him more effective at helping his clients. And being able to show that substantial regional connection in an Instagram bio makes de Castro more likely to win new business. 13. Remember that emojis are your friend Emojis sometimes get a bad reputation. After all, emojis can seem tacky and goofy and unprofessional – they certainly don't belong in the text of a client's closing contract, for instance. But emojis are acceptable, even a must-have, for real estate agent Instagram bios. Instagram is a mostly visual platform, so emojis don't appear out of place. Plus, emojis help break up the text in Instagram bios – using a pin denotes region, an envelope signals email, a phone pairs with a contact number. Jeff Scott, a Berkshire Hathaway agent in eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware, uses emojis to form an eye-pleasing list in his Instagram bio. Scott's list is similar to other agents, but adds even more personality by including his signature eyeglasses and the tagline "Not your average realtor." Scott's eyeglasses emoji are a reminder not just of his brand identity, but also of the fact that Instagram is supposed to be fun. People browse Instagram casually, usually on their phone, always in competition with lively posts from friends and family and other brands. Scott's emoji use isn't overblown or inappropriate. It makes his Instagram bio easier to digest and far more memorable. 14. Show you're a real person So much of a real estate agent's online presence is about establishing professionalism and market expertise. That's essential, but remember that your Instagram bio is on a platform of cute pet videos, pictures of a friends' kids, and Reels of strangers teaching new dance moves. Instagram is a chance to show that you're a real person, in addition to a competent real estate agent. Arniece Dawson of Capital Structures Real Estate in Maryland has a real estate agent Instagram bio that captures her identity as an agent and person. Notice that her bio includes "& MomBoss," which tells consumers that she's not just in charge at work. Her pinned stories include real estate listings, but also content about her recent engagement, vacations, and family life. Many buyers and sellers want a personal connection with their agent. Does this person understand the stress of moving with kids? Buying in the right school district? Our family's quality of life? Moving in with a new partner? Dawson preemptively demonstrates that she understands considerations like these, and uses her Instagram bio to humanize her real estate practice. Nail Your Real Estate Agent Instagram Bio and Win More Business Your Instagram bio is an important component of your online success as a real estate agent. By following real estate agent Instagram bio best practices, you're more likely to claim an Instagram account that accentuates your abilities, experiences, commitment to your clients, and connection to your local market. With a well-designed Instagram bio, you will bolster your online presence, impress clients, and win more new business. To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.

How to Share Real Estate YouTube Videos on Twitter
Real estate agents produce a lot of great video content, such as home tours and how-tos, but sharing them across platforms can be difficult. YouTube and Twitter are the quintessential mix of two separate online channels. The former allows you to easily upload any type of video content, while the latter enables you to easily share it with your followers with only a few clicks. Who knows? Maybe one of your subscribers might retweet the video and make it viral. There are several ways to share real estate YouTube videos on Twitter. This article will discuss the three most common methods of sharing YouTube videos on Twitter. Three Simple Ways to Share YouTube Videos on Twitter You can upload a real estate YouTube video on Twitter in three ways: directly from the video, by pasting the URL into your tweet, and by sharing it through Twitter's creatives library media. Read below to find out how. How to Upload a Real Estate YouTube Video from YouTube's "Share" Menu Step 1 Go to the YouTube video you want to post on your desktop browser when logging in to both your YouTube and Twitter accounts. Step 2 To draft a tweet with the video link attached, press the word "Share" just below the video, and then click the Twitter icon, as demonstrated in the photo below. When sharing the video, you can choose when the real estate video starts and stops by pausing it and checking the box at the bottom to share the video. Step 3 Then, click "Tweet" after inserting whatever text you like on Twitter's "What's happening" bar. The title of the YouTube video will also be added to the tweet by YouTube. How to Share a YouTube Video via a Link on Twitter To share a real estate YouTube video via Twitter, you just have to copy and paste the video's URL into a tweet. You can copy the YouTube URL by right-clicking the video and choosing "Copy video URL" from the URL or directly copying the URL at the top of your browser. After your YouTube link is shared on Twitter, the post will appear on your feed, as seen above. However, Twitter does not appreciate videos shared in this manner, and your post might not get enough reach. Below is the best and most effective method of sharing your YouTube video content on Twitter. How to Embed a Real Estate YouTube Video on Twitter Through Twitter's Creatives Library Media Step 1 To embed a real estate YouTube video on Twitter via its "Creatives" library media, you have to click on the "More" tab on Twitter's Home menu. Step 2 The next step will be to click on the "Twitter Ads" menu. It is not necessarily creating an ad. However, it is a method to embed a YouTube video directly without showing it on your Twitter feed as a link with a caption. Step 3 Insert additional information on the Twitter form provided. You will need to set your country and time zone. After setting this up, it cannot be changed, and it will be used as your billing currency if you want to run a Twitter ad. Then, click "Let's Go." (This video sharing process is free.) Step 4 At this point, you should choose a campaign objective. In Twitter's menu bar, choose a campaign objective, click on "Creatives," and select "Media." But if your Twitter account has never done an ad before, create a Twitter ad account (free of charge). However, you will need to add payment information. Step 5 On your account information page, click on the "Add new payment method." Since our Twitter page already has an existing ad account, the interface is slightly different from that of a page without an ad account. Step 6 Select your tax status by clicking on "Business" and then click "Next." Enter your credit card information or other payment information after this step. Step 7 Go back to Twitter's "Creatives" menu bar and select "Media," and you will be redirected to Twitter's Creatives Media Library. Step 8 Click on "Upload Media" on the top right side of the screen to upload the YouTube video you want to share. Choose your real estate YouTube video from your computer to upload. Step 9 Once the video is uploaded, fill in the required information for Twitter's video media. Add the title of your real estate YouTube video, give a detailed description of your video in the description tab, say what category your video is, and select a call to action. In the "Call to action" tab, you can choose to direct your followers to your YouTube channel or your website. In this tab, you can share your YouTube video link, or a link to your website, depending on what action you want to achieve through the video. This process is mainly for SEO, and won't show on your Twitter feed, so make sure to add information in the required fields. Also, choose a thumbnail on the "Change thumbnail" tab. When this is done, you can either schedule the post or directly Tweet it. Once your tweet is posted, the video will appear on your feed. You should share the post with an accurate description of the real estate video content like you would do for any regular Twitter post to give your followers an idea of what the video is about. Unlike sharing a YouTube link or a YouTube URL directly from YouTube, your Twitter embedded video appears on your feed, where followers can watch or go to your YouTube channel or website through the call-to-action link above the video. And this is all there is to know about sharing real estate YouTube videos on Twitter. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Achieve Real Estate Brand Visibility with TikTok
Once upon a time, TikTok was just one social media platform, a music/dance driven media outlet seemingly oriented towards the demands of teenagers. But this has changed as word spread about the platform. According to Statista's research: 22.4 percent of people who use TikTok in the US are between the age of 20-29 21.7 percent 30-39 20.3 percent 40-49 11 percent 50+ And only 25 percent are between the ages 10-19 As you can see, there is a very big audience and potential pool of clients: both Gen Z and Millenials. So, why is TikTok such an interesting platform for real estate agents? A Dynamic Alternative to Pinterest? Pinterest is a popular choice for interior design inspiration and checking properties. That's why it's such a favorite pick for both agents and consumers. TikTok can be used the same way, but it offers a more dynamic approach to content. For inspiration, see: 7 Fresh TikTok Video Ideas from TikTok Influencers. The Real Estate Niche Is Pretty Big on TikTok TikTok is known to house many niches, including the real estate niche. People love watching properties being transformed, and they are always on the lookout for new interior design inspiration. That's why people love browsing property listings even if they aren't in the market for a home. And while this doesn't absolutely guarantee a lead flow, it still means a huge visibility across all age representations for your brand and for your client's property. Reuse Content You can repurpose your old content. Although your old videos might need a little tweaking, it's possible to turn, for example, a 30-minute video into a 15-second to 1-minute short TikTok video. You Can Go Viral TikTok has an incredible organic reach, and you can even go viral. Even with zero followers, you can reach thousands of views and bring organic awareness to your brand. Best Practices Here are some of the best practices for TikTok videos: Use a vertical aspect ratio of 9:16. Videos that have audio are performing better than those without. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog. Further Reading A TikTok Guide for Real Estate Agents Is TikTok a Viable Way to Sell Luxury Homes? TikTok: Video Makes the Real Estate Star

