Social Media For Real Estate Agents

SOCIAL MEDIA FOR REAL ESTATE

AGENTS

Your complete guide to growing your Instagram and tik tok, positioning yourself as the go-to expert, and converting followers to leads

PAIGE STECKLING

@UTAHREALESTATEPAIGE

With short form video content, some research, a few hacks, and some trial and error, I was able to grow my instagram following from 600 to 19,000+ followers in 6 months. I grew my TikTok from 0 to 6,700+ in even less time, and sold over $30MM of real estate in 2022 mainly from social media leads. I now have things down to a science, and want to share what I've learned to help other agents succeed and grow thier own business through social media!

GROWING ON INSTAGRAM

CONTENTS 1

WHAT TO POST

GROWING ON TIKTOK

POSITIONING YOURSELF AS THE EXPERT

CONVERTING FOLLOWERS TO LEADS

3 2 4 5

GROWING ON INSTAGRAM

INSTAGRAM

It's no secret that short form, quality video content is the fastest way to grow on Instagram right now. You have the potential to grow organically, and FAST on both tik tok and Instagram with this new(er) form of content. The best part is, how fast you grow is solely based on how creative/funny/educational your videos are, not based on how many followers you have. For example, your second Instagram reel or TikTok may garner 1 million+ views, even though you have few followers to begin with. The algorithm, and viewer’s reaction and watch time, are the determining factors in the amount of views your reel or TikTok will receive.

Although reels are the easiest way to get your account out to new followers, you can't solely rely on them to grow your business. You need to use other posts, stories, DMs, and occasional lives to help your followers get to know you and and your business. Use stories as much as possible, and put anything and everything on there! Categorize you best stuff into your highlight bubbles, so new followers can get to know you quickly.

REELS

Video is a powerful tool for your business. To illustrate the power of reels in particular, I did a couple experiments on my account to see just HOW big of a difference posting a reel versus a normal post can make. Twice, I posted two posts one day apart, one as a still carousel (a string of posted photos that viewers can scroll through), and one as a reel. Both had the EXACT same information. Here are the results:

Carousel Post Carousel Reach

Reel Reach Reel

REELS

These next two posts were also posted one day after each other. I used the exact same photos in both the post and the reel (before and afters of my staging). See the results:

Carousel

Carousel Reach Reel Reach Reel

WHY REELS?

Since TikTok has become so popular, Instagram has been heavily pushing reels (their version of TikTok) to get people away from TikTok and back onto the gram. They did the same thing with Snap Chat when they came out with “stories” (their version of snap chat). They want you to post reels so badly, that they are even PAYING many accounts to post them. If you want to grow fast and organically on Instagram right now, making and posting high quality reels is the best way to do it. Your reel will be pushed out to

people who don’t follow you, gaining you more exposure and (if your page is good) more followers and business. Once you get people to your page, they’re going to need a reason to stick around. Having a professional looking page, letting followers get to know you on your stories, and positioning yourself as the expert is the way to do that. We’ll go over exactly how a little later in the guide. First things first, let’s go over how to get your account out there using reels.

WHAT TO POST

WHAT TO POST

So, how do you figure out what reels to post, and what will be pushed out to the most people? In general, there is a pretty easy formula. I’m going to show you exactly what I’ve learned from my personal experience, along with others who are some of the fastest growing accounts on Instagram.

KEEP YOUR REELS SHORT

This content is called “short form” video for a reason. Most people have a short attention span, and TikTok and Instagram determine how many people they are going to push your video out to, largely based on how long you are able to hold a viewer’s attention (how much of your video people watch before scrolling away). Videos between 6-9 seconds perform best in the algorithms (7 seconds being a sweet spot).

MAKE YOUR VIDEO FUNNY OR ENTERTAINING AND EDUCATIONAL.

“Edutaining” as @pinksparrowsocial puts it, is the goal. This is a great account to follow for reel ideas. You don’t have to be a creative genius to do this Scroll through reels on Instagram or TikTok and save good audios as you go along (click on the audio and hit save). Then, take your favorite audios and create a video, but apply it to real estate Almost ALL of the popular audios can be applied to real estate in some way. That said, you need to be cautious of how you’re portraying yourself, and what messages you’re sending (which we will go over more in another section)

GOOD LIGHTING

This is a must. If you’ve seen my reels, you've probably noticed that I’m always standing in essentially the same spot in my home office It’s right in front of a window with natural light. I also use a ring light (the exact one I use is linked here) to add even more light. Bright lighting is your friend People are going to be attracted to videos that look light and natural, not dark or heavily filtered.

