Instant online valuation and lead nurturing specialists The ValPal Network has claimed that agents who ignore the power of social media and don’t utilise it to its fullest could be left behind by the competition.
In recent years, and particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, social media platforms including TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, to name a few, have reached new levels of popularity.
Many businesses from a range of sectors have relied on these platforms to interact with existing and prospective clients.
Estate agents who joined social media early on have grown a firm following and become adept at navigating these platforms to grow their business. The ValPal Network argues that social media is integrated into everyday life and now is not too late to benefit from the positive results it has to offer.
Social media is the present and the future
Social media platforms play an important part in building reputations, content-sharing, and making an agency appear like an authority.
Craig Vile, director of The ValPal Network, insists: “Although it is difficult to predict which social media platforms will be present in five years, agents mustn't shy away from them.”
“Historically, those who have adapted to changes early on have been able to reap the most benefits. Meanwhile, those who are afraid of change and solely focus on old methods are the ones likely to get left behind.”
He added: “Social media can be used to help drive leads, draw interest to estate agencies by increasing brand awareness and allow for instant engagement with existing and would-be customers. It’s also a fantastic way to paint yourself as an authority on a subject by linking to well-researched blogs and tweeting top tips.”
Vile argues that social media platforms can help agencies to grow as they allow estate agents to tap into a new market of prospective clients, especially those from the younger generations who have grown up with the internet and social media as the normal.
Implement the right strategy and tools
The most successful social media property accounts not only have a large number of followers, but they receive various comments, likes, views and leads because their consumers are engaged.
James Property (@jamesproperty_), a successful TikTok and Instagram property investment content creator, has over 300,000 TikTok followers and videos with up to 7.1 million views. Meanwhile, That Property Guy has nearly 500,000 followers on TikTok and 6.6 million likes.
There’s also video creator Aaron Vankampen who has 200,000 followers on Instagram, 5.7 million TikTok followers, 1.2 million Snapchat followers and more than 130,000 YouTube subscribers, for videos where he interviews and tours the homes of successful people.
Vile continues: “Making an account and churning out the same old content is simply not enough when it comes to generating leads and creating a real impact. Instead, social media requires consistency, innovation and invention, as well as a solid, thought-through strategy.”
“Agents should always use social media to offer value to prospective clients and, like with everything you do, it should be value first, brand second,” he said.
“Social media, when used correctly, can be used to drive traffic to websites. This can then help agents win more instructions if that website has various call to actions and ways of engaging the consumer to remain on the page.”
He added: “Content that is fun, engaging, and informative is guaranteed to pique the interest of prospective and existing clients. Use a mixture of video and written content, make everything look great, try and generate engagement by running polls of your followers, and get across the uniqueness of your brand.”
Vile also says agents need to make their social media feel personal rather than cold, generic and informal.
“For example, by sharing staff stories with images, people can feel more connected to the agency. Doing so puts a face to the name and helps to humanise the estate agency making it more personal. The same is the case when it comes to promoting charitable endeavours. Social media shouldn’t just be there for posting property listings – though that is important – it needs to offer much more than that.”
Vile continues: “We understand that as an estate agent finding enough time to focus on social media is a challenge. However, marketing experts who are knowledgeable about market trends and the property sector can be relied on to devise the right strategies, allowing estate agents to focus on other tasks that can help them to grow their business.”
“Our social media services will help agents stand out in an industry that is becoming more competitive each and every day.”