How Can You Prove You're a Local Real Estate Expert?
It's a question you may ask yourself often: How can I demonstrate to consumers in my market that I'm the best real estate agent in the area? As with most components of real estate, the answer has become more involved and multi-dimensional in recent years. Once, planting yard signs in front lawns and having a witty slogan on a shopping cart may have been enough. Now, with consumers able to access more information than ever, proving yourself as the go-to local agent requires a consistent, digitally savvy reputation management strategy. Fortunately, you can take two clear actions to establish yourself as the most trustworthy real estate agent in your market. 1. Dominate local SEO When it comes to reputation management, real estate agents face a hard reality: If you don't rank at the top of Google search results about local real estate, you will lose credibility and fail to prove your position as the best agent in your market. Imagine it from a consumers point of view: They're in the market to buy or sell a home, see one of your signs or social media posts, and search for you on Google. What they get back is a barren online presence, without any client reviews, a dedicated website, or information about your address, business hours, and current listings. Maybe they can't even find you at all. Who could blame them when they decide to look for another agent? If you were looking for a lawyer or plumber or other service provider, would you hire somebody who didn't come with any recommendations? You might even think they are out of business, if you couldn't find them online. This is why it is crucial for you to have a strong presence on local Google search results. More than ever before, real estate searches start online, and more than ever before, Google is serving real estate searchers locally-focused content. When consumers look for you online, establish the SEO presence necessary to ensure that they are served a strong, informative, persuasive content. To start, create a Google business profile and populate it with your address, phone number, websites, and up-to-date photos. Then, solicit and manage reviews from clients, fellow agents, and your family and friends. This way, when people search for you on Google, they see that you have satisfied customers, impressed colleagues, and a history of superior real estate service. 2. Leverage social media People's media consumption habits have changed dramatically since the advent of social media. As an agent, this gives you an opportunity. Use social media effectively and you can make sure that local consumers know about your listings and your knowledge. Traditionally, social media has been divided into organic and paid efforts. Both have their benefits and can help showcase your local real estate footprint and expertise. Organic posts tend to be good for general observations about the state of the local real estate market. By posting about what's happening in the market, you show people in your community that you have a strong handle on what's going on – which homes are selling, at what price, and how long after being listed. Paid social media posts are also valuable if you want to establish yourself as the leading local real estate expert. Most of your paid social media posts are likely to feature home listings, and we know that agents who buy Facebook ads through Homesnap earn 2.5 times more leads from Facebook than agents without paid social media ads. Those leads come through increased digital reach – people see an ad and know about your foothold in the local real estate market. Whether they become a lead now or later, paid social media helps showcase to consumers that many local buyers are already trusting you with their real estate needs. Proving that you're a local real estate expert is essential to earning new clients, and requires both having the knowledge required to be an expert and the online presence necessary to convince consumers of your abilities. By upgrading to Homesnap Pro+, you can accomplish both of these objectives, and become the local agent who buyers and sellers contact first. To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.

Setting You Up For Social Media Success
Did you know that 65% of home buyers say they are influenced by a friend's homebuying posts on Facebook or Instagram? Social media has a huge impact on our day-to-day lives both personally and professionally. As a marketing tool, social media gives you a simple outlet for promoting your brand and your business. 80/20 Rule The use of the 80/20 rule can be a way to leverage your social media: 80% of your social media posts should inform, educate and entertain, while only 20% should directly promote your business. There are so many engaging things you can post on your channels. For instance, promoting listings or open houses, industry news, local involvement, or highlighting local businesses and partners. You can offer home improvement tips and even silly (but appropriate) memes! When creating posts, something you can ask yourself is, "What do people want to know about me and my business?" Try to provide strong content that your followers can relate to. Remember, you want to always drive traffic to your lead capturing websites or provide a call-to-action. Scheduling Posts We recommend creating a social media calendar for each month with an action plan of your posts. Using a social media posting tool like Hootsuite or Sprout Social is a way to keep your posts organized and automated. Reference page six of this Social Media 101 guide to see some of the best and worst times to schedule your posts across different social media platforms. Use a CRM to Build and Nurture Your Network Using a CRM can help you stay connected with all your contacts. Following up with your new lead base, your prospects who have become your top clients and even your past clients. With a CRM, you can easily manage your buyers, listings, and closings, set up targeted drip emails and nurture campaigns, and build brand awareness and engagement through relevant social media postings. Up your CRM game today! To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

Real Estate Hashtags for 2022
Social media has evolved from a place where people socialize to where businesses conduct their daily operations. The realty world isn't left out either -- real estate businesses are now using social media to drive up property sales. The National Association of Realtors reports that 77% of real estate agents actively use social media. In comparison, 47% of Realtors say that social media brings the highest quality leads than other sources. The study also suggests that more than 90% of millennials start their home searches online. This means that social media is a gold mine for any real estate business. To ace the social media concept, you need to have a solid strategy to navigate the social media waters. A great way to get started is by using hashtags. What Are Hashtags? A hashtag is an extra phrase that you can add to your social media posts. A hashtag is usually written with a hash (#) symbol followed by any additional keyword that you want to add. This helps people track exciting and relevant topics. Hashtags give your posts more context and depth. They also make your posts visible to a broader audience. For example, if you post a photo of the sun setting, you can caption it as Sundown. #skybrilliance #sunsetlover, etc. Users who want to find images or posts about sunsets can type the hashtag into the search bar and find the post quickly. When using real estate hashtags, you need to make sure that you tag your posts appropriately so that whenever a potential client types the hashtag, they can find your posts easily. For instance, if you're sharing a photo of an apartment in Washington D.C., the hashtag can read #DCApartments. Any tenant searching online for an apartment in D.C. only needs to type in the hashtag #DCApartments, and they will find your listing. If you aren't sure of which keywords to use for your real estate post, you can refer to the following hashtags to help you out: #home #homesforsale #househunting #apartmenthunting #homesweethome #realestateagentforlife #sold #dreamhome #fixandflip #NYCApartments General Real Estate Hashtag Usage Rules Hashtags are not only applicable to Twitter and Instagram. Hashtagging your post on LinkedIn allows you to connect with other agents. In the same light, hashtagging your posts on Facebook makes you visible to prospective clients on Facebook Marketplace. However, there are limits to the number of hashtags you can use for every social media site. Overusing hashtags makes your post appear spammy to the platform's algorithm. For LinkedIn, you should stick to, at most, five relevant hashtags for every post. Twitter might have started the hashtags feature, but it also has a limit to the number of hashtags you can use. The platform allows users to post a maximum of 280 characters, up from its initial 140, including hashtags. Due to this limitation, you need to ensure your hashtags are relevant to your real estate business and properties. Ideally, you should stick to two hashtags per post. Facebook users don't actively use the hashtag feature. However, at least one hashtag can drive up maximum engagement for business posts on a site. If you want to go all out with as many real estate hashtags as you want, then Instagram is the place for you. This social media platform allows you to post up to 30 hashtags for every post. However, this doesn't mean you should go on a hashtag spree. If you're going to use all 30 hashtags for your post, make them relevant to the real estate business and the home you're selling. Interestingly, Instagram allows you to reverse search some of the hashtags to find prospective clients who are looking for properties. Things to Note 1. Don't Overuse Hashtags Overusing hashtags makes your post look spammy, and may result in low or no engagements. It also makes you look like an amateur who is new to social media. 2. Keep Up with Your Competitors Social media is an ever-evolving business and socializing tool. Every day, new and fruitful hashtags appear, which may be useful in driving engagement your way. Always monitor how your competitors use their hashtags. Keep a close eye on which hashtags they use and which ones receive a lot of user engagement, and implement the ideas you obtain to your advantage. 3. Be Specific General real estate hashtags are useful for driving user engagement. However, to appeal to and find more prospective clients, your hashtags should be specific and targeted. For instance, you can use location-centered hashtags, the home's pet policy and other features to help you appeal to a broader client base. In conclusion Hashtags are a powerful engagement tool when used appropriately. They help bring in more views to your real estate posts and ultimately close deals with prospective clients. Always try to use relevant hashtags to avoid getting spammed. To view the original article, visit the Wise Agent blog.

LinkedIn for Real Estate Agents
Social media is a valuable tool for real estate professionals. However, if you aren't on LinkedIn, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. Being on other social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram can be beneficial, but does present challenges unique to those platforms, such as your business profile competing with cat videos and selfies. LinkedIn eliminates these distractions, so you no longer have to fight to make your post relevant or find your audience because, on LinkedIn, they are looking for you specifically. Half of US adults with college degrees use LinkedIn, and 45% of internet users that make more than $75,000 annually use the platform. You don't have to combat crowds of uninterested bystanders because LinkedIn is a platform created for professionals, so you should be taking full advantage of all it has to offer. According to Hubspot, LinkedIn produces 277% more leads than Facebook and Twitter. LinkedIn also has a visitor to lead conversion rate of 2.74%, which may not sound like much, but when you compare it to the .77% rate of Facebook and only .69% rate of Twitter, it is clear how valuable LinkedIn is. One of the biggest challenges in marketing is generating traffic and leads, but LinkedIn has made a name for itself in this category. LinkedIn accounts for 50% of website traffic coming from social media platforms, making it more valuable than any other platform. How do you ensure you are getting the most out of your LinkedIn profile? Finding Leads LinkedIn makes finding leads more simple than ever before. For starters, the platform's LinkedIn Messaging Ads platform is a convenient tool to advertise your services to potentially interested clients. Pair this with LinkedIn Gen Forms, and you can capture tons of leads. These gen forms are customizable ads sent as messages or sponsored content to the target audience to collect leads of higher quality. You can customize these ads to ask specific questions to certain audiences to receive more accurate information. Using LinkedIn Gen Forms double your lead conversion rate. Many clients seek out real estate agents on LinkedIn, typically because they find them somewhere else and head to LinkedIn to learn more about the agent. They want to check out their qualifications, experience, and skills before taking the next step in their buying or selling process. Give yourself the upper hand by having all of this information available to them through your profile. Your Profile To optimize your LinkedIn profile, you need to start with exactly that—your profile! It is vital that your page is complete and inviting. That way, when leads visit your page, they know exactly who you are, what you do, and how you can help them. Your profile photo and banner are the first things your visitors will see. You should have a professional headshot for your profile photo and an informational image for your banner, such as an image that shows you working in your career field. Headlines are the first thing visitors will read, so it needs to be catchy and informational. Although LinkedIn will automatically fill out this headline, you should personalize this section and take advantage of the 240 character count. Your About section is the next big piece of your LinkedIn puzzle. This summary should include anything you want leads to know about you and your business immediately. Highlight your significant accomplishments, feature client success stories, and take this opportunity to create a strong first impression for leads. Also, be sure to include a call-to-action or a "next step" for the lead to follow. At this point, if a lead is still on your page, they will most likely be ready to reach out to you. Have contact information readily available for these potential clients. Without a quick, effortless way to contact you, the rest of your profile will be a waste. When it comes to posting on LinkedIn, make sure you're doing it often! You can post your own content or repost others' content that you think would benefit your audience. What should you be posting? Great question! A lot of real estate professionals use their LinkedIn to showcase homes. Make sure to mix up your content too—you can post blogs, infographics, and personalized videos to keep things new and exciting for your audience. LinkedIn can be a prosperous tool for connecting with potential clients and learning more about the real estate industry. Don't let this platform go unnoticed—it can be one of the best opportunities for making yourself seen! Perfect your profile and start watching the leads roll in. To view the original article, visit the Wise Agent blog.

