For real estate agents, marketing online through social media platforms has opened a world of opportunities. But doing it right takes know-how and a holistic understanding of these platforms and their elusive algorithms. In this edition of the Industry Eye, Fatema Ali, Social Media Lead at Haus & Haus Real Estate, takes us on a social media deep dive, answering the most frequently asked questions on how to make a mark online as a real estate professional.
Social media beyond connections
As in most industries, social media has completely changed the game when it comes to exposure. Your social media profile, regardless of the platform, serves as an ideal landing page for potential clients to gather essential information before engaging with you.
By optimising your profile effectively, you can create a powerful gateway to build familiarity with prospects and demonstrate your authenticity. Additionally, optimising keywords and technical elements, such as your LinkedIn URL, helps nudge the algorithm to broaden your reach.
Thanks to social media, real estate professionals now have access to:
- Expanded reach and visibility
- Targeted advertising
- Interactive communication (you’ve never wanted your DMs to be fuller!)
- Visual appeal and virtual tours: Your phone’s camera is your client’s first glimpse of their potential dream property or the site of their first off-plan purchase. Use it to your advantage
- Lead generation: As you start putting effort and consistency into your social media game, it can be the perfect extra lead generation tool
Types of content
We know that platforms favour short-form video content (reels, TikTok and YouTube shorts) – so much so that even LinkedIn now has its own reel feed. While this is the most guaranteed way to please the algorithm, there is still room for success with impactful static images and carousels.
Take the time to discover the type of content you are most comfortable producing, think about how quickly it can deliver the information you want to put out there and add a little flare to it with your personal style.
Tip: Take an hour or two on a Sunday to plan your content for the week; experiment with how well your different content types perform and the platform will reward you.
Personal branding and building an authentic online presence
Before you pull out the podcast mic and throw on the massive subtitles, I have news – there are other ways to be on social media (I know, *gasp*!).
Adding a personal touch to your social media content is essential, as people prefer connecting with individuals over brands. In fact, statistics show that content shared by individuals is 2.4 times more likely to be viewed as authentic than content shared by brands*.
Consider these questions to shape your personal brand online:
- What is my unique selling proposition (USP)? Identify what makes you the ideal choice for potential clients.
- What are my core values? Aligning your values with your content strategy builds trust and deeper client connections. These could be integrity, professionalism, and reliability in everything you do.
- Who is my target audience? Understanding whether you’re connecting with first-time buyers, new residents, or HNWIs will guide your messaging and tone.
- How do I want clients to feel after interacting with me? Consider the visual elements representing your brand, such as colours and imagery that convey luxury or trustworthiness.
Once you have clarity on your persona, ensure it reflects in every piece of content you create across all platforms.
Targeting your audience
Again, this comes down to how well you’ve defined your audience and how that will feed your content strategy. But when it comes to tactful ways to reach your target audience:
Leverage Targeted Ads: Use platforms like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for precise targeting based on location, interests, income and behaviour. This is vital for reaching high-net-worth individuals or investors. Utilise geo-targeting to connect with people in key neighbourhoods and interest-based targeting for those engaging with property content.
Spam!: Okay, not really. This point here is about engaging with the right pages and individuals. Whether you’re the king of Emaar Beachfront or the Dubai Hills Queen, leverage your speciality. Follow local malls or eateries, comment on their posts, and engage with local news outlets. Geo-tag every post and story, use relevant hashtags and tag local brands for potential resharing.
For off-plan experts, interact with developer pages and comment on new launch posts. Property portals’ pages also offer opportunities to engage with key audiences. It’s a long game, but gaining exposure is invaluable. Consistency is key.
Using Video and Storytelling to Connect Emotionally
Use video to provide virtual property tours, showcase community highlights, or offer behind-the-scenes insights into your work as an agent. Instead of just listing a luxury villa’s amenities, share a story about a family transforming their lifestyle due to the location and design. Highlight stunning views and entertaining spaces to help clients envision their future. This personal touch creates a strong emotional connection, encouraging prospects to return to your profile.
Best practices for interacting with followers:
- Don’t sleep on it: respond to all comments and messages promptly
- Encourage engagement on your posts, such as by ending every caption with a question for people to answer and a call to action.
