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When it comes to trying to reach a large group of people with minimal effort, there are few better ways of doing so than through social media. In the UK alone, around 39 million people actively use some form of social media. Businesses flock to social media in their droves as it provides a platform for the immediate awareness of a brand or service.
The same can be said for letting agents. Some of the social media benefits for letting agents include:
Social media for letting agents can be an additional source of sales and leads, along with being amazing for building awareness and engaging with potential tenants. We’ve looked at the most popular social media platforms out there, the uses of each, and some additional tips for getting the most from social media.
Before getting stuck into social media, it’s crucial to consider which social channels will be the best use of your time (you don’t necessarily need to be on all of them). Put simply, certain social media platforms lend themselves to certain content types better than others. Moreover, different people tend to gravitate towards different social media sites. For example, 60% of 52-71 year olds use Facebook, while the majority of Instagram users are aged 18-34.
Its huge user base (around 2 billion daily active users) and a range of advertising options make Facebook an appealing choice for just about all business types. Its paid advertising program allows you to work towards several different goals, including lead generation (directly advertising rental properties), brand awareness, or additional website traffic. Because Facebook’s average user age is slightly higher, it may be better suited to residential or higher price-point properties.
Given that it’s owned by Facebook, the same paid advertising benefits apply to Instagram. As an image-sharing app, it’s hardly surprising that Instagram is a popular social media choice for letting agents. Thanks to Instagram’s visual posting options, there are few better ways of highlighting amazing properties which are available to rent. These options include long-form videos, shorter snippets (using Reels), and posts to highlight properties across multiple pictures.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKe2pd8rNG3/
Because of the way that Twitter’s real-time feed operates, it’s a great social media option for letting agents. However, for that same reason, you shouldn’t expect many direct leads. Twitter is best taken advantage of when posting regularly and using relevant hashtags so landlords and tenants can find your posts. Twitter is something of a knowledge source for many, so don’t be afraid to share anything you come across which is interesting and relevant.
LinkedIn is a little different from some of the other social media options in this list. Its heavy business focus makes it an ideal option when looking to engage with landlords or property developers, as opposed to prospective renters. Though you shouldn’t post links to properties or deals (it isn’t that kind of site), you definitely should share thoughts and articles which will help position you as an industry expert.
The obvious benefit of YouTube is the plethora of visual content that can be uploaded onto it. While this content type does require more effort and manpower, videos are pretty well suited to the rental industry. Video types could include interviews, overviews of local areas, property listings, or Q&As.
TikTok is similar to YouTube in the sense that it also revolves around video content. Where it differs is that these videos tend to be very short and snappy. This is in line with TikTok’s main user base – 50% of registered users are aged between 18 and 34 – the perfect renter age group. This, coupled with billions of users worldwide and the fact that young people are the most prolific property renters make TikTok an incredibly appealing prospect. TikTok can be used for letting agents by creating snapshot tours of homes, highlighting the most appealing parts in the process. As a relatively new platform, TikTok’s algorithm tends to be far more rewarding when it comes to organic virality, as opposed to Facebook-owned platforms which have made this famously difficult through paid advertising.
When it comes to social media for letting agents, try and present yourself and your properties in numerous, interesting ways. Experts actually say that just 20% of your social posts should be of homes to rent. Other types of content worth publishing could be tips and advice when it comes to renting, or infographics relating to the industry. What’s most important is establishing yourself as a trusted letting agent amongst as many people as possible, as opposed to just constantly trying to advertise more and more properties.
It’s important to avoid a slurry of monotonous posts with little chance of meaningful engagement. After all, this type of social media content will end up representing wasted time and opportunities. Because social media is best taken advantage of when a personal touch is added, your brand’s voice should pour through the screen.
Some ideas include a tone of voice that speaks directly to the customers, staff/customer exposes and sharing related articles that your customer base may find interesting. There’s no perfect formula to this. When unsure, check out what the very best brands are doing and learn from example (without copying of course)!
Being personal also extends to any customers/potential customers who interact with you through social media. Ensure that your accounts are being monitored and any queries are quickly responded to in a helpful manner. Especially where complaints are concerned, social media is no different in the sense that these issues need resolving head-on.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVQ0M66AePk/
Daily posts on social media don’t actually require you to use the various platforms on a daily basis. Rather, the more efficient posting method is to schedule multiple posts in advance. This can either be done directly from a social media site, or through a specialist tool like Hootsuite or Buffer. In our opinion, the best course of social media action for letting agents is to plan well ahead of time, yet still allow yourself the opportunity to make responsive posts to news and hot topics when required.
Thankfully, all social media platforms provide some level of access to basic analytics. These figures can include the number of followers, views, shares and likes that your pages/posts are receiving. Though not perfect, this data can provide a solid starting point to tracking your social media performance.
If time permits, using a tool such as Google Analytics can be an excellent way of measuring how many of these social media posts are actually converting to eyeballs on your website. The best way to master social media for letting agents is by finding out what works, sticking with it, and changing what doesn’t!
Social media offers some kind of benefit across just about every industry – including property and lettings. When done right, the positive impact on brand awareness and the additional leads that can be generated make social media a truly invaluable resource. Irrespective of resources/time that can be dedicated to social media, we strongly recommend placing a degree of focus on it.
Resooma is on a mission to add trust and transparency to the lettings market and can help agents and landlords get more qualified leads and better tenants. Find out more and request a callback to find out about listing with Resooma.
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