5 No-Brainer Tips for Social Media Marketing
So you've figured out how to Tweet, 'Gram and Facebook, you narrowed it down to the best three head shots to use, and you're ready to take the online world by storm. However, you're busy, and what you lack is time and experience, so how will you know what to do to get the most out of social media? We're here to help with the top ways you can step up your social media marketing. 1. Update ALL those profiles The number one goal is to obtain quality business, and to do this, you need to project quality yourself. To that end, keep every single profile updated with your latest contact information, brokerage, branding, and photo. If your profile photo on Facebook looks like a glamour shot from the 1980s, I'm likely to follow someone else for the most up-to-date news on buying and selling in 2022. The same goes for an outdated phone number. The worst case scenario is that they can't figure out how to contact you after coming across your profile. Make sure all your social media marketing doesn't go to waste and double check that your contact information is readily available on every platform. 2. Solicit (and post) reviews Do you have clients that loved working with you? I hope you said yes. It's time to put those happy clients to work for you. Solicit and post their reviews on your social media accounts. So many buyers and sellers have said they are more likely to choose a Realtor that has happy reviews from real clients. Give them reviews to look through so that they can be confident they are choosing the right person for the job. 3. Join online communities There are millions of potential clients out there waiting to be found. There is no better way to do that than using different online communities to find them. It doesn't have to be on Facebook, but why not, since 200 million people are part of meaningful Facebook groups? Find community groups, neighborhood groups, and real estate advice groups. If you can't find them, start one, and invite people you know and then have them invite their friends. The idea is to get in front of (virtually) like-minded people. 4. Experiment with video You are already thinking about what content you have to put out there, whether it be on traditional social media accounts or on your new blog, but have you ever thought about making some of that content into video? It might sound daunting, but wouldn't you rather watch and hear someone talking to you about something than just read what they wrote? Chances are, so would a lot of your potential clients. Start doing some open houses on Facebook Live or post the highlights of staging day on Instagram. So many buyers and sellers want to know exactly what a real estate agent will do for them during their transaction, so show them by putting up some videos of some of the most searched topics. 5. Spend some cash on ads Once you've gotten a feel for the type of content you want to produce and feel comfortable with your accounts, don't hesitate to throw out some paid ads to target potential clients. It's fairly cheap to buy ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. The targeting also allows you to be super specific on the types of clients you're trying to entice. There are a lot of options, and an equally great amount of resources to help you set these up. Mostly you need a video or image, and a message. This could provide you with a steady stream of qualified leads to supplement what you're already doing at a low cost. It All Starts with a Plan Mastering the art of social media marketing for real estate agents isn't going to happen overnight. Coming up with a plan of attack to execute over the upcoming months is key to success. Enlist friends and family to help with content and ideas and use a little extra time every day to accomplish a few things at a time. To view the original article, visit the Transactly blog.

What Channel Fits Your Real Estate Marketing Objectives?
Real estate marketing is about making decisions and setting goals. Are you looking for immediate lead generation or to fill your pipeline for future months? Is your objective to broadly promote your business or drive more attendance to your open house? Different marketing channels help accomplish different goals. Consider this quick guide to four of the most popular advertising channels for real estate agents, as well as best practices for using each. Google Real estate marketing objectives: Short-term lead generation, finding high intent, local buyers and sellers When it comes to intent, think of Google as the opposite of Facebook: Whereas Facebook users are earlier in their real estate journeys, those who are searching on Google are much more likely to transact in the short term, as they've moved beyond the "browsing phase" and are directly searching for real estate. In fact, more serious homebuyers and sellers turn to Google than marketplace websites like Zillow and realtor.com. If your goal is to market your current listings or find serious sellers, you absolutely cannot go wrong with the world's most popular search engine, home to the largest audience on the internet. Recently, Google has more heavily emphasized serving searchers relevant, locally-focused search results. This means that Google is even more weighted towards finding high intent buyers and sellers, as Google searchers are served results full of agents who live and work in their neighborhood, town, or city. All agents should be sure to solicit as many Google reviews as possible, since agents with five or more reviews are eligible to be Google Screened and have a verified badge on their Google Business Profile. This results in more calls and texts from leads, more clients, and more homes that you help clients buy and sell. Facebook Real estate marketing objectives: Long-term lead generation, awareness Put the negative headlines and controversy aside: Facebook is still the world's biggest, most influential social media platform. But its huge user base does not make Facebook a marketing cure-all. Agents looking for immediate, high-quality, ready-to-transact homebuyers and sellers are better served allocating their marketing spend elsewhere, such as Google. That's because consumers browsing real estate listings and agent profiles on Facebook are low-intent. Now, low-intent does not mean no-intent. Many of these consumers are looking to transact eventually; they're just earlier in the buying process. They may be doing cursory research — such as learning more about a certain market or seeing how much house they can afford — or they could be planning for something further down the road, like after a wedding or when they hit a certain savings goal. So, if you can stay top of mind throughout their research and decision phase you're that much more likely to win their business when they are ready to hire an agent or purchase a property—remember the vast majority of consumers hire the first agent they come in contact with. And Facebook allows agents to target and nurture these someday-ready-to-transact leads more effectively than anywhere else. You can calibrate your campaigns to zero in on these users and nurture them with dynamic ads overtime, creating multiple touchpoints and refining your messaging so you're present and easy to contact when they're ready to hire an agent. Instagram Real estate marketing objectives: Marketing videos and virtual tours, finding first-time and younger homebuyers Whereas Facebook's audience skews older, Instagram tends toward the younger. It's the most popular social media platform among millennials, now the largest home-buying demographic in the U.S., and nearly half of all Americans aged 18-49 use it every day. It boasts an engagement rate of up to ten times higher than Facebook. And it's particularly adept at aspirational and lifestyle advertising, of which real estate is included. But Instagram isn't just about marketing to first-time and younger homebuyers. Ever since the pandemic, the social network has become the ideal platform for advertising virtual tours and open houses. It makes sense. Instagram was built for media sharing. And as result, promoted videos are more seamless and less intrusive when compared to competing channels. Virtual tours, walkthroughs and open houses are likely here to stay, so you might as well leverage them in your advertising—especially when you're targeting first-time and younger homebuyers. Click here for a complete guide to marketing on Instagram, including the various ad types and targeting options available to you. Waze Real estate marketing objectives: Promoting open houses, virtual billboards and road signs Waze, a navigation app, is often overlooked as an advertising platform, which is a shame, as there's perhaps no advertising platform better for advertising an upcoming open house. Waze offers three types of advertisements, all of which allow agents to safely target drivers within a specified radius of a target location. When a user interacts with any of these ads, they'll be offered an option to (re)direct their GPS navigation to your intended location. All prospects need to do is click "Take me there" to receive individualized, step-by-step directions. It's particularly effective when you're advertising an open house that might be a bit out of the way. In the past, planting a sign in a lawn or posting open house notifications at the top of a busy street was a major marketing strategy for real estate agents. The world has changed, so why not replicate this type of promotion digitally? Click here for a complete guide to marketing on Waze. To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.

The Relationship Cloud: Mashup of Social Media, CRM and Big Data
WAV Group is fortunate to work with many great technology companies and entrepreneurs who have used profound imagination to improve real estate. One of those companies is Aidentified. What impressed us about Aidentified is that they have delivered something that works. For years, we have seen best practices develop in social media, understood the importance of a CRM, and heard stories about leveraging Big Data that never materialized. The elegant way that Aidentified has combined these three things to deliver impactful business intelligence to real estate is outstanding. Aidentified's foundation is built on Big Data. They leverage public and licensed data to capture and validate personal – as well as professional – information on hundreds of millions of U.S. citizens from dozens of sources, every day. That is big data – think Experian, but on steroids. That information is nice to have, but it needs to be relatable for brokers and agents. That is where CRM comes in. You don't need hundreds of millions of records, you only need the ones that matter to you. So Aidentified connects to your CRM using an API and deposits the information where you need it. Pull up a record in Chime, and the customer record data is matched with data from Aidentified's relationship cloud. You can append your CRM record with whatever is missing – like the husband's name, how many children, where they work, their inferred income bracket, referral opportunities and so much more. Aidentified also ties in certain social media connections. The service allows teams or brokers to connect their social networking connections and other siloed contacts, like your phone contacts or neighbors, to Aidentified. For the first time, teams of agents can band their personal and professional networks together. One useful advantage of this is lead routing. Why give a lead to an agent next in line when you can give the lead to the agent who sold the lead's brother a home, or an agent whose wife works with the lead's wife, or whomever? Aidentified has merged connections from CRM, social media and big data inferences from this powerful interconnected relationship cloud and turns "just another lead" into better prioritized business opportunities. Relationship Monitoring The greatest feature about Aidentified is relationship monitoring. When a customer record changes or your customer has a life event like an IPO or a stock sale, for example, the agent will get an email alert. Digital Prospecting My favorite digital prospecting story that utilized Aidentified involved a company that was moving out of the Bay area in California to Austin, TX. A single agent had a client who was an executive at the company. Using Aidentified, this agent leveraged that relationship to reach out to dozens of other executives at the company. It resulted in more than a handful of listings and lots of referrals to agents in Austin. If you have not looked at Aidentified, take the time to check it out. You will be astonished, and maybe even a little bit shocked. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

