Social media marketing for real estate agents - Have you considered going live?

At the recent Social Media Marketing World event in San Diego, United States it was revealed that one of the top emerging trends in social media marketing is leveraging live streaming as a tool for your business. But as a real estate agent how do you do this and does it even matter?


According to We Are Social, Facebook generates 8 billion daily video views, this is a massive 700% increase from just 3 years ago and people are three times more inclined to watch a live video than a prerecorded video.

Clearly, video matters and live videos matter, even more, even Facebook acknowledges this as they adjusted their algorithm so that live videos are more likely to appear higher in news feeds than those that are not. Another staggering statistic is that video posts on Facebook have a 135% greater organic reach than photos. This is quite something in a world where organic reach is becoming something of the past.

But how do you as a real estate agent use live video to your advantage? The easiest way to do so is by educating your viewers.

You are in the trenches on a daily basis and understand the wants and needs of your clients the best - they are often overwhelmed by the buying/selling process, or don’t understand their legal rights as a tenant. Why not host a live event where you address these issues and allow for your viewers to ask questions about the property market or industry?

This is an invaluable platform to encourage two-way conversations, opening the door for you to create brand advocates.

If you are ready to host a live session there are a few things to remember to ensure you get the most out of your live video:

  • Test your connection - Make sure your connection is strong and stable enough that it won’t drop out midway through the video. Facebook’s “Go Live” button will be grayed out if the signal is not strong enough to support it.
  • Use customer-centric titles - A headline that clearly states the topic by answering the “why should I watch this?” question will encourage people to watch your live stream. Consider something like “Tenants and Landlords - Understanding your rights” for example.
  • Promote your live stream - Let your audience know when you’re going live to encourage participation. Best-selling author Kim Garst says that in order to ensure success, “Have a set time, schedule your event, shout it from the mountain, and use teasers to give a sneak peek.”
  • Sound matters - A small detail that can make a huge difference. Background noise can really make or break a live video. There are now several inexpensive microphones you can get that will provide targeted sound amplification.
  • Plan for audience participation - To increase engagement, set aside time during your broadcast to ask questions and encourage audience participation. Also, have a strategy in place to capture questions from audience members. Questions can come in quickly, and if you’re mid-thought, you may not catch them. Ask a team member to monitor your stream to catch any questions you may miss.
  • Repurpose - Extract more value from your live videos by repurposing them. Create short clips, image quotes, and blog posts that you can post on your Flex responsive website. The options are endless.


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