In real estate, an active online presence is essential. Especially when 92% of all home buyers use the internet to find their home, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Maintaining an active presence online can seem daunting, but with the right blend of automation and manual focus, much can be accomplished. This is where various social media automation tools come in handy; tools like Hootsuite, SproutSocial, Hubspot, and more. Be weary – there are times that social media automation should not be used. Below are the do’s and don’ts of social media automation in real estate.

Don’t:

Don’t post too much.

Quality over quantity is still a valid sentiment when using social media. Don’t become an annoyance to your customers by posting too often. Testing is key. Test to determine the best times to post and the ideal number of posts. Platforms like Facebook offer excellent page insights so you can view what time your followers are active online and schedule around that. And don’t forget weekends!

Don’t automate post responses.

When someone takes the time to ask a question or replies to one of your posts, it is important that you take the time to respond to their action. Most of the time these questions and comments are going to be highly specific; for example a homebuyer wants to know how much property taxes are or how old the roof is. These are customer service questions and customer service should not be automated. Real estate at its core is a personable industry and this should be maintained online.

Do:

Automate posts in your pipeline.

Automation thrives when you have a content calendar and plan for what posts are going up and when. Take one day during the week and schedule your post automation. If you know a house is going to be listed on Monday, schedule the content releases on Monday for the following weeks.

Be relevant.

Social media automation is tricky. Don’t fall into the trap of setting up triggered responses and never revising them. Automation schemes need weekly and sometimes even daily upkeep. This means anything from adding a trending hashtag to incorporating current events into your latest post. Listings fluctuate so if you’re using social media automation to highlight certain homes, make sure your posts reflect these fluctuations.

Mix up the type of content.

Text updates get overused. The type of content you use should change day to day and week to week. Content types like videos, memes, quotes, blog posts, etc. will keep your users interested. In real estate this is even easier; most of the content already exists in the form of listing videos and photographs.

Be timely.

Social media can be used to generate and nurture leads, especially when paired with social media advertising. This means if someone contacts you, it’s important to respond as soon as possible; sales can be won and lost in minutes.

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