Every week, we ask a real estate professional for their thoughts on the top trends in real estate. 

This week, we talked with Jessica Scherlag, social media strategist with Compass. 

Houston Agent (HA): What are some ways agents can align their social media campaigns without ignoring each platform’s unique features, style and demographics?

Jessica Scherlag (JS): At Compass, we give our agents a Social Media Handbook to answer their toughest questions about each platform. This is a guide we created in-house that provides social media recommendations, tips, and more. To determine what social media sites you should be using, think about what audiences you’re hoping to reach and the resources you have at your disposal. Many people get their news from Twitter and Facebook – relay interesting real estate trends and timely information. Instagram is all about beautiful visuals. Consider your natural behaviors and interests to choose the platform that best suits your needs. While having a robust, multi-platform presence is ideal, it is better to be great at one or two platforms instead of spreading yourself too thin or using them all haphazardly.

HA: What are some ways agents can test the effectiveness of a particular social media effort?

JS: Write down your social media goals, determine the metrics you will use to measure those goals and actively monitor them. While there are best practices you can follow, habits and tastes can vary from audience to audience. Experiment with imagery. Compass tested architecture, interiors and portraiture on Facebook and found that the best performing photos were airy, editorial-minded rooms with pops of color, good staging, interesting details and visible natural light sources. Try upping the frequency of your posts and play around with timing. When we upped our Instagram posts from one to two a day, we saw an exponential increase in followers. Remember, trial and error is a big part of getting started on social media.

HA: Why is social media important for agents?

JS: Social media is the intersection of people and technology. Think of it as an interactive rolodex, your digital résumé and an extension of your personal brand and business. In its most basic form, broadcasting your business on social media requires no budget. It is a great way to keep in touch with past and current clients, build relationships with prospective clients in real-time from anywhere in the world and keep pace with the agent community. Most buyers Google their future agent. What will people see when they Google you? If you’re on social media, your profiles will appear up top. More than 3/4 of real estate professionals are using social media. If you’re not on it, you’re missing out.

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