RPR Releases Its Social Media and Digital Marketing Survey
Realtors Property Resource (RPR) announced the results of its December 2021 Social Media and Digital Marketing Survey. The report includes survey responses from over 1,200 REALTORS who use social and digital media in their marketing efforts. This bi-annual measuring stick, with results in 2017 and 2019 to use as a comparison, provides a snapshot of how social media is utilized and implemented by independent real estate marketers. The goal is to provide REALTORS® with insight on trends and shifts when it comes to how agents are using social media in their marketing mix. One of the most revealing facts taken from the study is the change in usage of social media websites and digital applications. For example: While still the most used, Facebook has gone from 93.60% usage in 2017 to 78.47% in 2021 Instagram has grown the most, from the No. 5 spot in 2017, 29.06%, to No. 2 in 2021 with 49.84% LinkedIn usage has dropped dramatically, from the No. 2 spot, 57.14% in 2017, to third with 26.43% YouTube has held steady: 21.69% in 2017, 21.69% in 2019, and 19.33% in 2021 Twitter has been almost fully marginalized out of the social media world, with 30.05% usage in 2017, compared with 6.12% in 2021 TikTok, the emerging new kid on the block, makes it debut with 6.53% usage in 2021, compared to zero percent in the previous years Another interesting statistic is that video is becoming steadily more popular as a format with social media marketing. 21.18% of respondents used video in 2017, while 23.15% did in 2019. The number has jumped to 30.34% with the current survey. This correlation adds up when you consider that YouTube has held its ground, while Instagram and TikTok have grown. Video posts are simply more interesting, more engaging and more entertaining than static photos or graphics, and these three platforms were made for video content and sharing. "As housing markets change, so does marketing, including social and digital media. Some become stale and overused, while others such as Instagram and TikTok, and video in general, gain more popularity and footing," said Reggie Nicolay, RPR® vice president of marketing. "This survey is a perfect example of how agents need to stay current on social media trends so they can get their message in front of the right targets." An additional key finding is that social media outcomes (numbers) for awareness, referrals and leads (buyer and seller) were strong in 2017 and 2019, but all three took a dramatic drop in 2021. There could be many reasons for this, including social media blindness/wear out, and the changes in privacy causing ad targeting not to be as effective. However, the most likely explanation falls squarely on the pandemic. In the beginning of 2020, numbers fell off the table for a while due to lockdowns and safety measures. Then, when the pandemic housing rebound occurred (and still is to some degree), inventory dropped to extremely low levels, which explains how referrals and leads declined so much. View the full survey results here.

Facebook Tips for Real Estate Agents: Just Say No to Buyer Photos
Janis Borgueta, a real estate agent in Newburgh, New York, offers Facebook tips for real estate agents and talks about how buyers posting photos of a home that's for sale can violate the owner's privacy and compromise a deal. Here's Janis: These days, Facebook is a part of life for many people. It is a way to communicate daily events and stay in touch with others. Many agents (like myself) use our Facebook business page as well as our personal profile page to increase brand awareness. Lots of us also post photos of homes we tour and list. Any time we post said pictures, it should be done with the permission of the owners and should never compromise a deal. A buyer that is touring homes recently asked if they could take photos of the home to show a family member something specific in the house. This particular home was almost empty and I knew it would not be a problem. I told him that it would be okay if, 1) he did not take photos of the owners' personal belongings, and 2) he did not share the photos on Facebook or any social media. Whenever I'm touring a home with a buyer, I ask them not to post photos on social media for the following reasons: 1. It violates the owners privacy Our cell phones take some rather wonderful photos these days, and preventing buyers who tour homes from snapping a few photos is almost impossible. I take a proactive stance to this by bringing up the topic when we tour our first home together, as I like to make sure they understand the rules early on. As an agent, I just don't really care if my buyers take photos, but I do care about what they do with them after the fact. My motto: NO posting to social media. NO exceptions! I remind my clients that the house we are touring is someone else's home and should not be posted on Facebook or any other form of social media. 2. It can compromise a deal when you put in an offer The second thing I tell clients is that during the buying process, it is super important not to compromise their purchase by publicly discussing anything about the buying process because it could cost them dearly when negotiating a deal. In general, people share way too much personal information about themselves and about their finances. Doing so can dramatically hurt the negotiation process and compromise a deal when buying a home. A gentle reminder has proven most helpful in my dealings with clients. Some get so excited when they find that perfect home that they want to take home a few of their own photos to view. To that, I say no problem, just keep them off Facebook. A picture is worth a thousand words, but waiting until after move-in day is the best plan. There is plenty of time to share all those photos of your new home after you move in! Learn more about Janis on her website, hudsonvalleyhomesforsale.co. What do you think: is it okay for buyers to post photos on social media? Why or why not? To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

Pinterest Ads for Real Estate Agents: How to Get Started?
Real estate professionals are no strangers to Pinterest. This search engine/social media platform has steadily supported real estate agents and was one of the best platforms for placing real estate listings. To no one's surprise, Pinterest is still one of the biggest social media platforms out there, and it even rivals platforms like TikTok. Pinterest is constantly updating boards and launching new merchant tools, which also aids its popularity. Purely a visual platform is ideal for real estate agents, considering that property listings are the bread and butter of the real estate industry. Another advantage that real estate agents have is the popularity of certain topics over another on Pinterest. As research shows, categories like travel, home decor, and technology are the most popular on Pinterest. By presenting real estate properties in an attractive way, real estate professionals are able to catch the attention of many Pinterest users. Now that we've discussed the importance of Pinterest, let's talk about the Pinterest Ads, how to get started with them, what PPC is and what the are benefits of Pinterest Ads. Let's dive in. What You Should Know About Pinterest Ads Let's start our guide with discussing the benefits of Pinterest Ads. First things first: as many marketers claim, shopping for many Pinterest users is a top priority. This means many Pinterest users are your potential and, most importantly, eager customers. It's possible to achieve a low pay-per-click with Pinterest Ads, and billing is based on CPC, which means you will only be charged for clicks. In a nutshell, impressions don't affect your billing. What is more fascinating is that Pinterest Ads stay on the platform and people are able to interact with them completely for free after the campaign ends. The look of Pinterest Ads play a significant role in their success. Marketers note that the Pinterest Ads look more organic compared to other ads. They overall fit pretty well in the organic feed. How to Set Up Pinterest Ads As always, while dealing with any ads, the first thing that you should do is to set up a business account at ads.pinterest.com. Follow Pinterest instructions in setting up a business account. After setting up a Pinterest business account, you can already proceed with creating your first ad campaign. You will be given a couple of options: Build Awareness – With Build Awareness, you can help people discover your brand through brand awareness, or help people discover your brand and drive actions through promoting video. Drive Consideration – This essentially means driving more traffic, making more people click on your ad. Get Conversions – This drives people to take actions on your website, promoting business and ads through inventory. What About Targeting? What targeting options do you have? Keywords Interests Placements Demographics Expanded targeting options (audience targeting/retargeting) As Pinterest suggests, it's better to have separate targeting options for each campaign. In case you want to identify trends on the Pinterest platform, you can check trends through Pinterest's native tool analytics and then check trends. Based on the results you get, you can proceed with planning your campaign. Interests and Keywords As Pinterest suggests, it's better to have a maximum of three interests at a time to correctly identify the audience. As for the keywords, you can use Pinterest's keyword tool to discover important keywords. Pinterest is pretty similar to other platforms when it comes to the keywords, which means you can have broad, phrase, and exact keywords. Audience The first thing that you should do before starting a campaign is to create an audience. There are different type of audiences that you can apply to your campaign: Engagement Audience – It's an audience that is engaged with your pins. Website Visitors – Essentially, it's a retargeting of visitors from your website. Customer List – You can upload the list of leads. Actalike Targeting – This is similar to audiences; people act and interact with your pins the same way as the list you already have. What About Ad Format? As we all know, Pinterest has a web as well as app form. So, ads appear on both of the versions in pin style. There are different pin ad formats: Shopping Ads Video Ads App Install Ads Carousel Ads Collection Ads Story Pins Static Ads Let's discuss each of them. Static Ads Static pins feature one image, both organic and in the ad format. Video Ads There is a standard width video pins and max videos pins. The difference is the standard one is the same size as the static pins and the max video pins expand across people's entire feed on mobile. This is a paid option only. Carousel Pins and Ads As always, the carousel format features many images in one pin, and people can swipe through it. This option is available in both organic pins and paid ads. Shopping Ads Shopping ads, as the name already suggests, allow users to purchase products and services through Pinterest. Collections Pins and Ads These ads are somewhat similar to the max video ads in terms of them appearing on mobile devices. In the case of the carousel ad, there are three smaller images and one main one that appears above the three other images. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

