Creating a Social Media Strategy that Doesn't Suck

We are living in the social media age of instant gratification.  Everywhere we turn whether it’s Facebook, Google or our best friends blog; answers to our most pressing questions have never been more readily available.  The Internet has become our go-to resource for content, but wading through the social muck can be a challenge.  Creating your social media strategy and content cheat sheet can be a life saver.

As a real estate or mortgage professional, being online is now a requirement and no longer a suggestion.  However, simply showing up online is not enough.  Your social media efforts require that you not only engage an already over stimulated society but increase your bottom line by providing fresh, relevant content.

The problem with many marketers is the theory that you will simply build it and the fans will come. That's just not realistic within the online world.  It takes time, commitment and creativity to cultivate a community.  Building a content strategy and then creating a content calendar is an excellent way to keep you focused on the needs of your subscribers, fans and followers rather then bouncing day to day without direction.

Social Media Content Strategy

Multi Media 

1. What niche or program can you spotlight?  Whether it is you on screen or a screencast of your latest PowerPoint, connecting with your audience through video is imperative.  A free program to create and share your screencast is Screenr.  Just click “record now” and within seconds you are recording anything you can see on your screen.  Then choose where you want to share your video instantly. Choose from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more!

2. Record an interview with a vendor such as an appraiser, inspector or plumber and talk about homebuyer concerns, challenges, tips and quick fixes.  The amount of 60-90 second snippets you could create is endless!

3. Create a video where you answer buyer and seller frequently asked questions.

4. Discuss current events and explain what they mean to homebuyers and sellers. 

5. Choose locations in your area and pass along fun facts and trivia.  Pick a location to video yourself in front of and use it as a “Where’s Waldo” type of trivia question.  It should be fun and easy to identify.  This should generate a conversation between you and your Facebook fans and Twitter followers.

6. Record testimonials from your clients and post to your blog as well as your email marketing campaigns as a way to boost credibility.

Step-by-Step Guides:

1. Walk buyers through the 10 Mistakes Homebuyers Must Avoid or sellers through the Steps to Selling Your Home in a Down Market.  Turn your article into a pdf and offer as an opt-in incentive on your website. 

2. Take frequently asked questions and offer an instructional guide

3. Turn the home buying process into a step-by-step instructional.  Not only do you allow clients to connect with you online and get a sense of how you will handle their transaction, but it's a great way to keep them informed by sending the video via email throughout the process.

How-to’s and Tip’s

1. Offer insight into the home buying process and your expertise on what a buyer can expect.   What common issues do buyers and sellers face throughout the process?  What problems/challenges can you offer tips or how-to's on?

2. Explain what the benefits are about:

• Homeownership
• Investment Properties
• 2^nd Homes
• Staging Your Home
• Specialty programs such as the FHA 203k

3. Offer Weekly Tips or Tricks via video postcards.  A free online tool I have used many times is Movavi.  It's easy to use and the price is right!

4. Share slides from a recent presentation on slideshare and then copy and paste into a blog post.

5. Share thoughts, takeaways and your most important clips from conferences, seminars, educational trainings etc. through slideshows, screencasts and slideshare.

Blog & Social Media Content 

1. Discuss highlights and share insights from recent industry events you have attended.  It's a great opportunity to give clients a behind the scenes look at the industry and offer your feedback on what you learned or felt were the key takeaways.

2. Promote your videos by syndicating to 25 video sites at once through TubeMogul and then track your results through their detailed analytics dashboard.

3. Create weekly webinars related to buyer and seller FAQ, what buyers can expect throughout a typical transaction, how to navigate the home buying process or how to get their loan approved the first time.  There are an endless amount of tutorials you could produce!

4. Revive past content by reposting videos, articles and trainings to Facebook, Twitter and Social Bookmarking sites.  If you are a Wordpress user, a great way to revive old blog posts is through Tweet Old Post.

5. Ask via your social networks what the needs of your audience are and do this consistently.  It’s an easy way to stay topical and on target with the information your fans and followers are hungry for.  Then take this information and write a blog Q&A that responds to their questions or concerns.

6. Explain what a current event or topic means to our audience by either offering a unique perspective or offering the who, what, why and how behind the topic including the impact it will or could have on the industry.

7. Take common RE or mortgage myths and offer facts surrounding common misunderstood topics

8. Promote company news including changes, events, updates, promotions, new hires, etc to allow the community to feel connected to the brand

9. Survey your community through Survey Monkey or a Twtpoll about real estate questions. Top concerns, market myths and common misconceptions within the process and then use this information through an informational video or blog post.  Share information in a way that solves a challenge, fulfills a need or offers support.

10. Share pictures as often as possible.  If there is an event or conference you attend, post the pictures to your social sites and write a blog about it.  You want your audience to become interested and engaged in who you are and where you are at all times.

11. Ask hypothetical questions or tell a story to identify buyer or seller needs and assist them in connecting with who you are and what your role is throughout the process.

One last thought I will offer is the importance of tracking your efforts and consistently evaluating the effectiveness of your message through social monitoring tools such as SocialBro, Hootsuite, Twitter Counter and Crowd Booster.

What would you add to this list?  

Creating a Social Media Strategy that Doesn't Suck was written by Rebekah Radice.