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Your relevance on social media as a brokerage, depends on a plan that’s more robust than simply posting new listings and sold listings or an online welcome for new agents, says social media expert Jenn Herman of Jenn’s Trends in San Diego, Calif. This kind of content, while good at showcasing that your brokerage is full of agents who can get the job done, doesn’t necessarily provide your audience with any value.
“That will actually hurt you,” she says. Instead, focus on creating content that provides useful information to your clients that they can use at any time. Tips for décor, seasonal needs and property maintenance go a long way. You can also focus on local referrals for landscapers, plumbers, cleaners and other home-related needs.
Posting useful content on a consistent basis is the first step, but it isn’t enough. Social media is a space for cultivating a community, which means engaging.
“Don’t forget to set time aside regularly to engage with your followers, respond to comments and follow-up on leads,” says Cindy Summer Perez, broker associate at Compass in Miami, Fla. “Connecting with your audience is key. If you’re juggling a lot, having an assistant can really help balance everything out.”
Pick Your Social Media Platforms
“There’s no magic number to success of how many platforms to use,” Herman says. “If you can do them all, that’s great. But if you’re doing them all poorly, then it’s not actually helping you. Instead, do as much as you can while creating quality content and connecting genuinely with your audience while still doing everything else in your job.”
The number of platforms isn’t as important as the quality content you provide. If you can only commit to one or two platforms, then do that—and commit to doing it well—rather than spreading yourself too thin.
“In general, the key is to go where your clients are,” she says.
Perez believes the same philosophy. She’s also noticed that each platform is best suited for a particular kind of content:
- Instagram – Perfect for visually-focused posts like listings, lifestyle posts and behind-the-scenes content.
- Facebook – A place to build community, run local ads and share longer content like blog posts.
- LinkedIn – Great for business-to-business networking, sharing industry insights and connecting with other professionals.
- YouTube – Perfect for longer-form videos like detailed home tours, market updates and educational content.
Get Your Branding Right
A solid brand presence is non-negotiable. Building brand recognition makes you more recognizable to a larger audience. Branding includes logos, colors, fonts and imagery, Perez says.
“The logo should be simple, memorable and reflective of your business’s values,” she explains. “Choose a color palette that conveys trust, professionalism and approachability.” She adds that blue often represents trust and green for growth.
When selecting a font, pick a clean, professional-looking one that is easy to read without being overly decorative. Your branding needs to reflect how people perceive your company, Herman remarks, and the right branding, when used consistently, creates immediate recognition.
“If you are bold, strong, and colorful, don’t pick a logo with dainty script font and light, airy colors. Also, simplicity is better than complexity when it comes to logo,” she says.
Streamline Your Process
If you’re not careful, social media can become all-consuming and take you away from other important aspects of your business that need your attention. It’s important to do what you can to streamline your process. If you don’t have the capacity to hire a social media manager, don’t fret. There are still several ways to optimize your time on social media.
Invest in a Publishing Tool
“One of the best things you can do is utilize a publishing tool or content dashboard that allows you to easily schedule content and post to multiple platforms,” Herman says. “These allow you to easily plan out your content in advance, so you’re not rushing to cram content posting into your busy day every day.”
Publishing tools are plentiful and most of them are cost effective, requiring a reasonable monthly fee depending on your needs. Some examples include Later, Buffer, SocialBee and Sendible. A quick Google search will provide you with myriad reviews and options. The key here is not to get too bogged down in the details. Pick one and get started.
Batch Your Content
Perez likes to create batches of content, so she’ll shoot multiple home tours at once, or she’ll take several photos that can be parsed out into individual posts. This method creates a backlog of options, which “means you always have something ready to go,” she says.
Built Out Templates
Online graphic design tools like Canva give brokerages the opportunity to set branding guidelines and make templates, so you don’t have to start from scratch every time you need to make a post.
Canva is Perez’s go-to for creating customizable templates for social media. “It’s packed with real state-specific templates – everything from open house announcements to just-sold graphics,” she states.
“It’s one of the most common tools, which is great,” Herman says. “You can also use Photoshop or PowerPoint or other design tools based on your skill set or your support staff’s skills.”
Keep a Repository of Posting Ideas
Perez recommends using tools such as Google Drive, Dropbox or Trello to store important articles, community events and resources for future use in social media posts.
“Create separate folders for different content types such as new listings, testimonials, and community news,” she remarks. “Testimonials are crucial for building trust. Keep them in your repository to quickly create posts highlighting positive client experiences.”
If your brokerage is sponsoring a community event or celebrating an agent’s 20th year in the business, for example, you can showcase that with photos or videos on social media. A repository also helps when things are slow and you’re having trouble coming up with post ideas.
Consider How AI Can Help
If you’re comfortable using it, artificial intelligence can help you streamline your social media work.
“AI can suggest catchy headlines, generate hashtags, or even edit videos quickly, saving hours of manual work,” Perez states. “It can also help analyze engagement data to adjust your strategy and make posts more impactful.”
But she emphasizes that you must always add your personal touch to everything you do. It's also important to not rely too heavily on AI from start to finish.
“The key right now with AI is to use it as a starting point for your content, not to rely on it exclusively,” Herman says. “Use AI to generate a list of questions or concerns most related to your target clients such as first-time homebuyer questions. Then you can use AI to flesh out detailed answers to those commonly asked questions. You can even ask AI to write you a Facebook post sharing tips for first-time homebuyers.”
However, AI won’t understand the nuances of your neighborhood and your community like you do, she adds. Therefore, it’s important to only use it as a starting point and make sure you’re not publishing what AI provides verbatim. Check over everything. Personalize everything.
Keep Things Authentic
Social media should be treated as a vehicle for you to connect with your community. As such, you want to make sure it’s an accurate representation of yourself.
“Sharing your life, your personality, your interests and your flaws allows you to attract the right clients who want to work with you more and give you more referrals,” explains Herman. “Social media allows you to let yourself shine through. But that means showing up looking like you, sounding like you and acting like you.”