How Instagram Hashtags Can Make All the Difference
As a very visual, community-based social network, Instagram is one of the best places online to promote your real estate brand. Of course, that also means that there is plenty of competition for attention on Instagram, which is why it's so important to have a plan for earning new followers and generating meaningful engagement. Instagram hashtags are a great tool for accomplishing those goals, and using hashtags correctly can really help you jumpstart your social media presence. What Are Instagram Hashtags? Instagram hashtags are words, phrases, or even emojis preceded by the # symbol, which you will often see in the caption or comments of an Instagram post. They're used to categorize content, make it easier for users to find content that they're interested in, and help users discover new content that's relevant to them. When you click on an Instagram hashtag, you will be taken to a page that shows posts tagged with that hashtag, along with other information relevant to the hashtag. Users can also conduct hashtag searches in order to find more content that's related to their favorite hashtags. Why Are Hashtags So Important to Real Estate Social Media Marketing? Hashtags are important because they help you expand your reach and connect with people who aren't following you (yet) but may be interested in the content you have to offer. When an Instagram user clicks on or searches for a hashtag, they can easily find recent posts, top posts, and Stories connected to that hashtag. Instagram users can also choose to follow specific hashtags, so your post may appear in their feed even if they aren't following your account directly. How Many Hashtags Should You Use for Instagram Posts? The right number of hashtags can differ depending on what you're posting and what type of audience you're aiming to reach. Instagram also imposes limits for how many hashtags you can use on a regular post (30) or an Instagram Story (10). No matter what hashtags you pick, focusing on quality over quantity is the way to go. Take some time to pick hashtags that are relevant to the post you're making, and avoid adding extra, unnecessary hashtags. In general, it's good to choose between five and 15 hashtags for each post, though it's okay to exceed that range as long as the hashtags are relevant to what you're posting. What Are Some Common Mistakes to Avoid with Instagram Hashtags? Using the same exact combination of hashtags too often can be counterproductive when you're trying to expand your reach and can also get you penalized by Instagram's algorithm. That being said, you will likely be using similar, real estate-related hashtags on different posts, and that's okay. Just avoid copying and pasting the same list of hashtags to every post, and look for opportunities to integrate new hashtags whenever possible. Since creating hashtags often means mashing multiple words together, it's also important to make sure that you're not accidentally creating an offensive word or phrase when combining multiple words. We'll let you use your imagination, but there are plenty of examples out there of brands creating PR issues because they didn't check their hashtags carefully enough before posting. Finally, try to avoid using hashtags that Instagram has banned. Often, Instagram bans hashtags that are associated with inappropriate content, even if the hashtag itself isn't an offensive phrase. So it's a good practice to check any hashtag you plan to post and make sure it hasn't been banned. What Are Spammy Hashtags, and Why Should You Avoid Them? Experienced Instagram users can spot spammy hashtags from a mile away and will often see your content as less valuable if you use these hashtags on your posts. Hashtags such as #like4like and #follow4follow are considered spammy because they don't generate any meaningful engagement. Use creative, descriptive, relevant hashtags instead, and you're more likely to attract followers who are interested in your real estate services. How to Find Great Hashtags for Your Real Estate Social Media Posts There are quite a few different ways to find new, engaging, relevant hashtags to use with your Instagram content, and it's worth exploring a variety of avenues in order to find the hashtags that resonate best with your audience: Scouting the Competition There's certainly no shame in taking a look at other successful real estate Instagram pages and identifying hashtags that may be appealing to your audience. While you don't want to copy a competitor's entire strategy, this is a reliable way to find new hashtags. Scouting Your Audience If you want to find out what types of hashtags your audience likes most, why not go straight to the source? Taking a look at the hashtags that followers who are interested in real estate are using gives you a window directly into the interests of your followers. Related Hashtag Feature The related hashtag feature, which you can find near the top of any hashtag page, is a great way to find hashtags that are relevant to the ones that you're already using. This is an excellent tool for finding hashtags that are popular within different niches and discovering hashtags that you may not find in other places. Hashtags to Try for Your Real Estate Business #realestate – A simple, useful hashtag to let people know what to expect from your content, but also very competitive because it's so broad. #justsold, #justlisted – Let your followers know when a home has successfully sold or when something new and exciting is hitting the market. #hometype – Substitute any type of home architecture, like #victorian or #colonial, to reach followers who are searching for a specific type of home. #neighborhood/city + realestate – Combine a neighborhood or community name with phrases like "real estate" or "homes for sale" to highlight communities where your listings are located. #neighborhood, #lovewhereyoulive – Showcase the things that make the neighborhoods where you sell homes such unique places to live. #realestatehumor – Have something fun or silly to share? Use this hashtag to reach people who are looking for a real estate-related laugh. #starterhome, #dreamhome – Use these hashtags to reach followers who are looking for (or dreaming about) a home that suits specific needs. The Bottom Line on Instagram Hashtags Finding the right mix of Instagram hashtags to boost your social media takes some research and experimentation, but it's more than worth the effort. Hashtags make it so much easier to find new followers, connect with your audience, and expand the reach of your account with every post. To view the original article, visit the Delta Media Group blog.

How to Use Instagram Carousel to Boost Your Business and Win More Listings
For real estate, Instagram is a great social platform for agents to expand their network, market properties, and acquire more listings. Predominantly through images, Instagram gives power to agents, teams, and brokerages looking to show off their businesses and listings. Instagram offers a variety of promotional options. One of the hottest new ways to give your listings a big boost and make your sellers smile is by leveraging the power of Instagram carousels. What's an Instagram Carousel? An Instagram carousel is a post or ad containing multiple photos or videos that you swipe or click through one image at a time. According to a study from Socialinsider, carousel posts produce the most organic (unpaid) engagement on Instagram. Carousels average 1.92% average engagement per post, compared to 1.74% and 1.45% average engagement for image and video posts, respectively. More impressively, some agents trace their big business boosts specifically to Instagram and its carousel posts, according to the social media experts at Curaytor, a marketing firm for top sales agents. When used correctly, it creates more engagement with your target audience and keeping their interest. Creating an Instagram carousel post involves selecting multiple images to make a post. You add a caption and copy, plus "tags" you want to include. You create a "tag" on Instagram by attaching a specific label to a post, picture, video, or status to group it with other content that uses the same label. Tags help you reach more people on Instagram with your messages and photos. A carousel post lets you share up to 10 images or videos as a single post. Therefore, you have an opportunity to create posts that have a punch. Here are some strategies for enhancing your business with an Instagram carousel: Copy is as crucial as imagery: Having appealing images in your Instagram carousel is vital for successful real estate marketing. However, it's also important to make sure you create powerful copy as well. Even if you have fantastic photos in your carousel post, it may be ineffective if the accompanying content doesn't get the message across. For example, for a listing post, compelling copy often raises curiosity about the listing you're promoting or prompts interest by asking a clever question. Highlight the property's most powerful features: The beginning of your Instagram carousel post should start the most dramatic photo of your listing. In most cases, it should also be a full house photo. In the carousel, highlight and explain the home's key features, such as hardwood floors, a built-in wine cellar, modern countertops, energy-saving air and heating systems, and other memorable features that make this home stand out. Tell a story: The advantage of a carousel post versus a single image post is that it allows you to tell a story. Every listing has a story, from its unique features and benefits to its location and history. With the right photos, graphic text, and video clips, you can tell an interesting and convincing story for each of your listings with a carousel post. Don't use all the carousel slots: While a carousel post can hold up to ten images or videos, that's a maximum limit, not a goal. It's best to select a few photos that are more likely to engage your audience. Having too many images can have the opposite effect. Like most communication channels, the attention span on Instagram is minimal. Less is often more when it comes to an effective carousel post. Leverage video content: Adding video clips to your carousel may seem like a time-consuming process, but it's simpler than you think. Since today's smartphones can take high-quality videos, you'll have the opportunity to showcase a listing's best feature in a way that a photo can't. Videos also make people stop scrolling to watch, increasing their attention span to your post. Like images in a carousel, it's essential to make sure the videos included helps improve your message to your target audience. Don't add a video to check a box. Show off your market: Instagram carousel posts are a great way to showcase your local market, something you can't do with a single image post. A local market post allows you to give context to your listings: what does the neighborhood look like? The local community and its amenities? You can provide a behind-the-scenes recap with a carousel post. ABC – Always Be Creative: Because carousel posts offer you more variety and versatility, this is where your creativity can shine. Don't know where to start? Follow other agents on Instagram known for their success with Instagram. You can find many with a simple Google search. Review their creativity to help inspire ideas of your own. You can create a carousel post with customer testimonials recommending your business, promoting a new service, or recapping a local event. Using Instagram carousels can be a great way to keep in touch with your customer base and win more leads. Remember, if you have any questions about technical challenges when using social media, you can connect with a Tech Helpline specialist with a click, call or email. To view the original article, visit the Tech Helpline blog.

How to Leverage Social Proof as a Real Estate Agent
"Smart marketers know that social proof is the marketing tactic for easing the minds of worried customers." Social proof is the new cornerstone to a focused marketing campaign, because it's the type of collateral that connects happy customers to prospective customers -- and with the bombardment of modern marketing messages, this will strike a chord faster. According to a Nielson report, 83% of consumers in 60 countries say they trust recommendations from friends or family over any other form of advertising. Why Social Proof Is the Driving Force of Your Marketing Plan Before we get too far ahead of ourselves here – what exactly is social proof? Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where an incredibly strong force influences our behaviors. It's where people assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation—people around you condition you. Why is this so you ask? People trust other people. And they trust people they can relate to. This influential form of marketing is effective because it hits close to home. For instance, developing a case study or gathering testimonials from happy clients in your neighborhood and using it to nurture prospects will go a lot farther than telling them why you're a perfect fit for them. The mentality of a client is, "Well if they did that well for our neighbors, what will that mean for me?" Which is why you show, rather than tell. How to Arm Your Social Proof Arsenal In the real estate world, upwards of 60-80% of your business can come from referrals, making your Sphere of Influence (SOI) the lifeblood of your livelihood. Which is why it's important to build the foundation of your core network and start squeezing positive marketing collateral from them. Here's how to get started. Listen on Social Media In this digital arena, there are conversations going on all around you. When you receive a positive comment from a happy client, be sure to send them your thanks and ask if they would agree to you using their comment as a testimonial. Survey Clients After You Close When the moment is still fresh, and you've had a successful working relationship, ask if they would provide a quote, or be willing to use this experience as you develop a case study. Don't wait until a few months later to ask – jump on it when the emotions are at their peak! Go Local You can also have what they call in the marketing world "celebrity social proof," which is when a prominent figure vouches on behalf of your brand or product and you can use this for your own benefit. Now you don't have to have Denzel Washington speaking up for your brand, but rather look locally if newspapers or business associations have given you praise. For example, "See why The Globe and Mail chose us as the top real estate brokerage for the Toronto area!" It can add a lot of weight when a reputable publication writes about you, so be sure to highlight that testimonial and company logo across all of your platforms. Just Ask! Simply put, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. The worst thing that can happen when you reach out to a client for a testimonial is they will politely decline. Where to Use This Social Influence Strategically So we understand the why and the how – now it's time to discuss where to use this powerful artillery of social proof. The short answer is that you can use this on every digital touch point of your brand. There is a full range of areas where you can showcase this social proof: Client testimonials are snackable quotes that can be used everywhere Develop a full case study story on the end-to-end work you did for a client Have it prominently displayed on your website in the "upper fold" Take advantage of a compelling quote in your email signature Use quotes on your social media cover photos. Stories really connect with consumers because we remember how we felt when we heard a story. They are more persuasive and trustworthy than statistics because numbers get thrown around far too often and it's hard keeping track. Key Takeaways This is the peer-to-peer revolution where the consumer takes back control and uses information as power when evaluating a real estate professional to work with. This is a new digital age where people have a sea of data to research while doing their homework before executing on a decision. The conversations are happening all around you, and it's wise to corral some of these positive interactions to start using them strategically and sharing them with your prospects! Store and use this social proof interchangeably all in one place with a high-powered real estate CRM and be able to call on them in a moments' notice. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

