First, let’s talk referrals. We know referrals are all about being top of mind with the right people, at the right time. So how do you achieve that goal? By being known, being liked, and being trusted—all three of which can become a breeze on social media. People most often share referrals with their friends and family first, and being a trusted presence comes from being in people’s heads when they think of who to refer their loved ones to. By engaging local residents and business owners, and showing you’re an expert in your area, people will spend their time following you online. As your content is liked, shared, and engaged with, you’ll turn into the obvious choice for buyers and sellers. This article is all about how to bring quality and longevity to your social media to drive referrals. 

Social Media Platforms and How They’re Best Used For Agents

It’s not easy juggling multiple social media accounts. Each has a learning curve, and its own rules and guidelines for high engagement. However, we’ve found that these 4 social media sites are the best for real estate agents:

Instagram: Where people are actively trying to find gorgeous home photos and follow local leaders. Engagement is very high, and Instagram has more trust with users than most other platforms. Because of its photo-focus and level of trust, this is a fantastic place to start. 

Facebook: The largest social media platform in the world. Facebook is most popular with older generations who have wealth and see the online space as a place to build relationships. As those generations might say, be there or be square. 

YouTube: Video sells high-dollar properties. And Youtube is the perfect place to post all your beautiful home visuals. Additionally, you can now make Facebook-style posts on Youtube, so it’s fast becoming a great place for community engagement. We have a client who sold 2 million worth of real estate this year through relationships he’s cultivated with his youtube channel. It’s also great for SEO since YouTube is owned by Google. 

LinkedIn: The most trusted social media site in the world. Known best as the professional social media platform, LinkedIn is great for engaging local business leaders and being seen as a knowledgeable local expert. 

Top Tips For Generating Referrals Through Social Media

Create Your Personal Brand.

Are you an expert in your neighborhood? Are you an expert in your city’s culinary scene? Do you have a loveable animal sidekick? All of these things show you’re not just a real estate agent, you’re a person who gets people. Your online presence should, first and foremost, give your followers free value. They’re with you online to be shown wonderful things. Brand yourself as a trusted authority that gives back. Teach local lore, give great advice, post adorable pictures of your furry friend. Whatever your authentic brand is, giving back to the community will make you the obvious choice for referrals. 

Be Consistent. 

Posting once a month won’t build you a following. Consistency is key, but there’s a catch. You have limited social media currency, so everything you post needs to be quality. This means two things: Regularly posting great content to stay top of mind, and not flooding your followers with sub-par, “I just wanted to post something” content. Building your brand takes time, and getting real estate referrals from your social accounts means playing the long game well. The payoff is that renters or new families who associate your name with quality will think of you when it’s time to buy. 

Don’t Over-Post.

Like Kramer on Seinfeld, showing up too much isn’t a good way to be taken seriously. The good news is, when you’re truly posting quality content this likely won’t be an issue. Best practices say it takes 7 -11 exposures to convert a prospect into a motivated client. Therefore, you need to get in front of people consistently before conversions happen. Just don’t burst through their digital door at every single opportunity. 

End Posts With a Call to Action (CTA).

Not every post is about promoting something specific, but when that’s the goal, your final words should move people to take action. For example, you can end posts asking your followers to subscribe to your monthly newsletter, register for a tutorial, come to an open house, or find out more about anything you’re promoting. Whatever your social media goals are, a clear CTA can move your followers to take the right action. 

Use these tips as a guide to generate strong referrals from social media. Additionally, our team of experts would be happy to speak to you about building your social media. We can take out the learning curve and guesswork, and help build you a loyal following.