At first, you were excited about social media but your page still only has a few likes. Your small audience combined with a lack of response to the first few posts you made knocked the wind out of your sails.
It’s totally understandable. Most real estate professionals don’t have the time or even the inclination to be a social media guru. But don’t give up. Even if you don’t have more than a few minutes to spare, Facebook can still be extremely valuable. You just need to change strategy.
It’s time to stop posting about listings and real estate news and start posting about the local events and community news that your followers care about.
Developing original, creative and engaging posts can be difficult and time consuming, and while sharing news about changes in mortgage rates and national real estate trends is easier, it isn’t engaging to your followers.
Research from National Public Radio (NPR), when combined with insights from Lumentus Social users, shows that sharing local news is valued and leads to engagement.
For Lumentus Social clients, local news outperforms all other categories by 36 percent. In addition, posting local news differentiates you from other agents by showing that you are active and engaged with your larger community. Finally, posting local provides your network valuable information that they are interested in 365 days a year: not just when they are buying and selling a home.
NPR has taken our research even further by describing the types of local stories that are the most engaging. The station has developed a great infographic on 9 Types of Local Stories that Cause Engagement. Nine types of stories seems like a lot for us to remember, so we picked the top 3 types relevant to real estate professionals.
If you are about to post, ask yourself if it fits any of the following categories:
- Place Explainer: These articles seek to highlight and define what it is about your local community that is quirky, weird, funny or just different.
- Feel-Good Smilers: These are stories that are either happy or funny. For inspiration, think about a local news story about the arrival of a baby giraffe to the nearby zoo or a post celebrating the success of a local charity event.
- Awe-Inspiring Images: Great images get great engagement. The best images to multiply your social media efforts are ones that are well-shot and local to your community.
Posting about local news and information, while not effortless, is easy. Posting local allows you to focus on a very specific strategy for your social media. Your local community is also a source of constant news and information that your followers will genuinely care about, making you a resource both online or offline.
What are you waiting for? Adjust your strategy for just one month and we guarantee your social media engagement will improve.
Happy posting!
For more information, visit LumentusSocial.com.
