Social media is a tactic every broker and commercial real estate firm should be utilizing to market themselves and their properties. Social selling allows for real estate agents to establish themselves as thought leaders and a source of expert knowledge for both clients and consumers.
With the demanding and heavy workloads real estate agents face on a daily basis, social media often takes a back burner to the more important tasks, forcing some to outsource their social media efforts. According to FastCompany, the risks are just as important to weigh as the rewards.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of outsourcing social media in your real estate business.
Pros of outsourcing social media for real estate agents
A good agency will schedule and post social media updates on a regular basis and will keep your brand relevant. Whether it is a tweet promoting an article a broker was quoted in, a photo of a new property your company is leasing, or an announcement for an open house, the agency will develop a strategy for the timeliness of posts to ensure the most engagement.
Support
Your agency will provide support and answer any questions you may have regarding Facebook for real estate agents along with other social media. If you are hesitant to post something or want to ensure that it aligns with your current marketing strategy, your agency will be the source for this information. This support will help you avoid costly mistakes. Mistakes can be detrimental to your brand and your reputation.
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Established network
A good social media marketing agency will already have an existing database of top-tier influencers with whom to network. This bonus helps save you time from searching for the right people to follow.
Good content
Since managing social media accounts is their sole job, agencies have time to find the absolute best content to share that will resonate with your followers. You won’t have to spend time searching the Internet for thoughtful pieces that your followers will be interested in. Your agency will find all of this content for you.
Cons of outsourcing social media for real estate agents
Lack of authenticity
Since your real estate firm is not managing the account, the message may feel forced and inauthentic. A good agency will know how to tailor the content to exhibit your brand or that of your real estate firm. Just remember: If a social media strategy fails, the agency is at risk as well. If you have the time to manage your account, then you can easily establish your digital voice by mixing in things you are personally interested in along with real estate industry news.
The more personality you let shine through on social media, the more connections you will make and the more engagements you’ll have.
Lack of integration
If you or your marketing team is managing social media in-house, it will be easier to integrate social media into your email marketing and your website. It is simpler to integrate your marketing strategies if they are all done in-house. For example, when you post a press release, you’ll also want to share it via email and on social media. By managing them together, you can ensure that the channels are harmonious.
The money factor
Outsourcing social media management can be costly. If the agency isn’t producing results and your social media accounts aren’t gaining followers, then the cost won’t be justified by the return on investment. Consider handling the social media in-house if you don’t see engagement on your social media accounts.
Trust
There have been plenty of situations where a company posted something on social media that caused them to receive backlash. Do you trust someone outside of your company to manage your social media accounts? For example, commercial real estate transactions are sensitive topics and thus call for a closer look at the content being shared on social media to avoid upsetting clients.
Making social media part of your strategy
To determine which avenue will work best you’ll need to assess whether you have the time to dedicate to managing social media accounts and whether you have the finances to pay to outsource it. The bottom line is like with every real estate transaction: You must weigh the pros and cons and see which option works best for you.
