Last week, we took a look at a few of the most popular social media sites you can use to help build your business. Now we’re going to look into four more social networks and see what they can do for business. Remember your time is valuable and it’s not necessary to be on every network. Choose the ones that fit your business and you can manage. It’s not going to be much help to your business if you set up a presence on a site but never use it.
Here are four more social media platforms and what they can do for your business.
- Pinterest – In a visual world, Pinterest comes out on top. Each user compiles pages (called Boards) full of links (Pins) in a digital collage. Often they are grouped into categories, such as “For the Home,” and “Do It Yourself.”
Relating to your clients’ lives in a home may allow you to better connect to them as a Realtor. Having a robust Pinterest account can also show potential clients that you understand the whole housing picture, and are not just focused on one aspect. If you’re able to show them you understand their process, they may choose you as their agent.
- Google+ – If you’re interested in boosting your business up in search results, Google+ is for you. It’s the top social media site for increasing your search rankings, and could help steer traffic to your own website. By creating a profile, your information will show up next to blog posts and updates and if you create and verify a business page not only can you show up on Google Maps but your business will appear in the local search results which are right at the top of a Google search.
Because most people (and potential clients) use Google searches to find a real estate agent in their area, you can help grab some of that traffic through Google+. If you don’t, your competitor will be there instead.
- Instagram – Instagram is a photo and video sharing website. An interesting facet of this site is it allows a user to post photos to other social networking platforms, including Facebook and Twitter. It is also known for capturing pictures cropped into square shapes and for allowing users to apply various filters to photos before posting.
For your business, Instagram could be a great way to showcase photos of a home at different times of day, or during different activities. This platform has a younger audience than others, and it could be a great way to tap into that potential market.
- Vine – Vine is a relatively new video sharing platform. Each video is 6 seconds long, and plays in a continuous loop. Often they are used to share a short joke, or a series of pictures.
Much like Instagram, its value within the real estate business is still up in the air. The most important thing to remember about Vine is that it’s an up-and-coming platform for younger users—those that will become your potential clients in the future. By keeping an eye on these sites, you’ll be better tuned into their priorities down the road.
After deciding which social media platforms to have accounts on, what’s next? You need to set up your accounts so that people are able to find and connect with you.
After your pages are set up there’s one final step: track engagement and make sure these sites are working well within your overall business strategy. This is where analytics comes in. There are many sites that allow you to track the number of users clicking on your content, visiting your site and commenting on your articles. By tracking this information, you’ll be able to see what types of posts your audience responds best to, and continue to grow your business.
Visit HSA’s Social Media Resource Center for access to training videos and webinars that will walk you through how to set up an effective presence on the top social networks. HSA also provides FREE training and workshops to help you set up your social media pages. Contact your local HSA sales representative to find out how you can schedule a training workshop for your office.
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