Tip Tuesday: 5 Reasons Realtors Fail at Social Media

As a Realtor or broker, you know the value is there in social media, but despite your best efforts you’re still struggling. How can you change your social media luck?

Below are five reasons many Realtors and brokers fail in social media and how you can turn it around:

1. You have no plan. Social media is one tool in your marketing toolbox.   Make sure you create your strategy BEFORE you try to implement one. Schedule time every morning and evening to devote to social media. 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon/evening. If you don’t have a plan – it will take you twice as long!

2. You don’t have great content. This is a biggie. If you’re finding it difficult to engage people through social media, then it may be a sign that you’re not giving them enough to engage with.  It doesn’t matter how likable, charismatic or helpful you are, if you’re posting things of little interest, no one is going to care about the content OR your brand. Where to get good content? Click here for a recent post I did about sources for content for Realtors.

3. You put the wrong person in charge. Social media is not something you can delegate 100% as a Realtor or Broker. You can delegate some of it – but the personal interaction that makes social media work, has to come from you. Realtors or brokers that tend to do well are the ones that are personable, humble, and that genuinely enjoy talking to people and being social. If that person is not you then you may have a difficult time attracting fans or followers. Consider hiring someone to help you, whether it’s an assistant or intern.

4. You’re not listening. There are two different kinds of Realtors in social media. Those that listen, and those that pitch their listings . Realtors who engage in the latter typically have a difficult time gaining traction. While you can definitely use social media to target new clients and pitch your listings, you have to develop a relationship with your fans and followers first. Realtor and broker Facebook Pages that succeed are the ones who are able to integrate personal interactions and also offer them something they’re actually interested in  (i.e. community events, local school info, market stats, etc.) – and they do so on a consistent, daily basis. They can offer that info that because they’ve listened. That’s the power of social media

5. You’re just ‘dabbling’ with it. If you spent $5 on a newspaper ad and saw no return, you wouldn’t be surprised. However, we all know that most newspaper ads (for real estate) can run $400-800 each (SF Bay Area pricing.) If you spend nothing on social media, then you’re going to see the same return. And that’s where many Realtors and brokers are right now – they’re ‘dabbling’ or ‘experimenting’ in social media, but they’re not dedicating any resources to it. They’re not investing their time to learn, to keep up with what’s new, and they’re not paying for tools that will help them monitor and benchmark what they’re doing.  Just like with anyone else, the investment you put in is going to dictate the value you get out of it. Realtors or brokers  who ‘dabble’, should expect to get dabbling results. Shameless plug: working smart in social media will be a hot topic at this year’s Real Estate Connect SF – check out the program!

Above are five of the biggest reasons I’ve seen for why Realtors and brokers don’t get as much out of social media as they could. What have been your experiences with it? Leave me a comments below!

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