There's no doubt that social media is an incredibly valuable marketing and relationship-building tool for real estate agents. However, mastering social can feel like a tall mountain to climb especially if you're new to social media. There are so many social platforms, each with its own audience, norms, and content focus. So how do you choose the right social platforms, and how do you master them?

Fortunately, there are reliable steps that you can take to bring your social presence to the next level, along with innovative tools that can make managing key aspects of your social presence so much easier. Today, we're going to take a closer look at some tips to help you master social media, as well as key tech you can integrate to simplify the process and save tons of time.

Become The Social Media Expert You've Always Wanted To Be

Before you dive into mastering any one platform, it's critical to focus your energy on the social platforms that provide the best ROI. Platforms that prioritize visual content and allow you to build communities are natural fits for real estate. Of course, it's also essential to go where your target audience is already hanging out online. If you're looking for the best places to invest your time and marketing budget, start here:

• Instagram
  An emphasis on visual content? Check. One of the most widely used social platforms in the world? Check. The perfect place for property photos and virtual tours? Check and check. Instagram checks just about every box for real estate marketing, which is why it's first on our list.

• Facebook
  Still one of the most widely used social platforms in the world, especially among older demographics, Facebook is a place to create communities, build relationships, and connect with your audience. It's also a great place to share your content, and participate in the discussion that follows.

• LinkedIn
  If you do any B2B real estate marketing or you're targeting buyers/sellers with white collar careers, LinkedIn can also be worth your time. Even if you don't use it for marketing, it's a great place to pick up news and insights from the industry.

• Pinterest
  More of a niche social platform in terms of user base, Pinterest is nonetheless very popular with people who are into homes, interior design, and décor. If you're looking to connect with the handy, DIY types of clients, Pinterest is the perfect place to find them.

Content and Engagement Are Key to Social Success

No matter which social platform(s) you choose, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, content is crucial, whether you're sharing your latest blog post or stunningly beautiful professional photos from your newest big listing. Remember that quality matters, too. Investing time into a blog post or investing in professional property photos makes for better presentation, which is essential to keeping your audience engaged with your social presence. Just as importantly, you want to keep up a regular posting schedule. If you want your audience to return often, a schedule provides motivation for them to keep coming back.

Of course, content isn't the only factor, and engagement is the other key to social success. Don't just post something and forget about it. Look for opportunities to start conversations, answer questions, and build rapport with your audience. One reason Facebook is popular is how easily you can create groups, and discuss local topics. Whatever platform you're using, just make sure to devote time to engage with your audience.

Take Your Social Presence to the Next Level with the Right Tech and Services

Now, all of this may feel like it will take a lot of time, and that would be true if you're handling everything manually and investing hours into social media each day. We offer a variety of options, starting with our DeltaNET real estate CRM, to help you manage a vibrant social presence while saving time through automation. One powerful tool you can take advantage of is Social Connector, which makes it easy to keep your audience up to date by automatically posting new listings, recent sales, event info, and even the latest blog posts from your real estate website. Of course, our Content Specialists can also handle creating those blog posts for you.

For marketing, we offer social media marketing services to help you simplify the process of advertising on Facebook and Instagram — the two most popular places for real estate social ads. All-in-one packages include Target Audience Research, Keyword Research, Automated Feed Ads, Ad Content Creation, Ads Analytical Reports, and Ongoing Management.

The last key point about social media is that you don't have to master it alone. With the tools and services we've covered today, even the busiest agent can make time to reap the benefits of social media for real estate.