Social media strategies for newbie (almost) agent

[Kelly Choate]

Hi everyone,

So, I am almost a real estate agent. Just have to take the exam. In the meantime, what steps should I be taking or investigating regarding a social media presence?

I have personal Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, (and now on Bigger Pockets). Do I start business-related accounts with those? Some probably are better than others...should I start a blog? Do I start looking at a website?

There is no doubt in my mind that social media is an important tool to have in my arsenal. I am just not sure of how best to proceed at this point. Thanks for your feedback!

[Trevor Ewen]

@Kelly Choate

I would be very careful to focus your efforts towards something that you are actually giving time to (and want to be good at). I think the social-media blast route just floods people with low-quality content and does nothing to improve your trust with your ideal audience (eventual customers). Also, this view is very consistent with 'The One Thing' by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. Focusing on your specific objective will provide more value for you and anyone involved.

For me, it's longer form analysis. A little bit of Youtube, but only as a companion to my blog. I use other channels (Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook) to broadcast, but spend only 20 minutes at most doing that. Buffer is a very great tool for this. Keeps your mind in the game and focuses you on projecting, not getting distracted reading.

I would survey the market a bit and find a kind of content that is very uncommon for realtors to produce. If you can fill the niche, you won't be part of the noise. Examples:

Very Common (I assume):

- Open house walkthroughs
- Articles on buying in your area
- Articles on 'great prices', 'low interest rates', etc.

A Little Less Common (in my estimation):

- A video explanation of how realtor commissions work in your market (education!).
- A video explanation of houses you would pass on, and why.
- Long-form articles about great things you see happening in the community (real journalism). 
- There's definitely more.