Pinterest: The Social Platform Your Competition Has Overlooked
Pinterest is one of the best social platforms for real estate, and that's without taking into consideration that on Pinterest, your posts don't have the instant irrelevance that they do on other social channels. If utilized correctly, your Pinterest content will stay relevant for months or years after you post it, allowing this underutilized social platform to help you grow your social audience and drive quality buyers and sellers to your website. First things first: to take advantage of Pinterest, you need to set up an account. Create a business profile and then identify any content you already have on your website that Pinterest users may find interesting. Divide your content into categories and make Pinterest boards to hold your content. Keep in mind that Pinterest is a very visual social platform, so high-quality images, flyers, and infographics will likely get the most mileage on your Pinterest account. Some real estate topics Pinterest users may find interesting include house hunting tools, home renovation ideas, home decor, landscaping, and neighborhood hangouts. When creating this content, be sure to showcase how your real estate business fits into the lifestyle of buyers and sellers. For example, let Pinterest users looking at your renovation content know that you can find them a new home that fits their needs. Try to incorporate these topics in your website's blog and pin the articles to your Pinterest board. Be sure to include a button on your blog and website that your visitors can use to share your content on Pinterest as well. This will help your content reach an ever broader audience. Because your content may be shared by others, be sure your images include some form of branding so that as your images spread, people will know who the original source was and you can build brand recognition. You can also invest in Pinterest ads to reach a more targeted audience. To create an ad, visit ads.pinterest.com and select "Get started" and log in to your account. From there, choose whether you want to promote a pin or create a campaign and the ad builder will walk you through the rest. When choosing which content you want to promote, choose pins that are popular even without ads – they'll have a better chance of attracting the attention of the new people you reach. Also be sure the pin is linked back to a page on your website with lead capture capabilities. A landing page or lead capture form is ideal. Once you choose your pin, double check all the details, input your billing information, and wait for your ad to go live. It should be up within 24 hours, depending on when you set your ad to run. For more help with the ins and outs of Pinterest for real estate, download the free eBook, Meeting the Challenge: Pinterest for Business. This guide will show you how to get started with Pinterest, offer ideas for engagement opportunities, and discuss how your brand can be present and gain followers. To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.

Elevating Your Real Estate Business with Facebook Ads
Social media is a necessity when it comes to real estate agents' marketing and advertising. There are endless opportunities for agents to promote their business, from posting videos of homes that are for sale or to even sharing important tips for helping buyers complete their purchase. With opportunities like these, there is one tool that every agent should use to make the best out of their social media advertising – Facebook Ads. Facebook Ads are a great way to get more exposure for your business. Facebook consultant and Houston Association of Realtors® CE educator, Tristen Sutton, joined us for a Secrets of Top Selling Agents webinars. He demonstrated the ins-and-outs of using Facebook Ads for your real estate business. What Is a Facebook Ad? A Facebook Ad is exactly what it sounds like – it is an ad that is placed on the Facebook platform. However, there is so much more to Facebook advertising. Facebook Ads can be broadcast across Instagram and LinkedIn as well. If you have a limited marketing budget, you want to go where the most users are. There are over 1.7 billion people who login to Facebook each day. Sutton's tip: those 1.7 billion are your audience and you should use Facebook Ads to market to them. Facebook Ads can help you to expand your audience to a group that is outside of your usual circle on social media. That large pool of active Facebook users can ensure you are getting leads and making conversions to make your business as successful as possible. Most people go online to get the things they want, so make the best of Facebook Ads and target those people on Facebook. You Have to Pay for Success In the past, when you created a post on Facebook, you would generate leads. However, that is not the case anymore. Normal Facebook business posts are being suppressed, which means that your content is not getting the exposure it used to. Now, Facebook prefers Facebook Ads when it comes to getting exposure on the platform. Using Facebook Ads to increase your brand awareness or drive visitors to an open house (or virtual open house) will get you the results you are looking for, explains Sutton. Say you have 1,000 followers on your profile; when you post a generic post, the 1,000 followers that you have are the only people who will see your content unless they share the post, tag someone on the post, or someone searches for that specific post. With a paid Facebook Ad, you expand your reach and increase the chance for more traffic to visit your website or profile, which in turn increases your opportunities to make a sale. When you pay to play, you target specific audiences that you are interested in, such as "luxury real estate" or "foreclosures." Yes, they are two different audiences, but you can target them specifically to the type of business you conduct. Not only can you increase your reach, but you can also increase your engagement. What Types of Ads Should You Be Running? You have to play it smart when it comes to Facebook Ads. You can run as many ads as you like, but you have to know which types of ads to create. Sutton outlines four different types of ads that you should be running. Reach. These ads will function as your brand expander. You can use these ads to brand yourself as an expert in your area. Video. These ads will increase your lead generation and branding efforts. Website Visits. You can use these to drive people back to your website so they can see what listings you have. Open House Events. These ads are good for sharing an event, such as when you would like more people to show up to an in-person or virtual home tour event. How to Create a Facebook Ad Sutton also shares some tips for creating a Facebook Ad. Below, you can find step-by-step instructions for creating an ad. Go to your Facebook Business Page and select Facebook Ads Manager. Click "create an ad." After you have clicked "create an ad," you will be prompted to select a special ad category. As a real estate agent, you must click the special ad category for housing. If you do not click this, your ad will be rejected by Facebook and their algorithm will deny your Facebook Ad. Next, select which type of ad you want; Sutton suggests choosing engagement, or, if the ad is for an open house event, click event response. Now you will select your audience. Your audience is who you wish to target with your ad. You can select a specific area that you work in within a 15-50 mile radius. After your audience is selected, you will select a detailed target audience. Here, you can select your specific area that you work in such as luxury real estate or even specific interests that you believe your targeted audience will interact with. After you have done this, choose your image, add a little more copy to your ad, and you're good to go! Keep in mind that Facebook does require about 24 hours to approve a Facebook Ad. If your ad doesn't get approved right away, that's okay. Facebook will audit your ad to make sure everything is right, and will get your ad up and running. Sutton suggests that if you are running an ad for a specific event or offering, give yourself 10 days of time to run your ad so you can get the most out of your ad spend. Running a Facebook Ad can be fun and exciting, but can also be a little challenging. Make sure to stop by the Secrets of Top Selling Agents Facebook Group to watch the recording of Tristen Sutton's webinar here. Or, to check out the Facebook Live recap, click here. To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.

How to Create a Social Media Manifesto
Social media is vital to your business, by helping to validate your brand, increase traffic to your website and open the lines of communication between you and your customers. If you don't have a compass to guide you on the digital sphere, it might be time you create your own social media manifesto. This statement of ideals and intentions will help you foster a commitment and enable you to stay the course for why you're really on social media. The reason for creating a social media manifesto is not just being on social media for the sake of being there – but rather what is your driving force for being there? Make this your personal declaration to serve as a bold statement of principles. You want to provoke change within your space – so what will you stand for as a real estate agent on social media? Consider the Why – Before the How The why goes before the how. If you're on social media just to be on it – then you're wasting a golden opportunity to connect, listen, educate and engage with your audience. What Makes You Different? How will you appeal to the heart of your audience, rather than the head? Think about it this way, Apple doesn't portray themselves as technology providers – they're about innovation. So what are you about? You're an agent by profession – but you're much more than that. You're a connector, a problem-solver, a confidante, a dream maker, and a consultant. Use this as a launch pad to show your passion when developing your manifesto for social media – this is an extension of who you are. You own these channels through and through, so make sure that everything you post has a direct artery to your brand guidelines and your core values. Size Up the Competition Execute your due diligence and create a competitive analysis on what your competitors are doing in the digital world. Look at how often they post, what approach they take, and if they are actively engaging with their audience. You can often find their strengths and weaknesses on the platform, and peel a page right out of their book – or exploit the gaps in their strategy. Content Rules the Kingdom A successful social media presence is all about quality – not quantity. Creating an effective and engaging social media presence takes time and experience – but it also takes some creativity. Here are some great content ideas to ignite your creative juices. Behind the scenes Everyone loves exclusive access, so give the people what they want and peel back the real estate curtain. Have fun with it! Promote a local charity or drive Build trust with your audience by tapping into your community and showing your social responsibility. You could show past events, results from how much you've raised and promote new ones coming up. Throw it back Everyone has heard of #ThrowbackThursday. Dive into your archives and show something of yours from memory lane. It's a great personal touch! Top housewarming gifts What's the greatest housewarming gift you can think of? There are so many ways to get creative around this – and everyone needs new ideas! What's trending? The internet moves at a fast pace, and it's important to keep up with the latest trends. See how social media influencers compose a post and take a page from their book. (Hint: use the explore tab on your Instagram account for research.) Interior design tips You've been around enough homes and professional decorators to have developed a keen eye for design. Highlight some of your best tips on your blog and social. Get personal Showcase your family and friends on your account and what you would do around the home or off-hours, It adds a personal element to your brand. A day in the life of an agent It's no secret that real estate agents are machines. Design some content around what a day in the life actually looks like. Customer appreciation events Promote a customer appreciation event and show off pictures from your last one. What Does Success Look Like to You? You can use your social media vehicles to help accomplish several business objectives, but it would be wise to narrow your focus and aim to target a few primary areas. You obviously want to build up your audience, but where do you go from there? Are you using this for sales? Customer loyalty and retention? Awareness? Or is it just a platform to show your lighter side? Define your metrics and key performance indicators in order to know what to measure. Working the Plan Focus on being social – rather than just engaging in social media. This doesn't mean that you can set it and forget it, because otherwise, you might be missing out of conversations going on all around you and creative ways to interact with new audiences. Remember, one size doesn't fit all on social media. How you would frame a piece of content on Twitter can be completely different on Instagram. You have to work with these parameters to tell your story. For example, you have to work with 280 characters or less on Twitter, whereas on Instagram you can let a high-resolution image tell your story, with the ability to add text in your caption, along with up to 30 hashtags to expand its reach. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