- Be friendly and approachable in your content. Use an appropriate tone when responding, even when it’s the odd negative comment
- Provide value: Quality over quantity, always! Avoid vague and vain comments and interactions and focus on adding value. For example, instead of commenting ‘congrats mate!’ on your colleague’s SOLD post, you might be better off saying ‘Wow, Type 2Es are the most highly demanded in DHE for a reason. Congratulations!’. This is not to say be opportunistic and tacky, but rather an example of how you should show off your expertise and industry knowledge, provide perspective or even use humour whenever the chance presents itself.
- Direct messages: While an unsolicited DM from the local real estate agent is not always welcome, if someone leaves a detailed comment or expresses serious interest, invite them to discuss their needs further in a private message. This shows a willingness to dedicate time and attention to their specific inquiry.
Metrics and KPIs for social media
If you’re just starting out, focus on gaining followers and populating your page with content. Set a milestone for your follower count and ask everyone – colleagues, family, and even the barista – to follow you. Once you have a solid base, shift your focus to engagement: track your content’s performance to see what gets the most likes and comments and create more of that content to grow your follower base.
As you become a micro-influencer, congratulations! Your exposure is greater than many in real estate but stay focused on your main goal. Track progress by the number of DMs or comments expressing interest.
Get the latest tips for Real Estate Success
For paid ads, you decide the objectives like link clicks or follows, but I recommend using these when your account is already established so first-time visitors can see you mean business.
Common challenges online
“Please sir, may I have some more…time?”
You’re too busy.
Endless viewings and project launches make it hard to build a social media presence. The key is to integrate social media into your daily activities.
At a launch, record a walkthrough video introducing the project or share the top 3 reasons it’s a must-see in Dubai Creek Harbour. During a viewing, create a virtual tour of a cosy studio apartment in The Greens. Found a new café? Post about it! As mentioned above, spending just 2 hours on the weekend to plan your content can unlock significant opportunities once you stay consistent.
Dealing with negative sentiment and building trust and authenticity.
Let’s face it, the real estate industry faces significant challenges regarding public perception – especially in an oversaturated market like Dubai. This highlights the importance of personal branding; people need to connect with your character, as project renders won’t suffice.
Respond to negative comments professionally and promptly – acknowledge the issue, offer a solution, and invite further discussion privately. Avoid deleting negative comments unless they are abusive; instead, use them to demonstrate your commitment to resolving conflicts and customer service.
Creating meaningful connections online that lead to leads.
Tackle this by focusing on creating content that speaks directly to your audience’s needs and problems. Offer valuable information, such as tips for first-time homebuyers, local market insights, or investment opportunities in Dubai. Include clear calls to action in your posts to guide people toward contacting you.
Tips for new agents on social media
Social media only works if you do. There’s no doubt your potential clients are out there, phone in hand and active on social media. While reaching them and establishing a meaningful connection may seem challenging, it doesn’t have to be. Building these relationships is a long-term effort and the best approach is to start now and dedicate significant attention to it.
ChatGPT can either be your friend or your enemy. Avoid copying and pasting material from AI – your bullet points and the excessive use of emojis are not fooling anyone and it’s a sure-fire way to make viewers lose trust if they sense your post was written by a machine.
But ChatGPT is a great resource if you can ask the right questions and refine the answers you get to make them sound human. It’s also an amazing resource when it comes to generating content ideas and topics to discuss – For example., “Tell me the top 10 fears people experience when buying their first property”. Voila.
Focus your efforts on building an authentic profile that shows equal parts your industry knowledge, the listings and projects you have access to, what you can teach about winning in real estate and why someone should work with you.
*(Stackla Consumer Content Report, 2022).
About Fatema Ali
Fatema Ali is the social media lead at Haus & Haus Real Estate. Her strong understanding of social media and building a personal brand online has made her an integral part of the Haus and Haus team.
About Haus & Haus Real Estate
Haus & Haus Real Estate is one of Dubai’s trusted real estate brokerages, holding an established record of deliverance and achievements. They provide services in sales, leasing, property management, commercial and investment properties.
The Haus and Haus team of RERA-certified brokers ensures the best price and quality for their clients. They keep professionalism and transparency in the forefront of the services they provide, creating a memorable property journey for their clientele.