7 Mistakes Agents Make on Twitter: Social Media for Real Estate Agents

Social media should be a crucial part of every real estate agent's marketing strategy, but posting can feel high-pressure for even the most seasoned agents. Twitter is a great social media platform to post content that your clients and fellow real estate agents will appreciate--and a great place to interact with other agents and clients.

Not sure where to start your Twitter journey and how to master social media for real estate agents? Check out these seven mistakes that real estate agents make on Twitter, and get ready to create a professional account that dodges these common pitfalls.

1. They Don't Stay Consistent

As with every social media platform, consistency is key! If a couple of tweets don't get any engagement, don't panic. We recommend that you try a Twitter marketing plan for at least six months before you regroup and decide if something isn't working.

Keep in mind that, with Twitter, consistency means something a little bit different than Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram. Posting once a day on Facebook and LinkedIn is sufficient to engage your sphere. We don't recommend posting more to ensure that sure that you're not overloading your sphere with your news—and that you're not suffering a content drought in the future! However, Twitter requires more sustained effort.

This study suggests posting content a whopping 15 times per day on Twitter.

We're a small business, too! We understand that squeezing posting 15 times a day between your showings and finding the perfect homes for clients might not be a possibility.

If 15 times a day sounds stressful, try to post at least a three times a day. Once in the morning when you get into the office, once during some downtime you have during your day, and a third at night time. If you're noticing that you're getting a lot of organic lead generation, it's worth a larger time commitment.

2. They Don't Define Their Niche and Their Goals

Who are you trying to sell your services to? What content would they like to see? This is a conversation to have on all social media, not just Twitter. Social media for real estate should always be tailored to the types of client you want to work with.

Once you've decided who your client is and what they'd like to see on your Twitter, give yourself a goal. Do you want to generate a certain number of leads? Have the account pop up when someone Googles your name? Present the most professional image you can? Write down your goal and measure your success accordingly.

3. They Don't Put Their Most Professional Foot Forward

Like most other social media sites, you'll be tasked with setting a username and profile picture, writing a bio, and consistently put out content. Make sure that you're putting your most professional foot forward at every step.

Username: Include your full name, the state that you work in, and the word "Realtor" or "Agent." You'll get a bit more specific in your bio, but this lets everyone know your name, what you do, and where you operate, e.g., JaneSmithTXRealtor.

Photo: Use a good headshot for your profile picture. Do you have a great, professional headshot? If not, now's the time to get one. (Trust us: you'll use it for a lot more than Twitter!) Make sure that it uses good lighting, and is an appropriate distance from your face (not too close, not too far away).

Content: You don't need to get too fancy or too involved with your captions. After all, you only have 280 characters to express your thoughts. So, keep it quick. Make sure to spell check your captions! Get a little inventory of different infographics that you can pair with your content.

4. They Don't Engage with Your Sphere

If someone tweets at you or you're mentioned in a tweet, make sure to reply!

Still, even once you're established, it's unlikely that you'll be fielding dozens of compliments, concerns and complaints from your loyal client base. However, engaging with your sphere is important.

If someone tweets something negative at you, think carefully before replying. You'll draw attention to this tweet. Think about settling negative complaints with DMs and emails. (Remember! Always, always, always stay polite.)

5. They Don't Both Retweet and Put Out Original Content

The conventional wisdom is that 80% of your content should be original, and 20% of your content should be curated from other sources. How can you post content that's not your own? Easy. Follow other Realtors, agents, influencers that you like, as well as other companies whose content you like reading.

Here are some content ideas useful for social media for real estate agents:

• Your listings. Ready to generate some organic leads? Share a few listings that you're really excited about on your Twitter, or that you think will generate interest.
• Blog posts (yours or others'). Share the information that you find useful with your followers.
• Success stories. Let your clients speak for you. Think about posting some photos of clients who you've helped find a new home and show prospective tenants what it means to have you on their team.

6. They Don't Get in on the Conversation

If you've recently been on Twitter, you might have noticed that there's a little sidebar with all the hashtagged topics that are currently trending. Enter the conversation by tweeting out something relevant.

Common conversations that you can enter include things like #MondayMotivation.

Check out this calendar of all the holidays that Twitter celebrates. Brainstorm ways you can enter the conversation by posting themed content on those days! Like, for #BestFriendsDay, think about posting a photo of you and your real estate guru.

7. They Overuse Hashtags! (Yes, this is a thing)

Hashtags are definitely your friend. They enter you in the conversations that you want to be part of and help people find your posts. However, overdoing the hashtags makes you look pretty cheesy and takes up valuable characters that could be used to explore. Keep yourself limited to two, and make sure to use no spaces and punctuation.

Use these tips for real estate agents to create a dynamic presence on Twitter.

To view the original article, visit the Rental Beast blog.