One of the most common questions I get from realtors is about whether someone should prioritize email marketing or social media marketing
(spoiler alert)
The answer is usually both.
Email is a great tool for keeping you in touch with people you already know, and social media can be good for building awareness and growing your online reputation.
Email Marketing
You’re probably doing your best business with people you already know, which is why it makes sense to spend time and money nurturing those relationships, and that’s where email marketing comes in.
When you send an email, you know who the message is going to, who opened the email and what links they clicked on. It’s a great reminder to past clients about who you are and what you do.
If you include a specific call to action in your introduction, you can prompt your clients help you with your lead generation, but it does take a more specific ask than telling people you love referrals.
Some samples include:
Do you know someone who’s thinking about downsizing? Forward this email to them, I’d love to help.
Do you know a family who’s outgrown their current home?
Do you know someone who’s thinking about buying their first place but doesn’t know where to start?
The more specific you can get, the better your results will be.
Social Media
On Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, you begin by posting content that’s seen by people you’re already connected to. You build awareness by having those people comment and like your posts. On some channels, when one of your followers interacts with a post, that action will be seen by people they know.
The best thing a follower can do is share one of your posts – now your content is being shown to potentially hundreds of people who aren’t already connected to you.
Social media also does something that email does not: help you build your online reputation. We know when somebody is referred to you, whether it’s through an ad or a past client, they are going to look you up online.
When that person Googles you, one of the first things they’re going to see is your social media. They’re going to check out your Facebook page, they’re going to peruse your LinkedIn, they’re going to scroll through your Instagram. Having an active, engaged presence on social media goes a long way towards building an online reputation and showing a potential client who you are and why they should work with you.
Ultimately, you really need to be using both email and social media, but you have to make sure they are working together for you. Here are three things you can start doing today:
Include your social media links and an email signup link in your email signature and your website.
If you already have these, your homework is to test them to make sure they work
The next time you send out a newsletter, make sure you include links to your social media channels in your newsletter, then
Post that email on your social media
If you have any questions about how to get email and social media marketing working for you, please get in touch! And, if you know a realtor who’s struggling to keep up with their online marketing, please send them our way, we’d love to help.