Social media has emerged as one of the foremost marketing tools for real estate agents looking to reach more clients, make more deals, and grow their businesses. Nowadays, it seems no marketing strategy is complete without some social media component, and some agents even make social media one of their primary marketing avenues.
The problem is that running a social media profile, creating content, and keeping up with your audience can be surprisingly difficult. It can take a lot of time and effort to build your following. The reality is that as a busy real estate agent, you may not have the time to do it all on top of your already busy schedule, leading to you leaving potential growth on the table.
You might wonder how many agents you follow seem to keep up with their postings regularly and build a social media audience. The secret is that many of these agents aren’t doing it alone!
Many of the top names you see on social media actually work with a team of social media managers to make the most of these platforms. Like any marketing tool, social media takes some expertise to know what works and what doesn’t, and by working with the pros, you can cut out the guesswork and attain greater results.
In this article, we will explore what exactly a social media management agency is, what they can do for you, and whether or not it may be the right choice to help you grow your business.
Why social media management?
Social media can be deceivingly difficult as a marketing tool because it seems so simple on the surface. You just post your content, and the audience follows, right?
The reality is it's a lot more complicated than that, and here are three reasons.
Quality is key
The first thing to consider is quality. You can’t post just any low-effort content, and if you do, it may drive people away from your page.
The best posts need to speak to the interest and needs of your audience and represent who you are and what you do. Your content also needs to be valuable to your audience outside of a marketing context – people don’t go on social media just to be sold to. Finally, your content needs to be consistent and high quality.
Creating content that checks all these boxes is your surest way to social media success, but it also takes a lot of time, research, and work to do it right.
Keeping top of mind with a regular schedule
The next factor that makes or breaks your social media is regularity. It's not enough to simply post occasionally if you want to build your following. If you want your presence to stick in the minds of your audience, you need to post often, ideally with a reliable schedule. The need for quality content on a regular basis should make it clear why getting social media help is useful.
Understanding the algorithm to boost your content
The final thing to consider about social media is the mysterious force known as the algorithm. Behind every social media platform is a powerful algorithm that helps promote or bury content to curate a user's experience. Just like you may use SEO to improve your rankings on Google, understanding how social media algorithms work is crucial in gaining attention.
Along with quality and consistency, as mentioned above, these algorithms consider a wide range of other factors to decide who sees what, and they are constantly changing. By working with a team who understands the platforms on a deeper level, you can more effectively reach the people you want and keep their attention better, which ultimately means more leads and more business for you.
What does a social media management agency do?
With full-service social media management, your team will work to create and deploy posts, manage your accounts and interactions, and monitor how your page is performing to help optimize it even further. They can also help you to manage ads and sponsored posts on social media platforms.
Creating Content
Content is one of the most important parts of social media, and a management team can help you take yours to the next level.
As social media has expanded, the ways that users can post and share have also grown. Most sites allow users to post photos and videos, text posts and captions, and other content like podcasts, polls, live events, and more.
If you want to make a video post, you might need a copywriter to handle the script and captions, a photographer to shoot it, and a video editor to put it all together. If you do this yourself, you will be doing the work of three people, and the results will likely not look or perform as well.
With social media management, you will have a dedicated team of creative talent who can produce quality content faster and more efficiently.
Account management
Beyond just the things you post on your account, another important thing your management team might oversee is account management. This may include designing a consistent account branding, setting up your account information so users can find you more easily, and managing account security, so nothing gets compromised.
This may also include managing communication with your audience. Popular pages may get dozens of messages and comments on a regular basis, and keeping on top of this communication can be a major key in converting your audience to clients.
Analytics and Reporting
Finally, you need to know if your social media marketing efforts are working; this is where your analytics and reports come in. Though many platforms will let users see their data, a social media team will have the knowledge to interpret the data and act upon it. This will let them know what's working and take your growth even further.
This can also be a significant component if you choose to run ads on your social media platforms so that you can make the most of your ad spend. Again, anyone can run an ad campaign on Facebook or Instagram, but if you don’t do it properly, it can lose you money instead of making it.
Is it right for me?
Today's conventional opinion is that social media is vital to a working real estate agent's marketing strategy. But, should you take it to the next level and work with a social media marketing agency? Here are some questions to consider to help you make the decision.
Are you doing enough business?
The biggest reason to look into upping your social media is to generate more leads and do more business. By creating a presence on social media, you can reach your potential clients in a whole new way, which can mean a lot more business.
If you want to grow your business but still want to make sure you have time to devote to your clients, investing in the services of a social media manager will be well worth it.
Is your social media growing?
You may already be on social media but aren’t seeing the results you want. One way to tell if you may need help is whether or not your audience is growing on social media. If you are putting work in but not seeing a growth in engagement or following, it may be time to look at hiring some help.
A social media management service can identify where you may be going wrong and help you to improve your strategy. And, with an existing audience already in place, it may help them to expand your following even more effectively.
Are you missing out on potential clients?
One of the most critical aspects of social media is that it tells your potential clients who you are and why they should want to work with you. If you find that you have trouble connecting with your clients or that they are more likely to work with your competitors, maybe you haven’t put your best foot forward.
Working with a social media manager can help to solidify your brand and make you stand out to clients as someone they can trust and rely on. The investment you put into this sort of reputation building can considerably affect your career for many years to come.
Barker Social: Our Partner in Social Media Management
If you’re looking for a social media agency, our partners at Barker Social have created a special offer just for real estate agents like yourself. Their team has years of experience helping agents grow their business through social media and digital marketing. Visit them today to learn more and request a free proposal to find out how they can help you.
