Social media is an online phenomenon that has taken the world by storm, but how has it affected the property industry? And how are property agents utilising this powerful tool?
Many people have a narrow view of what social media incorporates, yes it predominantly includes the likes of Facebook and Twitter, but it is also a theoretical umbrella covering many aspects and contact points of the online world. Social media is really a method that allows a community to share and exchange content on a ‘social’ basis, with 1 in 5 people in the world owning a smart phone, social media is a relatively cheap way to contact people in a natural environment.
Social media for property agents is all about increasing the visibility of a company and becoming a more recognised name and brand. Many agents have chosen to use this media platform as a method of broadcasting relevant information to their followers, and more importantly, putting their products were the market’s eyes are. At present the need for human contact, for example in the sale of a property, is still desired, many agents are therefore using social media platforms to gain prospective clients’ trust, from this they then move the client offline to close the deal.
Whilst many still believe that social media is just an extra customer service station, it really is much more, it is a proactive way of generating communication and engaging with a community. By crowd sourcing, agents can create a base to communicate with their customer group, feeding them information about the property market / industry.
This method of marketing can also give a company personality. Through networking, agents can build and maintain a personal brand and then measure their online status by the number of likes / followers / friends / blog readers they may have. The more a business contributes, the more they become a recognised name and image.
Many property agents have realised that social media is a great way to target niche groups and achieve a personal connection with clients. And what’s even better is that this marketing method does provide results, many agents have seen an increase in web traffic, their brand personalised, and relationships between customers built.
Entering this social media world can be daunting for first time users, but social media is starting to become a key component in many companies marketing mix. At present 93% of marketers use social media for business. By building a circle of influence, agents have the potential to get ahead of competition; soon all agents will have jumped on the bandwagon and really embraced and utilised this powerful marketing tool.