We know just how important social media marketing can be for various business models, but what about the real estate agency? Traditionally, a Realtor has been a marketing strategy extraordinaire, with the uncanny ability to empathize with potential clients and work together to find them the perfect home. But how does that translate into a time when everyone checks the web before buying so much as a screwdriver; when people can learn everything there is to know about a property at the touch of a button? Social media marketing is the bridge between brick-and-mortar agencies and their internet-savvy leads, and it’s heavily underutilized, or misused, by real estate professionals.

Many Realtors are simply not used to doing their marketing online.

Real estate has always been a print and personal industry. From classified ads to billboards, it was printed media that drew in leads (with the help of some well-timed television and radio advertisements). But now, many people listen to ad-free Pandora and YouTube Red (or just their personal collection of mp3 files) instead of tuning in to the radio. They have smart TVs, with digital recorders or streaming services that all promise one golden rule: No commercials!

They get their news from Facebook and Buzzfeed and Twitter, and they want to see the people they’re working with and know them before ever meeting them in person; it’s a scary world, after all. These are the people – namely Millennials and some of Generation X – that you are missing by not leveraging digital tools for your business. The Digital Age is their home; it is what they have always known. If you shy away from it, you will never be able to reach them. Newspaper is for comics and cleaning up, not buying or selling a home.

Quality content is just as important as frequency.

Some of the real estate agents who have bravely made the jump into the digital marketplace aren’t seeing the results they were expecting. They follow all the advice, posting feverishly and with photos, but they just aren’t seeing the engagement they want. In fact, the Real Estate industry led all other industries in both post frequency and multimedia (images and video) posting in 2013, but it also saw the lowest engagement levels. Why?

Because when it comes to social media marketing, there is an important ratio that needs to be followed: the 80/20 rule. Four posts out of five should be interesting and informative. They should establish you as a local guru, build rapport, or just plain catch the eye of those in your feed. Only that last post should be about you, your business, your sales or your listings. Social media marketing is meant to create trust and breed familiarity, as well as to give you a new way to keep in touch with your clients. It loses its power if it’s only used to list properties.

In this age of technology, online marketing is no longer optional for business success; it’s an absolute necessity. The shift from brick-and-mortar buying to online research and shopping around has left a lot of Realtors behind the times, with their leads drying up and their sales dwindling. If this sounds familiar, social media marketing could be exactly what you’re missing. It can be intimidating, and very difficult to manage it all on your own, especially if your marketing strategy has always been oriented to in-person and in-print techniques that were once the bread and butter of the industry. Little Egg Solutions is here to help you make the all-important shift into the Digital Realm.