5 steps to a fighting fit social media presence for your property firm
Are you looking to start using social media to promote your property firm but you don’t know where to start?
Social media can be overwhelming, especially when you are starting from scratch. However, it’s also a brilliant tool to help raise awareness and get your message out to the masses.
Social media is all about having a planned approach and making sure that you use social media appropriately for your property firm, chartered surveyors firm or architectural practice. Not all channels will work and more importantly, you don’t have to be on EVERY channel! Think about your target audience and understand which channels they use.
So what do you need to start thinking about when you take the leap into the wonderful world of social media? Here’s some advice to help you along the way.
What are you trying to achieve with social media?
The first thing is what are my objectives for starting up a social media profile? Is it brand awareness for your architectural practice, is it engagement with your existing customers or are you trying to attract new ones? Have a clear goal in mind. Also, remember that social media should never be used for the hard sell, it’s a very soft approach to making sure that your potential clients are aware of you.
Who are you trying to reach and what platforms should I use?
Think about who your core key audiences are. Are they developers, construction firms, facilities managers or developers? If so you may want to consider LinkedIn. Are you looking at getting in front of a wider audience – perhaps Twitter or Facebook could work? Are you looking to showcase some of the work that you have been doing visually to your clients? Instagram could work.
Take a look at who your audience is and where they might be online.
How do I maximise my profile?
Once you have decided which social media platforms to join, make sure you maximise your profile. Have a profile image of yourself, including a well-designed cover image for your property firm and make sure you fill out the bio as much as possible. If you are on Twitter make sure you include some key hashtags in your profile. Also, add your location to all profiles as well as your website link.
How can I start planning my content?
When planning your content you must be realistic but also sensible. Posting once a week to Twitter or Instagram, for example, just won’t be enough.
Roughly I take this approach to the content that I want to plan. I share 80% valuable and interesting news related to my company and industry. The remaining 20% promoting my blog or services (but mainly my blog).
I also think that at a minimum you should post:
- 2-3 times a day on Twitter
- 1 a day on Facebook and LinkedIn ( not on sat/sun for LinkedIn)
- 3-4 times a week on Instagram.
I would definitely suggest using a planning tool such as buffer or publer. I plan all my social media posts in for the week at the weekend. It takes me about 1 hour to do and I can do this across a number of my profiles. It’s easy and means I don’t have to worry about my content over the week.
What makes a great social media post?
Imagery
Always add an image to every social media post. Using tools such as Canva will be invaluable. They have a number of templates that you can brand up and use for your own property firm.
Handles
If you are sharing content say from @helencmarketing then use my handle in the [post/ tag them – it gives great kudos. It will also make me pay attention to you and who you are. Going forward you will be on my radar and who knows I might share your content too!
Links
Always make sure there is a link in any post you create. Especially the links to your own website. This is really important so you can drive traffic back to your site.
Hashtags
Use #hashtags. For a lot of people, they are confusing but think of it as a way of promoting your message further than the people who are following.
People will use these hashtags to search for content that is interesting to them. If you are not sure what hashtags to use then check out hashtagifyme.
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Need help?
If you would like help with your marketing then bringing on a marketing consultant with a fresh pair of eyes can make all the difference. I work with property and professional service firms in London, Kent, UK and Europe as well as specialising as a Legal Marketing Consultant. Please get in touch or book a free 30-minute consultation.
