Where is Social Media Heading in 2023?

brilliant talks real estate agent social media 2023 Nov 29, 2022

Welcome back to Brilliant Talks, our free weekly coaching program for real estate agents. Let’s talk about social media!

According to the 2023 spend forecast, companies are investing most of their money and resources on social media and Google marketing, because that is where most people go. Social media has become an integral part of our everyday lives, and it is a massive opportunity we don’t want to miss out on for our business.

Yes, it is true that the market has shifted and fewer people are buying real estate now. But we still see a lot of people going online and starting their home search there. Social media gives us plenty of opportunities to build relationships and connect with our audience, whether through Google, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, or LinkedIn.

That is why I always encourage fellow agents to double down on their social media marketing. In this day and age, Google PPC and social media should be part of your prospecting efforts, alongside the traditional door-knocking, cold calling, and open houses.

So, what does it look like for us when it comes to building out an online strategy that makes sense for our business?

Video marketing. We still see videos dominating on all platforms. Elon Musk even announced in his recent presentation on what’s next for Twitter that one of those was more video. 

YouTube and LinkedIn favor longer form videos, but there are tons of opportunities for short videos as well, such as YouTube shorts, Facebook and Instagram reels, and TikTok.

Utilizing geo-tagging on TikTok particularly helps real estate agents get in front of audiences looking for homes in those local areas. Furthermore, TikTok is used as a search engine by younger audiences, as we discussed in our previous session.

Here’s what’s next for social media: The year 2023 will be a year built on consumer trust. It always has been the case, but there is an increasing demand for privacy, security, and authenticity. For real estate, it is mostly about consistency

 

Consistency is key

I was reading a book called “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big” by Scott Adams, and there is a quote that really stuck with me.

“In our messy, flawed lives, the nearest we can get to truth is CONSISTENCY.”

It applies in business and to social media as well. This is how we were able to build an audience on social media and have the largest community of real estate agents on Facebook.

If you want to know how to build trust, grow your business, and appear to people that you are the voice in your state or area or specific industry, start by showing up. Be consistent.

The quote tells us that if something continually happens, it almost becomes true. Consistency also lets people know they can rely on you—it is what separates the ordinary from the excellent and is what makes you a “professional”.

 

Show them you care

We also build trust by paying attention to our audience. To make them feel like we actually care about them. That means becoming better listeners and actively engaging with them. We need to invest time and attention in others if we want them to invest their time and attention in us.

It involves creating content with great value—that helps them, inspires them, educates them, or entertains them. Remember the three F’s: Facts, Feelings and Fun. To know what they want and need, we have to become better social listeners.

But it isn’t enough to just give out content. It is also about going into their feed and taking the time to LCM (like, comment, and message).

Trust and connection are two-way streets. You want to make sure your audience knows you are available and within reach of them, and that if they reach out to you and offer support to you, you’ll respond.

 

Listen to the data

It is also important to dive into your analytics. I talked to Derral Eves, one of the biggest names on YouTube, recently, and he reminded me of the importance of analytics.

The way your audience behaves and interacts with your content, whether on your website or in your profiles, says a lot about them. The analytics will help you get a bird's-eye view of what your audience is trying to tell you based on their behavior on your social media.

When you understand how to interpret analytics, it can greatly assist you in evolving and growing. It informs you what changes need to be implemented in your content strategy, format, engagement strategy, and business.

 

Be human

People want to know that you are an actual human, not just a bot automatically sending them pre-designed messages (which are basically spam). You, too, are a consumer; you were a consumer before you became an entrepreneur. You know the feeling of wariness and annoyance when bots send you messages.

When people show up to root for you, your content, and your business, they want to know it is you they are showing up for. So, be as authentic as possible, and just be human.

Watch the video replay of our coaching session to follow along. I showed the white paper my team put together for me on there. We do this weekly, on Tuesdays, and you are welcome to sign up. And if you missed our previous sessions, you can check them out here.

 

Conclusion

Social media is just like the other prospecting arms of your business. The key is to figure out what makes sense for you and your business and how you can make it uniquely yours. We all do door-knocking, cold calling, and open houses in the same way, but we each add our own styles and twists to make them more effective.

If you need help with building or growing your social media outlets and how to effectively utilize them for your business, we also do one-on-one and group coaching, so feel free to reach out to me. You can also leave me a message if you want a copy of our “Your Social Media Strategy for 2023” white paper and our December 2022 social media calendar.