5 SOCIAL MEDIA

UNTANGLING THE BIDDING

5SOCIAL MEDIA MISTAKES Real Estate Agents Must Avoid

There is perhaps no greater marketing tool for agents these days than having a large presence on social media, but there is more to social media marketing than just opening an account and gaining followers. A lot of agents forget the social part of social media. It’s all about engagement, but it needs to be the right kind of engagement. This can often be the first impression potential clients or industry peers have of you, so make it count. There is no second chance to make a first impression, and that is especially true for real estate agents. Here’s just a few things you want to avoid.

1Using it to Vent Social Media is a great place to complain and

commiserate about things, but save that for your personal page. A real estate transaction is already a stressful ordeal, the last thing anyone wants is someone who seems like they’ll bring a negative energy to the process. Even worse?

Bad mouthing other Realtors ® or listings. You’re selling yourself and your skills, so don’t sell

anything that shows you in a bad light. Much like marketing a property, everything you put out should be professional and inviting.

2Lack of Consistent Branding Yes, social media is about social engagement, but it’s also about creating brand recognition. While you don’t want it to be purely promotional, you are running a business, so create a consistent branding across all social media platforms. If you can afford a professional graphic designer to help you out with this, that’s great. But at the very least, have the same profile pic, cover image and highly visible contact information, across the board. And don’t forget to share links to your other accounts, some people prefer different social media applications.

3Not Posting Enough It’s good to create a schedule of how many times you’ll be posting per day and to pick times when you might have the most engagement. Don’t over do it, but three posts a day at the right time, tends to be a good goal. There are numerous tools on Facebook, for example, that can let you see when interactions are the highest. Stick to your schedule and adjust accordingly. It’s also important to not just post your listings. Be a resource for people who follow your page. Post community events, or other informative articles that are relevant to home ownership. Be a page they want to follow even when they aren’t buying or selling a property. They’ll remember you when the time comes.

4Not interacting With Your Followers It’s called social media for a reason. The more you engage with your followers, the more they see you as a real person, and not just a marketing tool. Not only do you get to know your past clients and potential clients, on Facebook, engagement actually will make your posts seen by more people. So it’s a win/win.

5Not Sharing or Linking to Others It might not seem like a good idea to not promote the blogs, pages or listings of other people, but it’s not only an excellent way to build goodwill, it will also increase your own presence when they reciprocate. So make a point to share posts and links for local businesses and even the blogs of your peers, if it’s a post that offers valuable insight into an expertise you don’t have. That will encourage them to share your posts and even your listings, which will increase your potential buyer pool. This is another incentive to create your own blog. Unique informative content is always of value, and more likely to be shared than promotional links.

GRACE ELIAS

Top Agent Grace Elias – Lead of the Amazing Grace Real Estate Team at Keller Williams in Northridge, CA – is a dedicated, hardworking and honest real estate professional who consistently puts the needs of her clients first in communities all over Los Angeles County. With her vast reservoir of industry knowledge, coupled with the true empathy she feels for each of her buyers and sellers, Grace has earned a glowing reputation as a trustworthy Realtor who gets the job done.

Grace began her career in real estate in 2014, following her employment at a corporate engineering firm. “I wouldn’t exactly say I was burning out,” she recalls. “So, I just decided one day to explore the real estate industry. This was during the market crash, things were pretty bad, and people were in danger of losing their homes, including myself. I went through with a loan modification, and because I was able to save my home, I began helping others also. Innocent people were being taken advantage of, and I was able to save five homes for my friends and family.”

Once Grace had obtained her real estate license, she hit the ground running and found success almost immediately, selling twelve homes in her very first year. “I was so busy that my husband quit his job to help me,” says Grace, who now oversees an equally dedicated team that also includes a Buyer’s Agent and an Assistant.

One of the surest signs of Grace’s success is the fact that 75% of her entire business is based upon referrals. “It would have to be the fact that I understand this is about much more than just a real estate deal,” says Grace, when asked how she has managed to inspire such impressive levels of trust and loyalty. “This is about a family’s life. They know that I genuinely care, and that has brought me a lot of business.”

A lot of business, and scores of rave reviews on Zillow. com, on which site she is a Premier Agent with a perfect, five-star overall rating. “I cannot begin to say enough GREAT things about Grace,” reads just one of these. “She is a dedicated agent, thorough with details and followed through for us till the end. Not only is she professional, she has a lovely, positive demeanor! I thoroughly loved working with her and would recommend her and Amazing Grace Real Estate Team to anyone looking to purchase a home.”

There are many other factors that have contributed to Grace’s success, including negotiating skills and savvy, comprehensive marketing strategies, which ensure quick sales for top dollar, not to mention happy clients.

When she’s not working, Grace enjoys spending time with her husband and three children. She and her husband often hit the road on his Harley Davidson motorcycle to enjoy some time away from the office. The pair are also scheduled to speak on a “Power Couple” panel soon at a NAHREP (National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals) conference to share their success story.

“My plans are just to continue giving great service to my customers,” says Grace, when asked about her plans for the future. “Nothing is more exciting to me than the gratifying feeling I get from helping people meet their real estate needs.”