How to Build the Perfect Real Estate Instagram Marketing Strategy
The most important rule in advertising is: Place your ads where your target audience will see them. Seems obvious, right? But so many real estate agents still rely on outdated tactics that simply don't have the reach that newer, digital spaces do. If your goal is to grow your business and reach new prospects, then social media is the place to be. These platforms are a gold mine for advertisers. Instagram alone has 140 million adult users across the country, which accounts for two-thirds of U.S. adults. Six in 10 of those users log in daily, spending an average of 30 minutes per day on the platform — with 42% of users opening the app multiple times throughout the day, giving advertisers even more opportunities to reach them. With stats like that, it's easy to see why this social network is the third most-popular, behind YouTube and Facebook. Audience reach and engagement are compelling reasons for making Instagram an essential part of your real estate marketing strategy. So if you hadn't planned on advertising there, think again. Here's when it's best to use Instagram ads and how to optimize your ROI when you do. When to advertise on Instagram Instagram is a visual platform. Although you can create Post Ads or Stories Ads with text, a majority of the content is made up of photos, animations, and videos. That's what users log in to see, and why Instagram is ideal for those beautiful new listing photos and walk-through videos you just commissioned. This is also a platform that attracts a younger user base. Fifty-five percent of Instagrammers are between 18-34 years old, and another 18% account for those who are 35-44. If your target audience is empty nesters or retirees, this won't be your ideal place to advertise. As such, it's best to use Instagram ads when you… have a new listing are promoting an open house want to reach first-time homebuyers are trying to attract a younger audience Ad formats on Instagram Instagram may not have 20 different types of ad units, but the few that it does offer work really well with its engaged audience. One reason is because ads are naturally interspersed among native content as users scroll their Feed or flip through Stories. That makes users more inclined to look at and engage with your ad. To give you a better sense of your options, take a look at these attention-grabbing ad formats—all of which support both photos and videos. Post Ad This ad type appears in users' Feeds (that's the one people scroll through vertically). You can publish just a single photo or video or include up to 10 images in a carousel. Keep in mind that these will be cropped to a square, so choose your content wisely. All Post Ads include a caption, where you can write a description about the listing, and a call-to-action (CTA) link that will redirect anyone who clicks on it to your property listing page. Stories Ad Users access their Stories at the top of Instagram and scroll horizontally to see new Stories posted by the accounts they follow. Stories Ads won't appear in this scrollable list, but they will be seamlessly interspersed between Stories as they play, so as not to interrupt the user's experience. These ads are more immersive because of their full-screen, vertical format. They can play for up to 45 seconds, which is perfect for a home walk-through. Just like Post Ads, you can also include a CTA that links to a page of your choosing, such as a property listing, lead generation page, or your real estate website. Tips for maximizing ROI on Instagram Now that you have a better sense of when to advertise on Instagram and the creative options you have available, let's discuss a few ways to maximize ROI for those ads. We said it once, but we'll say it again: Instagram is a visual platform. Your photos and videos need to be high quality. That doesn't mean they have to be taken by a professional, but they need to be attractive enough to be scroll-stopping. Make sure your photos and videos are: Crisp and clear (i.e., not pixelated) Well-lit to bring out the detail and beauty of the space The right size for the format you're using (i.e. vertical for Stories and square for Posts) Keep in mind these dos and don'ts that are specific to videos: Do not shake the camera or make sudden, sharp movements. Do talk to your audience. Sixty percent of Stories are viewed with sound on. Do keep moving through the property. You may lose viewers if you stop too long while talking. Finally, consider your audience when setting up your real estate Instagram marketing strategy. You can — and should — target geographically, but you'd also be wise to take advantage of the custom audience option. This targeting capability allows you to upload your own list of leads, prospects you're nurturing, or your sphere of influence. Instagram will match the email addresses and phone numbers that you provide to its user base and show your ads to anyone on your list who is also on the platform. That's ad targeting at its best! To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.

5 Social Media Tips You Can't Overlook
The real estate industry is officially online. What used to be an industry that depended on cold calling and traditional marketing is now an industry that heavily relies on social media marketing. As a real estate professional, you understand how much of an impact social media has on building trust in your client base. Social media is a major lead generator, yet most real estate brands fail to maximize their efficiency online. It's simple to tweak your content strategy in order to achieve great results for your real estate brand. Amarki has scoured the internet and come up with these tips that will help you step up your real estate social media marketing. Tip #1: The Basics If you're already up and running on social media, then you probably already know the basics. For those that don't here it is: Facebook Facebook has over 2 billion ACTIVE monthly users, making it the most popular social platform available. Setting up a business page gives you access to useful features such as page analytics and the ability to promote posts to your audience. The best performing posts are ones that include images and video. Instagram Instagram has become a top social platform because it's a visual platform. A single post can include a series of images and video making it a great way to show off your listings. LinkedIn LinkedIn provides a great opportunity to network with other real estate agents, brokerages and connect with clients. Make sure you create a business page to advertise your services. Tip #2: Start Two-Way Conversations With 93% of millennial starting their search online, this creates an incredible opportunity to connect with them there—but do you understand their motivation? Potential homebuyers are searching for information, and they have questions, especially if they're first-time buyers. This can cause intimidation. Using social media allows you to walk everyone through the process and creates stronger bonds. Instead of posting endless self-promotional content (a one-way broadcast), you open and create a two-way conversation. Your audience becomes key contributors of the experience. Other great ways to start a two-way conversation are hosting a Q&A session, ask questions on your posts, create and promote surveys or even invite your audience to join a conversation. Tip #3: Wisely Choose Your Social Platforms Social media is fast-paced, chaotic and changes constantly. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of platforms available. Real estate agents feel pressure to "be everywhere" when you don't. You're already pressed for time and driving yourself crazy trying to maintain a presence on a dozen platforms doesn't help. The best results will come from focusing on just a few social platforms to start. Begin your journey on proven platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Unsure which deserves most of your focus? That will depend on your audience. The overall popularity of the platform is meaningless if you don't consider where your target market spends their time. Consider this, you wouldn't want to launch a TikTok campaign when trying to sell retirement condos—the demographics are simply too young. Tip #4: Strategically and Consistently Post Successful real estate agents know that consistent contact and interactions provide value and motivation for your audience to keep coming back. The goal is to create enough interaction for your audience to get to know you without overwhelming them to a point they tune out. Frequency is not the only factor, consider the content as well. Most content falls into three different types: Time-sensitive or Promotional "Evergreen" how-to or Informative Fun or Entertaining Remember, there's no need to create all of this content yourself. Supplement your own efforts by sharing, retweeting or linking to other great content. Your clients are also a great source of content—share a quote or testimonial or photo in their new home. Keep an eye on key social metrics like new or lost followers, engagements, people reached, etc. as this will tell you if you're heading in the right direction. If not, make adjustments as you go. Tip #5: Remember Your Past Clients Social media can help maintain relationships you've already developed. An interesting stat is that 70% of homeowners can't remember their real estate agents name one year after closing. Using social media allows you to easily maintain your relationships rather than having them slip away. This way, when clients are ready to move again or recommend a Realtor, you'll be the first person to come to mind. Your content doesn't need to focus on real estate alone. Now that your client has moved into their new home, they might be interested in learning about the community or new restaurants in the area. Social media is essential in every Realtor's marketing toolkit. Thankfully, using a tool like Amarki makes it less overwhelming. Learn more about Amarki and register for your account by clicking here. About Amarki: Amarki was built by real estate experts for Brokerages and Agents based on years of industry experience and firsthand feedback. We developed a marketing tool accessible to anyone, no matter the experience or marketing budget. By providing an intuitive tool that works "for" the agent, Amarki is able to remove the complexity of marketing tasks making agents more active.

