Author: Buildout This post originally appeared on Buildout’s Blog and is republished with permission. Find out how to blog with us on theBrokerList.
Setting goals and objectives
Before you start diving into social media posts, it’s essential that you set goals and define your target audience. Because just like any other marketing strategy, social media is all about targeting and having a plan.
Answer questions like
- Who are we trying to reach?
- Where are the people we are trying to reach?
- Which social networking platforms does our target audience use?
- What does our target audience (want to) read online?
- What types of content will we post?
- Who will create the content?
- Who will be involved in posting content?
- What specific things do we want to gain as a firm or individual broker?
- How will we measure success?
- What tools or software do we need?
- What’s our budget?
Once you set a clear strategy and communication plan, you are ready to get into the posting details for each platform or social media channel.
Platforms to use
For commercial real estate professionals, the most effective social media platforms are going to be LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Each platform is beneficial for different reasons—and what to post, when to post, and types of posts will vary based on social channel.
As the largest professional and B2B network in the world, LinkedIn is a great platform for engaging with prospects, existing customers, and other CRE professionals. It is also a great resource for recruiting, increasing brand awareness, and generating leads.
What to post
Share useful and actionable content pieces like blogs and eBooks, information about your CRE firm and top brokers, and details on recent deals. Be sure to alternate types of content and content topics.
When to post
Brokers and brokerages should post on LinkedIn every two or three days, but if you don’t have the resources necessary to post that often, try at least one time per week as a minimum requirement.
Types of posts
Share content in CRE industry groups, Pulse articles (the publishing platform on LinkedIn), image-based ads, and links to articles with featured images.
Although it is newer than most social channels, Instagram has recently become one of the largest social platforms in the world. And because it is a visual, photo-first platform, it is a great place to be as a commercial real estate professional or brokerage.
What to post
Share still images, 3D property tours, video content of staff and firm updates, and video content of commercial properties.
When to post
Brokers and brokerages should aim to post on Instagram at least once daily—whether it be regular posts, story content, or a combination of both. Consistency is key with Instagram.
Types of posts
Share high-quality, stunning photography that captures your target audience’s attention and showcases your brand. Be sure to use hashtags to increase reach and take advantage of story posts that are removed after 24 hours.
Facebook is the world’s largest social network, and it is home to numerous brand pages and private groups—which makes it a great platform to engage with your target audience and capture leads. And creating a brand page allows you to build a list of followers, run paid ads, and promote your brokerage.
What to post
Share images over text links, create engaging video content for users, and share industry research and interesting articles from external sources. Keep in mind that visual content performs best on Facebook.
When to post
Brokers and brokerages should post on Facebook at least two to three times per week— but posting daily is even better.
Types of posts
Share helpful content in private groups, promote your brokerage using image-based ads, interact with other brands on Facebook to increase your reach, and consider paying to boost your content.
Twitter is a social platform that is used creatively by brands, politicians, and celebrities across the world. And for CRE professionals and brokers, it is a great place to build relationships through regular posting.
What to post
Much like the other platforms, images are key here. Be sure to incorporate visuals in any and every way you can.
When to post
Brokers and brokerages should aim to post on Twitter two to three times per day. Remember that on twitter, timing isn’t as important as frequency and relevancy.
Types of posts
Share content from your brokerage’s website, respond to commercial real estate news and announcements, and answer questions from other CRE users. Be sure to use hashtags to get involved in the trending conversations.
YouTube
As the second largest search engine, there’s no question that your audience is on YouTube. And it is a great platform for brokers and brokerages to promote unique content that is easy for viewers to consume and share—working to improve your SEO and increase brand awareness.
What to post
Share video content of customer testimonials, thought leadership interviews, blog post recaps, commercial property tours, special offers, case studies, and market activity updates.
When to post
Brokers and brokerages should aim to post one new video per week, or at minimum, one new video per month. Whatever you and your team are capable of, set a schedule and stick with it.
Types of posts
The goal of YouTube is to send people to your other social channels, or to your website. Be sure to vary the types of posts you create and take advantage of YouTube tags, cards and end screens, channel links, and video descriptions.
How to measure success
Too many businesses invest time and money into social media and fail to measure the results. But with consistent reporting and tracking of KPIs, you can see what’s working, what’s not, and develop a plan to optimize your posts and overall strategy.
Be sure to look at data like
- Impressions
- Views
- Followers
- Retweets
- Likes
- Shares
- Downloads
- Sign-ups
- Other conversions
To help you save time and measure results, there are numerous powerful social media management tools that allow you to draft and bulk schedule posts in advance and monitor your CRE firm’s social performance.
But remember, social media isn’t all about lead generation and sales overnight. It’s about brand awareness, engaging with your audience, and developing a dialog with prospects and existing customers. It’s about providing the right content, on the right platforms, to the right people, at the right time.
Looking for ways to streamline your marketing?
With Buildout’s commercial real estate marketing software designed specifically for CRE professionals and brokerages, you can simplify your marketing initiatives and streamline brokerage operations to help you win more listings and close deals faster.
If you haven’t seen what Buildout can do for you and your team, get in touch with us and ask for a personalized demo today.
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