ADD VALUE

Give good information, and ADD VALUE for your followers. We’ll go over this more in the “positioning yourself as the expert” section, but it is essential to add value by providing information and tips that the common buyer or seller might not already know.

FINDING AUDIO

As stated, if you go to your explore page on Instagram or FYP on TikTok and start scrolling, you are most likely going to see the same audio a few times Most of these that are being used over and over again can be applied to many different niches, including real estate. This is the easiest way to find audio. You can also follow accounts who post lots of reels (@brock11johnson) and get audios from them

Once you find an audio you like, simply click on the audio and record your own video using that audio. Instagram also came out with a new feature recently where you can import your own audio from literally any movie, song, YouTube video, etc. Simply record a video of the audio you want, or screen record a video from YouTube or a movie. Then edit the video to exactly the part you want, and when you’re making your reel, choose import as the audio and import that video. Instagram will pull the audio from the video and you can record your own video using that audio. This is a great way to make a video go viral if you can find or think of an audio that is easily applicable to other industries. Instagram wants people to stay on the app, so if more people are clicking on your audio and using it, it is going to keep your video out there longer and show it to more people.

HASHTAGS

Hashtags may seem like a lost art, but using hashtags specific to your area is important, especially those that viewers may search for, like #(your city/county/state)realestateagent(s).

USE TRANSITIONS

Transitions are when you stop a video and start it again with a new element i.e., an outfit change, a new location, or a change in the environment. This adds an element of suprise and interest to your videos, and keeps people on them longer! There are so many different options here. Get creative!

ADD WORDS TO YOUR VIDEO

Adding words to your reels is a must to create interest and apply it to real estate. Tips for adding words ON the video: Keep it short and easy to read (make sure you can read the whole thing while the words are up; you can add to your message in your caption), and place the words IN the blue lines (they will pop up when you drag the words around your video). This ensures your words won’t be covered at all when you actually post your video.

REMOVE WATERMARKS

Lastly, if you're using a video on instagram that was made on TikTok or another app, you need to remove the watermark or the video is less likely to be pushed out I usually create straight from reels, but if you're saving from TikTok, simply save the video and swipe out of the app immediately before it's finished saving. The video should be in your camera roll without the watermark

SHARE EVERY REEL TO YOUR STORY

Story views count as reel views. Make sure you're sharing every reel (and post) to your story. Add gifs of comments about the reel, and encourage people to click on it and read the caption! I also SAVE my own posts from all of my instagram accounts (I have 3).

REPLY TO COMMENTS

Reply to every comment when possible. Especially after first posting your reel! Comments (even your own) show the instagram algorithm that your post is a good one that people are interested in. The more comments/likes/shares/saves, the better. Encourage people to comment in your caption by asking a question, and always respond to their answers.

BE CONSISTENT

You have to be consistent in your posting. The algorithm wants to see consistency and I'm convinced you get rewarded for it! Shoot for at least 2-3 reels AND posts (carousels) per week!

CONSISTENCY

Commit now to do a 6 month campaign on instagram. This is hard, but you can do it. Here's my tip: Use one day of the week to plan. I plan all of my reel content every Sunday and I post accordingly 2-3 reels and posts per week. I am a mom of two busy boys. Just like a diet, you have to be disciplined and "meal prep". Commit now and watch your account flourish!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I'm not naturally the most outgoing person. Putting myself out there for the world to see has been something that I was a little self-conscious about, but I decided that I don’t care about what other people think. I care about growing my business and providing for my family. You have to be willing to let go of your ego and just put content out there that others will relate to. Understand, your people will find you! Eventually That is literally what the algorithms do. It’s their job. There ARE always going to be people who ae mean and rude and not receptive to your material (especially once a reel or tiktok goes viral) I've learned to just let go of any negative feelings and know that I'm not going to be everyone's cup of tea!

GROWING ON TIKTOK

TIKTOK

The cool thing about TikTok is that you usually don’t have many people who know you following you. The algorithm pushes TikToks out to new people regardless of whether they are following you, or not. You can try things out on TikTok, and repurpose what works best as a reel. On TikTok, you don’t have to be as professional looking ALL of the time, because it’s not as streamlined as Instagram. People on TikTok want to see the real, raw you. Post consistently on TikTok a mix of helpful and educational tips and tricks, and funny, real life scenarious to grow your following quickly. Replying to comments with video is also a great way to grow your following fast on TikTok!

You can also link your Instagram in your TikTok bio, so people can find you and you can grow your Instagram just by posting easy, casual videos on TikTok. It’s always best to use natural light, but it doesn’t matter as much on TikTok. Respond to a comment in your car while waiting at a red light, or while outside on a walk. Good information, entertaining videos, and quantity matters more on TikTok than perfect lighting and an aesthetically pleasing feed.

