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Having a social media presence is a non-negotiable for any brand or business these days, and estates are no exception.
Why social content is king
The reality is that if you’re not on social media, you are losing out on selling the lifestyle elements and amenities of your estate to a captive audience – which leaves them wide open to your competitors. Effectively leveraging social media isn’t easy though.
We asked the experts for their top tips.
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Know your audience
Take time to understand with whom you are communicating. Any social media activity should first begin with a strategy that outlines who your target audience is, which social media platform they use the most, and how best to communicate with them.
‘This isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula. You can use different messages for different audiences on one social media platform, like marketing a home for sale for an overseas investor versus a first-time buyer.
‘Be mindful of age as it plays a big part – a retirement development wouldn’t have much success with Instagram marketing, as the over-sixties tend to still use Facebook,’ says Jacqui Barhouch, owner of Blackbird.
Go big or go home
Content is king and social media gives you the ability to use different mediums like standalone copy, cool photography, videos and infographics to get your message across. Don’t be afraid to push – try something different. ‘If your posts are boring or vanilla, then people will switch off and pay no attention, wasting your time, effort and marketing budget. The most successful social media profiles use content that really catches people’s eye and images and videos that are bold and interesting and different,’ says Dean McCoubrey, managing editor of MediaWeb Group.
Commit to the cause
There is nothing worse than putting up a profile on a platform and sharing one or two posts but leaving questions unanswered. Managing multiple social media profiles can be time consuming to do properly and, in many instances, like with Facebook, can be harmful to the business if not managed properly. ‘Consistency is key. You must be committed to the process and sometimes that might mean only selecting one or two platforms rather than all of them,’ says Trevor van de Ven, account director at GinjaNinja.
Control the purse strings
A proper social media presence can be costly, but it can be easy to spend foolishly on social media advertising too. To prevent this, create a social media budget and stick to it.
‘If you’re going to advertise on social, don’t waste money boosting content as this only puts your content in front of people with a propensity to click “like” – nothing more. If you want to advertise, then set up an ad account on Facebook or LinkedIn and do it properly, using the tools provided,’ says Jacqueline van Rooijen, owner of Ycagel.
Don’t rely on it for sales
Generally, buyers will use realtor websites to find homes and apartments, rather than social media, so engagement for property sales is likely to be low.
‘The likelihood of converting sales from social media is quite low because there are websites and even individual realtors who will be better able to assist a buyer. If you do want to include sale properties on your social media, then make sure you include a link back to your website for the full listing,’ says Sean Cavé, social media manager at Brandfundi.
