Selling houses one social media interaction at a time

It’s happened more than I’d like to admit. I’m scrolling through my Facebook feed when suddenly I find myself making a mental list of the improvements I’d need to make to my home in order to sell it quickly and purchase one of the new listings Adam DeGroote has posted to his real estate page. I’m not even looking to buy but the beautiful photos and creative headlines always seem to draw me in.

The Brantford and Brand County Real Estate agent has been using social media for years to help showcase his listings and grow his business. “That’s where people’s eyes are,” he told me when I asked him why he uses social media in his marketing campaigns. “Social media helps me to reach a broader audience. The younger generation is on social and if I can put my client’s properties on there, it helps to get the word out — you have to go where people are paying attention and everyone is glued to social media now a days.”

According to Cindy King of Social Media Examiner, “To succeed on the Internet today, you have to create content that ignites and engages an audience.” Besides the listings he posts on realtor.ca, his website and Facebook, Adam also utilizes Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to bring real estate information and tips to his followers. In fact, just this afternoon Adam posted tips for spring cleaning your home to his social networks.

“I try to put out relevant content I believe will be helpful to people and provide value – not just always trying to sell them things.”

Take for example this video he posted to his YouTube channel in April of 2016 giving home owners advise on buying and selling property.

In the article 5 Tips to Help You Make Your Social Media Marketing Campaigns More Effective, Toby Nwazor says “Customers face a deluge of marketing messages every day, so you need a fresh tone and consistently innovative content. Customers need to “feel good”. The best content creates a powerful experience for the consumer, whether it’s a captivating video, a fun quiz, or personalized content. Customers will not forget how you made them feel.”

Following Adam’s social media profiles has perks other than knowing about his latest listing – he also runs frequent contests. Starting February 15, 2017 Adam ran a contest on his Facebook page for a chance to win tickets to a Toronto Maple Leaf vs New Jersey Devils hockey game, and also the opportunity to meet Devil’s player and Brant County Native Adam Henrique after the game. In order to be eligible to win, you needed to follow Adam DeGroote and Adam Henrique on social media as well as tag the person you would like to take to the game. That video post alone got 38 thousand views on Facebook. Not bad for a guy with 3200 likes on his page!

Lessons for Others

Using social media as part of your marketing strategy is a great way to grow brand awareness. Whether this is through contests or original content, shares, likes and mentions help businesses to get their name out to people who may not have known about them before. As I mentioned in the last paragraph, Adam’s video contest got more than 38 thousand views on Facebook, growing his potential audience by thousands.

Social media also lets you grow relationships with your customers organically. Social provides the opportunity for quick responses and open dialogue. It also gives customers an opportunity to provide feedback and spread good word of mouth to other potential customers.

By increasing your customer base you’re also increasing your sales potential. For very little cost, the potential gain is unlimited.

 

If you have concerns as to the accuracy of anything posted on this site, please send your concerns to Peter Carr, Program Director, Social Media for Business Performance.

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