Is social media now too crowded?

Last week I was in Exeter training a room full of Estate Agents on using social media for their agencies and one of the subjects we covered was on how to build your following and get your brand seen on the likes of the popular channels such as Twitter and Facebook. Whereas when social media first came on to the scene, those first using it had very little competition in getting their profiles seen and would not have had to put in so much effort as what is required nowadays, only a few random updates and a half completed profile may have attracted attention – The information and style of updating you did was likely to be unique… Do you really think that ‘Charlie bit my finger’ would have made such an impact today as it did back in May, 2007 when it first made it’s appearance and viral explosion on YouTube? Bytheway, Charlie bit my finger now has over 800 million views and for your reference, or to reminisce or if you have been hiding for the last ten years, here is the link to the video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM

Many thousands of new accounts are created on each social media platform each and every day, many will be fake / spam ones, but also many will be genuine and simply adding to the crowded arena that holds millions of other users trying to get their message heard above all the noise. Certainly, sponsored / advertising routes can help to gain you extra exposure by promoting your accounts / Tweets / Pages / Videos etc, but unless you have a healthy marketing budget to through at it, you’ll likely not experience much joy as you’ll not be the only one likely targeting your keywords.

Is there simply now too many people using social media to be heard then? I would say no, infact I would twist it round and say that it is great that there are so many people on social media as it means if you get things right, you have a massive audience to be seen / heard by. By concentrating on your key business message and understanding your key target audience, then you can really breakthrough, even if you have just started, to be heard by an active potential ‘new client online community’.

Each of the other estate agencies in your local area may already be on social media, but it is a sure bet that most will not be using social media correctly or to it’s maximum and as I explained to those who I taught last week, this leaves you with a very big open door to walk through and quickly make ground and establish your agency as the go to brand on social media. By following these simple rules, you are likely to be standing out from the crowd:

  • Choose a correct name and the same one for each social media account / page you have.
  • Make sure that branding is both professional and consistent across each social media platform you use.
  • Correctly describe your profile and highlight keywords with hashtags.
  • Update each account daily with educational, entertaining and engaging content.
  • Be social by sharing other people’s content, retweeting, liking, sharing and commenting go along way to gain positive attention.
  • Have your own hashtag and ideally one that is used weekly, ie BlackpoolHour, DevonPropertyHour or #CheapStudentLetsLondon etc, etc.

The basic tips above will get you well on the way and you will soon learn that the more people that are using social media literally means the more exposure and success you can achieve.

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Homebuyers saving over £4,000 in SDLT despite increase

Homebuyers saving over £4,000 in stamp duty despite threshold increase, by opting for this particular property type The latest research from over-50s property specialists, Regency Living, reveals that homebuyers opting for a park home instead of a traditional bricks-and-mortar property are an average of £4,316 better off due to not having to pay Stamp Duty…
Read More
Breaking News

Industry reacts to latest Gov HousePrice Index

The latest index shows that: – The average monthly rate of house price growth in May rebounded to 1.1% following the -2.7% decline seen in between March and  April. The average annual rate of house price growth in May was up 3.9%. As a result, the average UK house price is now £269,000.   Colleen…
Read More
Cozy Pet Cat Tree Grey
Breaking News

Renter’s Rights Bill pet u-turn creates more questions than answers

The latest U-turn in the Renter’s Rights Bill (RRB) concerning pet ownership may temporarily protect landlords from the cost of pet-related damage, but it leaves major questions unanswered, warns Inventory Base, the UK’s leading property inspection platform. As confusion grows around whether the proposed pet deposit amendment will pass, the industry is left in limbo,…
Read More
Breaking News

Landlords See Higher Net Returns

Landlords See Higher Net Returns Despite Rising Start-Up Costs and Falling Buy-to-Let Incomes New research from Dwelly, one of the UK’s leading lettings acquisition and success planning experts, reveals that, despite an increase in start-up costs and a reduction in total buy-to-let income, the average UK landlord has seen an improvement in net returns when…
Read More
Breaking News

London lettings market gains momentum in June

London lettings market buoyed by surge in supply and growing renter activity, Foxtons data shows   Heightened rental activity in June, with applicant registrations rising 21% month-on-month Supply surged to its strongest level in four years, with almost 45,000 new listings recorded in June, an 18% increase on May   Average weekly rent climbed 1%…
Read More
Breaking News

The Renters’ Rights Bill edges ever closer to becoming law

Changes to overhaul the private rented sector across England have been a long-held ambition from Labour and has paved the way for the planned introduction of the Renters’ Rights Bill. Over the last twelve months the legislation has been working its way through Westminster and has been subject to oversight and debate within the House…
Read More