John Tenpenny
Other
With activity on social media platforms at increasingly higher levels, including many in the real estate industry, the temptation for others may be to jump in with both feet, but one agent warns to look before you leap.
“Social media is a small part of my marketing activity,” says Erwin Szeto, a sales representative with Rock Star Brokerage Inc., in Hamilton who specializes in helping property investors. “I use it more as a supplement to my core marketing initiatives.”
Recent CBC research pointed to Canadians being more digitally creative than ever before. The reports looked at social media sites other than Facebook: Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and Reddit.
The study on Twitter said 85 per cent of its users are creating content online for others to consume, while another report said 88 per cent of Instagram users are content creators.
Szeto says he finds email campaigns return more value than social media posts.
“If someone gives me their email, then they want to hear from me,” he says. “Versus when you post something on social media and you’re kind of butting into whatever conversation they’re having.”
Leads take time to develop and according to Szeto, much of the activity on social media from the real estate industry is “the push towards the sale, rather than having any sort of relationship-building dialogue. Everything I put out on my website and social media is always to educate”
That takes time he says.
“I have people who have been on my email list for a year or two before they’re say they’re ready and I find those people so much more educated about the service we provide and much further along in the decision making process. People who I get cold from social media are less so. They typically might ask ‘Can you tell me why I should invest in real estate versus the stock market.”
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