New iOS 14 Update: What Does It Mean for Your Real Estate Facebook and Instagram Ads?
The new iOS update touches upon a very sensitive topic: the usage of our personal data for commercial purposes. Whether you're a seasoned advertiser, or just a simple internet user, there is no doubt you've heard about our data being used for advertising purposes. Being tracked was something we've gotten used to a long time ago. And only now we're starting to see the ripple effects of that issue. The conversation around the ethical part of internet tracking is just starting, and the new iOS update is just a small fraction that showcases the seriousness of that problem. With the rise of the browsers that respect your privacy, and with the operational systems becoming more and more conscious about respecting personal data, the question arises — what is the future of advertising especially for small businesses? As a real estate agent, there is a chance Facebook and Instagram ads are one of the tools you use for listings promotion. They are tools that we've all used pretty frequently. So, without paying attention to the ethical issues of tracking, let's talk business. How does it affect you, and what can you do in this case to minimize any negative impacts? Let's dive in. What Does the New iOS Update Mean? Facebook and Instagram advertising is a cheap and lucrative form of advertising. Essentially, Facebook tracks consumers' preferences and offers this information to the advertisers who use this data to reach potential customers. The iOS 14 update changes offer an option to opt out of the tracking, essentially cutting the flow of information and allowing users to become invisible to tracking. Many in the real estate industry and elsewhere fear that getting the data will become harder and because of that the prices for ads might go up. Here are some main changes that iOS 14 brings to the table: Facebook Pixel - Tracking actions such as "Add to cart," for example, or purchase action mayl be under-reported. Ads Optimization - Without necessary/limited data, Pixel won't be able to properly analyze and report data, therefore creating custom audiences may not be that reliable. Retargeting - As we already mentioned, the new iOS update makes the users who opt out of tracking invisible, therefore retargeting those users may become impossible. All in all, these type of ads are more at risk when the iOS update will be finally up: Traffic Ads, specifically those optimized around landing page views using Pixel. Conversion Ads if optimised around custom conversions or standard events. Other than that, catalogue sales (if customers go to a website) and app installs/app related conversions when targeting iOS devices may also be affected. All in all, does it mean that iOS users won't see any ads? No, certainly not that. It means the ads may not be relevant, since there is no data to create a personalized ad experience. Remember, custom events will be also limited. For people who don't opt out of tracking custom events, tracking will be limited to eight events. For the users who opted out of tracking, these limitations might be even stricter. The attribution window will also be changed. Prior to the update, the attribution window for actions taken on ads was 28 days, showing seven-day clicks. After the update, it will be a seven day window, one day click. So What Should Be Done? Well, first and foremost, it's important to know how many of your clients are iOS users. This can be done by checking Google Analytics. Second, you will need to verify your website, especially if you're creating an ad with a conversion goal in mind. Check out this Facebook resource to learn how to verify your real estate website. You can also exclude iOS users if you're running conversion ad campaigns. You can also create campaigns with a different goal in mind—for example, lead generation. Let's say you have an ebook of your own or webinar. You can create a lead generation ad using this content, promote your ebook or webinar, provide useful information to your potential audience and get emails at the same time. This can help you to create new audiences for Facebook and therefore create new ads with different goals. You will also need to choose eight events in the Events Manager. This action needs to be done by the Facebook Pixel owner. Few Final Words With the new changes, it might seem as your real estate ads are not working, but in reality the date won't be showing as quickly and accurately. So be prepared for the potentially underreported data that might happen with the new iOS update. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

5 Lead Magnets for Your Facebook
Helpful, informative content is the bedrock of any real estate agent's digital marketing strategy. In a nutshell, "content" is anything you publish in the hopes of helping current and future clients make informed decisions about real estate. Good content showcases your expertise and previews the value you offer. Content is vital to building a relationship, especially with leads who have not met you in person. Once a lead is on your radar, it might be months before that person takes the next step. Content keeps you in touch. Blog posts, e-books, and videos are the most common types of real estate content. While you normally publish most content directly on your website, you can always use social media to amplify it further. Content doesn't just entice visitors to your website, however. It also helps convert leads into customers. As leads do more research, they look for deeper, more specific content. By aligning your content marketing with their needs at different times, you position yourself as a trusted advisor. Real estate content is indispensable to three critical conversions: The conversion between new website visitor and social media follower The conversion between social media follower and email list subscriber The conversion between email list subscriber and active buyer or seller Sure, someone can go directly from social media follower to customer. It's even possible for a prospect to visit your website, fall in love with one of your listings, and schedule an appointment right away. In many cases, though, people follow this predictable path from prospect to lead to customer. You must have the right content available to move them forward. Engaging with social media followers is crucial because they may be actively comparing real estate firms. The jump from social media follower to email subscriber is big: Email is much more direct and intimate. Consider this: In recent years, social media platforms have created algorithm-driven "bubbles" that show users only content they are most likely to respond to. In almost all cases, this results in diminished reach for brands. On the other hand, email subscribers see your messages every time. Well-designed real estate lead magnets create the bridge you need. Lead Magnets Set the Stage for a Lasting and Lucrative Relationship A lead magnet is a piece of real estate content specially designed to move the relationship forward. It does this by meeting your social media followers precisely where they are and giving them highly valuable information and insights they can't find anywhere else. What distinguishes a great lead magnet is this: It is something they can use right away. Master this formula, and you'll turn your social media feed into a lead engine. Followers get lead magnets for free, but they must join your email subscriber list to receive one. This uplevels your relationship. Let's look at the most effective real estate lead magnets on Facebook: Buyer's or Seller's Guide Buyers respond especially well to step-by-step guides that let them know what to expect and where to look when exploring a new community. Buyers and sellers alike benefit from advice to help them prepare for their transaction and smooth the path to success. A free home evaluation is highly attractive to sellers. Local Market Report Your local expertise is your biggest differentiator. Market reports are popular for would-be buyers, who often seek them out a few weeks before they start actively looking at homes. You can motivate buyers to take action sooner by putting market performance in context. How-To A how-to guide is a natural next step once you have enough data from your website to know what answers your prospects are searching for. First-time buyers frequently ask about the financing process, for example, while sellers often express curiosity about timing a sale, increasing curb appeal, or staging a home. Local Favorites What is it about your area that makes it truly special? What are the top attractions, restaurants, and things you simply can't see anywhere else? It may seem like this content is overly broad, but it can help buyers kindle a clear vision of the kind of lifestyle they want. That motivation is what gets them to dive in. Exclusive Property Lists When buyers find themselves adrift in a sea of listings, they might find it difficult to navigate. That's true even if, individually, the properties are very impressive. Curate your own exclusive property lists to meet the needs of certain kinds of buyers, and you make it easier for them to discover the home of their dreams. Social media lead magnets work best as part of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. Marketing automation makes the whole process faster and easier for you. Get a FREE 30-day trial of DeltaNET 6 and try it for yourself. To view the original article, visit the Delta Media Group blog.

5 Tips [and a Freebie] to Up Your Social Media Marketing
We all know that social media is a necessary part of a comprehensive marketing strategy, but with its ever-evolving algorithms and "cancel culture" mentality, if you make a misstep, keeping up can prove challenging and overwhelming to many real estate professionals. When it comes to social media marketing, we believe in QUALITY over QUANTITY. Read on for our easy-to-implement marketing tips that even the busiest real estate professional can put into play! 1. Take the "Mixed Bag" Approach to Creating Content Creating good social content can be time consuming, but it doesn't have to be if you take a "mixed bag" approach. Some of the highest engagement content is nothing more than capturing a moment in your life and sharing it, or taking a shot of the hottest new coffee shop in your neighborhood and giving a shout-out regarding the most delicious latte that's walking distance from that hot new listing you just landed. Other types of content require more thought and effort, like a video interview with your favorite mortgage lender, writing a detailed blog post about a residential community, or editing a video tour of your latest listing. 2. Focus on Quality Over Quantity Posting for the sake of posting isn't necessary. Although we DO recommend that you create some sort of consistent posting schedule in order to train your followers (and yourself) to look for and engage with your content, you want to ask yourself two important questions for creating awesome content: Does my content provide VALUE to my audience (information, interest, local, relatable)? Does my content ENGAGE my audience (shares, clicks, comments, likes, etc.)? Always keep in mind the reason that you create content in the first place is to provide value to your audience, initiate conversations, and ultimately build and nurture your sphere to lead to business (and personal) opportunities in your life. 3. Focus on the Platforms that Support Your Audience (and Opportunities) There are a lot of great social media channels, but some are more popular than others with certain segments of your audience—and some are going to feel more natural and intuitive for you as well! The average American spends three hours per day on social networks and online messaging and the numbers are impressive: 90% of Millennials, 78% of Gen-X and 48% of Baby Boomers all are active social consumers, and the numbers have continued to grow over the past year of "COVID living." Millennial audiences are going to prefer highly visual, short form channels like Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, while Gen Xers and Boomers are more open to platforms such as Facebook, email marketing and long-form blog content. 4. Different Channels = Different Content Be sure that you adjust your content to fit the channel, even if it's the same content being repurposed. For example, you've got a hot new listing to showcase, Instagram and Facebook are where you are going to be very visual with big, gorgeous graphics and expanded description. YouTube is going to promote that listing with a gorgeous walk-through video, and your blog is going to be all of the above, along with an SEO-friendly long-form description of the listing and the surrounding community. 5. Be Yourself One of the things that's made social media so popular is that it's a way for people to easily tap into other's day-to-day without the "invasiveness" of a telephone call or text. In its best sense, social media gives us the opportunity to cheer on each other's successes, explore lives and stories that interest us, and support people and initiatives that we care about. The most important thing to do is be yourself. Being authentically you is what makes following your story online interesting to your audience. All the rest will fall into place! Schedule Your FREE Social Media Review Spend 15-minute with an Elevate Success Coach to take a look at your current social media marketing strategy and receive tips, tricks and insight into what you are doing well and what you can improve. We'll review your current website, blog and social channels—no strings attached! [ SCHEDULE SOCIAL MEDIA REVIEW ]