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There’s a difference between real estate agents simply posting on social media and using it effectively.
Bespoke Media Group CEO Nic Fren has noted that the pandemic has pushed a massive rethink of the tactics used by real estate agents in their digital marketing strategy.
According to him, while information matters, execution is also critical when utilising social media as a marketing tool.
The most important role of social media marketing “is to stop the viewer from scrolling through your posts”, according to the CEO.
After all, social platforms are significantly different from advertising platforms, Mr Fren considered.
“It’s about how you do it.... While social platforms do offer the capabilities to market and advertise, we need to be mindful of the person’s psyche when they are on there,” he said.
From his perspective, “people go on social media to be entertained and escape the real world for a while, not to see your latest listings or the latest COVID update or hear the RBA announcement”.
“They are not in transaction mode and don’t go on to actively buy products,” he said.
With this in mind, Mr Fren is urging real estate agents to add more of a “human element” to the content that they do push out.
Pandemic-proof strategy
He has shared five tips for real estate agents who do wish to successfully use social media as a marketing tool.
1. Add a backstory
Emotive marketing is an effective way for agents interested in “stopping the scroll”.
“If someone is not in transaction mode, a loungeroom shot or kitchen shot isn’t going to be enough to stop the scroll. But a picture of a family in a backyard with the backstory of them relocating could [do the trick],” according to Mr Fren.
2. Explain official announcements
Amid the pandemic, people are often bombarded with announcements from several groups and institutions. From Mr Fren’s perspective, this offers a unique opportunity for agents to reach out to prospective clients — as someone who can simplify all the information available at a given moment.
For instance, what does the cash rate decision from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) actually mean for them?
“Going that extra mile and explaining what that means for the property market adds value to your audience,” the CEO said.
3. Avoid jargon
While agents often have their own language when speaking to each other, Mr Fren said it would do them well to remember that other people might not be on the same page.
He advises speaking “with” an audience and not at them on social media.
4. Utilise lead generation
By using tools such as Ads Manager on Facebook, Mr Fren acknowledged agents as better placed to push out ads to the marketplace and gain data that they can use to retarget their digital database.
“A recent example was when we had an ad where the budget spent was $100. We reached over 46,000 people and had 600 link clicks,” he said.
According to the CEO, “for a home owner looking to sell, this represents great value as a pre-market campaign”.
“We’ve seen agents winning the business over their competitors using this method,” he added.
5. Take advantage of database uploads
According to Mr Fren, most agents miss an opportunity because they are unaware that they could create “lookalike ads” by doing an upload of their database from their CRM and then making an input into the back of Facebook.
“These are ads carefully designed to reach an audience of your choice without going out to the general public,” he said.
“For example, you can run an ad specifically for tenants or past appraisals.”
Maximising social media
At the end of the day, Mr Fren emphasised that by adding a human element to content, real estate agents will be better placed to achieve a higher engagement and enquiry rate.
The knock-on effect from this is that they will better stand out in their local marketplace.
All in all, Mr Fren warned that “social media marketing is more than posting pretty pictures and dropping $20 on a boost”.
“It’s a skill and, like any form of prospecting, requires training and time set aside each day to master it,” the CEO concluded.
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