Real estate has always been, and will continue to be, an industry centered on relationships. As such, real estate professionals are poised to exploit social media to further build relationships and their engagement of sphere of influence. However, many agents use Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Instagram, and the other social media sites merely as platforms of ‘marketing’ – and by that it’s merely spouting listings without any real value to the audience.

Here are a few tips based on observations of social media successes and failures:

1. Be REAL. Don’t just talk about your latest and greatest listings – that’s a surefire way to get your audience to tune you out. Show your personality, relate to people, and be genuine. Be the real you, for better or for worse (hopefully for the better), and customers will respond accordingly.
2. Be THE expert. Narrow down to a manageable/scalable niche and then become the expert. Don’t try to be a master of all trades and pretend to know an entire market. Instead, show expert-level information and knowledge of your target markets and the result will be more qualified leads. For example, instead of emphasizing ‘Boston real estate’ (a competitive market in and of itself), focus on ‘Backbay condos‘ (a very specific subset thereof).
3. Be social. Far too many users out there are merely trying to ‘shout’ their message without listening. Social media is a two-way flow of communication, not an advertisement platform. Engage prospective clients by responding to comments, asking questions, providing insightful information that solve their problems, and (most importantly) listening.
4. Be thankful. No one is obligated to ‘Like’ your Facebook page, + your Google+ profile, or follow you on Twitter. Sending a small ‘thank you for…’ note can go a long way towards establishing a rapport. Let people know that you are a real person who will promptly answer any questions. Automated responses are a thing of the past; taking a small amount of time to send a well-written personalized note will pay huge dividends.

The social media landscape continues to evolve quickly and with the above tips as a guideline, it is easy to establish a strong, engaging social media presence. In order to have a successful, lead-generating, social profile: Be Social, Be Yourself.