TIPS FOR TIKTOK

BE CONSISTENT

Be consistent with 7 second videos with words. Daily if possible

POST ABOUT YOUR CITY/AREA

Your videos will be pushed out to your target audience if you are posting about your city/area!

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BE REAL

Be yourself Your TikTok doesn't need to be perfectly manicured. Day in the life posts do well on TikTok!

POSITIONING YOURSELF AS THE EXPERT

BE THE EXPERT

First and foremost, you need to be putting out quality, educational content. Any good information that you have, or knowledge you have about real estate that the common buyer or seller might not know, you should be using to your benefit and to grow your account. Entertain in the video, draw people in with the cover photo, and educate in the caption. You’re not a clown, and although it’s good to entertain with humor at times, you don’t want that to be your main form of content if you want to be taken seriously. People may think you’re funny and want to follow you if you’re goofing off, but are they really going to want to trust you with their most valuable asset? You want to make sure you’re always educating and giving out quality information, AS WELL as entertaining, in order to position yourself as the expert.

BE THE EXPERT

You can turn almost any funny or entertaining reel into an opportunity to educate. With whatever topic you are applying the audio to, take the opportunity to educate your audience about the topic in the caption. For example, in this video that reached over 8MM people, I initially thought, how could this “how about no” audio apply to real estate. There are so many different ways, but I decided to go with the topic of “when the seller wants to price their home super high

just to see what happens”. If I had left it at that, yes, it would’ve been an entertaining reel and gotten some views, but on top of that I took the opportunity to educate people about WHY this is a bad idea in the caption. This helped give me credibility, and position myself as the expert! This reel was also very easy to recreate, which is another reason it went viral (instagram wants as many people on the app creating reels as possible).

BE THE EXPERT

You need to have your page look professional. Your page is a reflection of your overall marketing in general. If a potential client comes to your page and it isn’t aesthetically pleasing, why should they assume you’re able to put together beautiful marketing for their home? There are so many easy ways to do this. I personally use templates that I have purchased on Etsy and can edit in Canva (if you don’t have the Canva app yet, download it immediately). Canva has tons of free templates, but it’s better to have a streamlined set of templates that you can edit and use over and over again. You can add your own brand colors on Canva, logo, fonts, and use them all on your templates. You can find the particular ones I use here, but there are tons of great ones to choose from. Other great options for go-to templates are Agent Crate, Fourth Street Creative, and Coffee and Contracts (which actually gives you new templates every month)!

CONVERTING FOLLOWERS TO LEADS

CONVERSION

You need to think about what message your reel is sending out into the world. Is this a reel that only agents will think is funny and be able to relate to? If so, don’t post it. Don’t post reels making fun of buyers or sellers in your target market. You don’t want people to get nervous to work with you or be self-conscious of you judging them and making a reel about it. Every reel you post should either be helpful, educational, or entertaining specifically for buyers and sellers. The MESSAGE you're sending in your reels should slowly be convincing your target market to do something. Whether you’re sending a message about buying or selling, think about HOW what you are posting will hit your target market.

CONVERSION TIPS

OFFER FREE RESOURCES

Offer free resources to followers, such as a CMA on their home, a buyer or seller guide, and provide free information/knowledge on your page! The more you are able to give, the more you will build trust, and when the time comes, you will be your follower's go-to agent.

POST HELPFUL CONTENT RELATIVE TO YOUR AREA

List ideas about fun things to do in your city, or your favorite restaurants, mention events that are happening that month in your area, etc. You want your target market to have as many reasons to stick around and follow your page as possible. The more people in your area following you, the better. Carousels (a string of photos with information on each slide) are a great way to do this. You can use the templates you use on Canva to create these!

ENCOURAGE DM'S

Be sure to frequently encourage buyers or sellers to DM you with any questions in your captions and on your stories. When someone does, try to create a relationship and be sure to follow them if they’re in your area or thinking about moving there! Post consistent, quality content, position yourself as the expert, be yourself, and the leads will come! Be patient.

RECAP

To recap. The formula you should be following to make viral reels and tik toks: make your videos 6-9 seconds long, add words on your videos to apply popular audios to real estate, dress the part, use great lighting, entertain in the video, educate in the caption. Capture with the cover photo, and use the caption to position yourself as the expert. Use streamlined templates and cover photos on Instagram to capture the attention of people visiting your page, and make them click on your videos. These cover photos should have a cohesive look that goes with the rest of your page. Update your stories daily or as much as possible so people can get to know you.

Anything and everything can go on stories. Be real on tik tok and show even more of your personality. Offer free buyer guides, seller guides, buyer consultations, or home price analysis to convert your followers to leads!