7 Social Media Pitfalls to Avoid

Social media can be one of the most effective and cost-effective tools to expand your sphere of influence, show your expertise and build a reputation. But making mistakes could lead to a reputation that you don’t want. To get the most out of social media for your real estate business, avoid these seven common pitfalls.

1. Friend My Business – Using a personal Facebook page instead of a professional page instantly puts up barriers and shows you aren’t social savvy. Potential clients should not have to send or accept a friend request to view your content. You also subject them to your thoughts on The Bachelor, videos of your kitten and pictures of your grandkids, which sends the message that you aren’t serious about your business. Instead create a business page that focuses on your professional side, and invite friends, clients and prospects to like it.
2. Have You Seen My New Listing? – Or this new listing? Or this one? Pages quickly get boring if all you do is post about listings. Yes, social media is a great place to show them off. But make sure that’s only part of your overall content plan and not your only content plan.
3. Let’s Talk Politics – No, let’s don’t. Agents who discuss (or worse, rant) about a politician, party or political issue not only risk alienating a large percentage of prospects, but they look unprofessional. So leave the politics out on your business page, and it’s best to do the same on your personal page. If you are serious about using social media to grow your business, then it’s best to avoid talking about anything that’s really controversial or polarizing.
4. Negativity Town – Never post anything negative or critical against your brokerage or competitor. It looks unprofessional and will not win you any friends. The same goes for complaining about your town, the awful traffic, the school system, etc. You want people to want to move there, so why highlight the things that drive you crazy?
5. Old Page Better Than No Page? – Nope. Having an old profile that hasn’t been updated or posted to for months or even years sends the message that you’re out of touch, or worse, out of business. It’s best to delete the account and start over, then make sure to post at least 3-4 times a week.
6. Mr. Roboto – Social media is all about engaging with real humans, so be one. Don’t automate your posts from another social media profile, a vendor or the MLS. You’ll look like a robot, and what’s appropriate for one social platform may not be as effective on another.
7. Respect Privacy – You would never feature a picture of a client or their family in an ad without their permission, so don’t do it on social media. Respect their privacy by asking for permission to use that photo of them with the SOLD sign and get it in writing before posting.

If you follow these rules, you’re on your way to an engaging social media presence that will help you grow your business, stay top of mind with your sphere and build a stellar professional reputation.

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