Issue #25 | 1.8.2013 | 256,568 members

2014 Social Media Marketing Trends for Agents

In 2013, real estate agents, homebuyers and sellers gravitated towards social media in a big way. By the end of the year, 1 million agents had a presence on Facebook, as did tens of millions of consumers interested in buying or selling real estate.

For agents, the shift to social media occurred because of its prime location for networking and referrals. Additionally, social marketing tools began to meet or exceed the effectiveness and ROI of traditional website marketing.

What’s ahead for 2014? Today we look at 4 top trends agents should watch for this year.

1. Great content will dominate the social media landscape.
In 2014, users who publish excellent content to their social sites are expected to see a viral boost. Facebook is reducing the visibility of “memes” and chain-letter type posts, so that relevant stories and images will be seen more. To increase your personal brand’s visibility, make sure you’re publishing top-notch content relevant to your audience.

2. More people will use paid services on social media to gain exposure and clients.
Across social networks, there will be increased use of paid media to gain exposure and new clients. As more agents grasp social media, more competition will arise. Agents can stay ahead of their competition on social sites by maintaining a strong social presence, keeping their users engaged, and driving traffic to their pages. Facebook real estate ads and social sweepstakes are good bets for increasing your likes (and likely clients).

The great news? Many paid social media services are very inexpensive, do not require contracts, and can help you gain a lot of new fans.

3. Short-form videos will become more prominent.

Short-form videos from Twitter (Vine) and Instagram were introduced in 2013. These 6- and 15-second videos are easy to create and share. Increased adoption of these video platforms will be seen in 2014. Agents can take several short property tour videos and post room-by-room clips; create property 'teaser' videos, link to full video clips, plus post brand messaging.

4. Measurement tools will be used more often.

Tools that provide metrics (such as Facebook's Insights) will be used more frequently than in previous years. Measurement tools keep track of user activity on brand's social pages, and can help page owners gauge the success of their content and campaigns. By examining this data more often, agents will be able to take action to improve the effectiveness of their social media efforts.

2014 is staged to be an exciting year for agents on social media. By embracing this year's trends, you can stay at the top of your social media game and grow your real estate business more than ever.