Differentiating Your Content Between Social Media Channels

By Jessie Trapp, Marketing Coordinator 

The number of social media users worldwide is estimated to reach an excess of 2.77 billion by 2019, so if you aren’t currently incorporating it into your marketing efforts, you’re going to want to start – ASAP. Not only does it give you access to this booming population of users and potential clients, but it also allows you to do so without breaking the bank, a major plus for any business. Although it is becoming a widely used marketing tactic, many professionals are spending valuable time posting on various social media channels while failing to generate the levels of ROI they are searching for.

We get it- the world of social media can be confusing and a tad messy at times. Luckily navigating it isn’t as difficult as it may seem, however, it’s essential to make a game-plan for how you plan to utilize it. One of the keys to making the most of social media marketing is knowing what types of content to post where. No two channels are exactly alike, as they all tend to be used by different groups of people that are in search of unique types of content. If you don’t have one already, creating a social media content strategy should be at the top of your to-do list! Plan out what kinds of post would likely build value on which channels and create an action plan to bring them to life. Here are some content-related recommendations for a handful of the powerhouse channels to keep in mind as you develop your plan!

Facebook.

Where to begin. Let’s just say, if social media channels were bees, Facebook would be the unrelenting queen. According to NAR, 69% of real estate agents use Facebook and it’s quite obvious why. The channel should be an integral aspect of your marketing endeavors, as it provides you with a variety of different ways to grow your sphere quickly via shares and word of mouth (or mentions). Virtually anything goes here, as adding a variety of content will increase your likelihood of it resonating with a wider reach of users. Blog posts, articles, videos, announcements, contests, and content that shows your brand and personality should all be in the line-up. In addition to the wide variety of acceptable content, Facebook also gives you the ability to get specific when it comes to who you would like your posts and ads to target. This is why Facebook advertising is known to be so effective, and why we here at MoxiWorks incorporated it into the Advertise Your Services feature that many of our clients have already started using to grow their business.

LinkedIn.

Hold off on the gifs and memes, and instead keep things purely professional. LinkedIn is all about growing your network and connections, so avoid posting anything that could potentially hurt your image to prospective clients and partners. This is the perfect channel to practice recruitment marketing – essentially marketing that makes people want to work with or for you. Focus on sharing content that expresses what your brokerage specifically brings to the table and what you can provide to others in real estate. Blog posts, articles, calls to action, images from company events, and sneak peeks into your business’ culture are all forms of content that will likely perform well on LinkedIn, enabling you and your followers to get better acquainted with one another.

Instagram.

As you know, real estate is an incredibly visual industry – all the more reason that channeling your efforts into Instagram is something you’ll likely find beneficial. With more than 800 million users, the app is mainly accessed by people who are on-the-go via tablets and smartphones. It’s a valuable opportunity to share images and videos that tell a meaningful story with just a glimpse, but make sure to maintain a level of high quality content. Experimenting with hashtags in your comments is a powerful strategy that can rapidly increase your reach on Instagram. For example, #RealEstate and #justlisted are both top preforming tags in the real estate industry specifically. Using tags related to your geographic location is also a powerful tool. Graphs and visual representations of data tend to perform well here too. Utilizing the story feature of this channel can go far in terms of giving followers a more personal and approachable look into the daily life of your business. And don’t forget those high-quality professional listing photos you’ve already paid for!

Twitter.

80% of Twitter’s users are said to be affluent millennials, the very group that is currently making up a major portion of the buyers in today’s real estate market. With that in mind, it’s likely worthwhile to incorporate this channel into your plan. The content that seems to perform the best here is videos, which have been shown to be 6x more likely than images to be retweeted. Engaging with followers through polls and contests are also great ways to take advantage of Twitter.

Although these guidelines are definitely important to keep in mind, being truly successful at social media marketing often entails a whole bunch of trial and error. Make sure you are tracking your analytics and monitoring the success of your content, so that you can make adjustments and see continually improving results. Doing so will contribute to increased levels of loyalty, marketing effectiveness, and profits – who doesn’t want that?