This article was originally published on the Home Value Leads blog.
Most of us are just trying to catch up to posting let alone keeping up with the latest social media updates taking place each day. Here's our round-up of the latest updates across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and how it affects your real estate business.
Social Media Updates on Facebook
New Reactions
You've probably already noticed without having to read an article about it, but Facebook has added an expanded set of "likes" to all posts. This development has been on the minds of Mark Zuckerberg and the Facebook team for a while.
Now that we've gotten what we asked for, what does it all mean? To break it down, when you go to a post on Facebook, instead of just a thumbs up "like" option, you can express your like (or dislike) for a post with a whole range of emotions. They include a heart for "love," laughing face for "haha," an incredulous look for "wow," teary face for "sad," and a very red mug for "angry."
It's been interesting to see the different emotions people have expressed now that these additional "emotions" are available. One thing to remember, as a real estate agent (or anyone for that matter), is that you will now see reactions from people you may not want to see.
I recently saw, for example, a Facebook ad on my newsfeed that I had seen for months. Now, I see that a good chunk of reactions are negative. Wouldn't you hate to be the owner of that ad? But it's important to keep your cool despite any reactions you might not like.
Facebook Live Streaming In an attempt to increase videos on the platform, Facebook rolled out live video streaming in February to all iOS users and now for Android.
Remember Periscope, the live-streaming app that allowed you to let followers view and interact with you via video? You can do that on Facebook now, too.
One of the advantages of using Facebook's live video streaming is that they pull up to the top of newsfeeds. So if you have a home tour you'd like to conduct live, you can let everyone know when. They'd hop onto your page from their phone using the Facebook app and can virtually follow you around as you walk through a property.
They can also leave comments to ask questions on the spot. You can then save and post your video for later. If you didn't download Periscope or were a little confused about it, now's your chance to comfortably do live video!
Social Media Update on Twitter
Last October, Twitter rolled out Moments in an attempt to engage new users who were not familiar with the platform or did not see the value in it. Instead of searching by hashtags for the latest on a trending topic, you can simply go to the Moments tab and see the latest news topics, with all related tweets grouped for each.
Why does this matter for you as a real estate agent? It's good to keep up on the latest happenings and topics for content purposes as much as for your own general knowledge. If you have been wondering how to better engage on Twitter for your real estate business, this could be a good way to get started so that you can ease yourself into using the platform.
Social Media Update on Instagram
Instagram is growing in popularity for businesses, so it's no surprise that many real estate agents are using it to promote themselves and their businesses. This past February, they finally rolled out the ability to toggle between two or more accounts. This is something you could easily do on Twitter and Facebook, so now it makes sense for Instagram to follow. So no more logging out from your personal account then logging onto your business account.
Social Media Update on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is one of those that we often forget (and whose email notifications we ignore), but they've made a few good updates. One that could be particularly useful for real estate agents: LinkedIn Groups. It's been around since the network's inception in 2004 and helps professionals build relationships and connect with each other.
Having conversations on Groups had its limitations. Some of the latest advancements: adding images and mentioning others in posts. The navigation is more simple, too (read: less cluttered). Groups are now private, too, and by invitation only, so the conversations are more focused and, hopefully, less spammy.
Some useful groups for agents? Try the Real Estate Professionals Referral Group, The Real Estate Networking Group and more. Based on your profile, LinkedIn will recommend groups that you can ask to join and start making great connections. Just go to your profile, click on "Interests" then "Groups" and hit the "Discover Groups" button.
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