How To Use X for Real Estate and Connect To Your Audience
How to take the best out of Twitter's potential to better connect and engage with your audience and win leads
Social media presence is a must for real estate agents. With so many agents, you need to introduce yourself as an expert. Using X (formerly known as Twitter) for real estate is a step toward success you won’t want to skip. Social media platforms like X increase awareness of your brand. Creating visibility, lending credibility, and keeping you on top of your target market’s mind.
With the increasing number of home buyers and home sellers using social media to find an agent and learn about the market, is it essential that you are also using the platforms. X is one of the most popular social media platforms among millennials, who currently make up thirty-eight percent of home buyers. For many agents figuring out how to use X for real estate is a challenge. In this article, we will tell you everything about X and how you can make the best out of it for your real estate business.
Xr: The Microblogging Social Networking Platform
X is a social networking service that mimics blogging, but in a much smaller volume per post with greater frequency. Each post is limited to 280 characters and people use them to inform others about different topics. Routine issues to breaking news all are shared across X.
Why Should Agents Use X for Real Estate?
Real estate agents need to use social media platforms for their business. In Fact, according to NAR 47% of agents believe social media generates more qualified leads compared to other channels. To run the best real estate marketing process, you need to include social media as an integral part of your plan.
X is becoming more and more popular. X reached around 540 million monthly active users in 2023.
The fact that many people in different positions use X to send public messages, including celebrities, politicians and influencers, more and more people are joining X to keep up with the trends and news. This makes X an interesting platform for agents as it means bigger number of people to reach.
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When businesses want to talk to their customers, X is one of the ways they do so. In fact, its textual nature makes it the ideal place to communicate short messages and reach a wide audience. This makes X a valuable avenue for businesses to talk directly to their customers. Real estate agents can also benefit from such a feature and use posts to inform their market about different topics quickly and conveniently.
X for Real Estate Is the Perfect Place to Talk to Your Audience
When businesses want to talk to their customers, X is one of the ways they do so. In fact, its textual nature makes it the ideal place to communicate short messages and reach a wide audience. This makes X a valuable avenue for businesses to talk directly to their customers. Real estate agents can also benefit from such a feature and use posts to inform their market about different topics quickly and conveniently.
X Is Perfect for Those Who Do Not Have Much Time
X is a text-based platform, although it supports photos and videos. It is easy to post on X as it will not take a lot of your time to write 280 characters (previously 140). Compared to other platforms X requires less effort to share content. You do not have to attach photos or videos. In fact, that’s what X is designed for. Informing others using text-based messaging.
Sharing Content Is Super Easy and Very Popular on X
Posts on X are not limited to your followers and you can reach a large number of people if your posts get reposted enough. Basically, posts are meant to be shared (reposted). The number of times a post gets reposted shows the popularity of the post. With other platforms like Instagram and Facebook, the number of likes and comments show how popular a post is. Therefore, one can assume that X is all about sharing, which is exactly what agents exactly want: a greater reach. Reposting on X is superfast and easy.
X Handles More Frequent Content Posting
People on Instagram and Facebook do not appreciate you posting too often. In fact, they find it annoying. X follows the same standard, but it is more lenient. People tend to post a couple of times a day on Facebook to the extent that some are actually living on the platform. With X, 500 million posts are sent every day.
X Supports Targeted Ads
Just Like Facebook and Instagram, X supports targeted ads which can be used by real estate agents. You can use these ads for different objectives like driving traffic to your website, get your content seen, etc. You can choose who you would like to see your ads and narrow down the target market. We will explain more about X Ads later.
X Supports Links Unlike Instagram
Instagram does not allow business pages to use links on normal posts and will not allow links on Stories unless you reach a certain number of followers. X, like Facebook, does not have this limitation. Links play an important role in the process of sharing content on X. X tries to make the sharing of content and information easier. Top news usually gets shared on X first. Real estate agents can use links on X to drive some traffic to their website and promote their business.
X News Feed Algorithm Does Not Change Very Often
Unlike Facebook, X is pretty consistent on how news feed algorithms change. Facebook changes its algorithms frequently which can make it harder for businesses to appear on their audience’s newsfeed. X, on the other hand, is pretty stable. Depending on the settings on users’ profile they can choose to see the latest or most interesting content based on their activity on X.
X for Real Estate Tips
X offers great potential for real estate agents if they know how to use it. Here are some X tips.
Respect X
X is a very conversational platform. If you want to make the most out of X you need to respect how people use it. You can’t just randomly post and expect results. People are conversing on the platform and you appear out of the blue and pitch yourself without saying hello and then disappear? You are disrespecting X folk. See how people are talking about Ryan’s post:
Agents may blame X for being ineffective in promoting real estate. But they are often misusing the platform. Learn how to use Xand then if you are not getting back enough ROI blame the platform. Respect the conversational nature of X. Engage with X folks the way they interact with each other and provided your content resonates with them; you will find yourself some business.
Always Have A Plan
Before doing anything, you need to develop a plan that includes a X strategy.
This way your content will touch a chord with your audience. Your plan will define your audience, your main services, targets, content calendar, channels, and the desired outcome of your efforts. This stops you from posting randomly. The benefit of having a plan is that you can monitor how you are doing and make necessary changes if needed.
Keep Track of Your Progress
It makes no sense to post for your business and not track how you are doing. After a while, you will find out that there is a problem with your marketing efforts on X and you have no idea why. To prevent such frustrations, it pays to always keep track of your efforts:
- Which type of posts perform better and get the most likes and comments
- What content gets a higher reach
- The time of the day your posts get better engagement
- What elements improve the performance of your posts in general.
- Your top followers
- Profile Visits
Tracking such metrics allows you to highlight strengths and improve weaknesses. Learn from best practices and adjust your plans accordingly.
Ask Questions
Since people on X love to interact, another great idea to increase user engagement is to ask questions. People on X love talking about local events and love to express themselves through X Polls. Every once in awhile, add some questions through polls to encourage your audience to engage. This will also let you gain some valuable insight into your audience.
Share Videos
Although X is a conversational platform it does not have to be all text. In fact, people appreciate videos. In a platform like X what you are posting about should be in text form. But that can act as a description for a video you are posting. Videos now rule real estate. They provide information quickly and conveniently. Make sure you are sharing valuable videos that address the concerns of your audience.
The problem with videos is that they can be time-consuming to make. But you do not have to make them yourself. It is understandable that, as a real estate agent, you might find it hard to make professional and valuable videos like real estate market updates. They not only take time but require expensive equipment and technical skills. Do not worry. We have got your back. You can leave real estate video creation to us. We can even share your real estate videos for you on different social media.
Use X Search Feature
X has a really cool search feature. You can search for almost any keyword and see what people have to say about that topic. For example, you can search for “Moving to New York”:
Then you will see people who are talking about moving to New York. They can be your potential clients. What some agents do wrong here is that they jump in the conversation. Barging in and saying “I am the best agent in the area who can help you, my neighborhood is the best place to live” is simply disappointing. This is not the place to promote your brand and that is definitely not how you do it.
Instead, offer help. Do not pitch yourself. Provide value and let them see for themselves you are the one they need. Say something like, “Ask me any question regarding real estate, I’d be happy to help”. Do not push anything. You need to establish a conversation first. Strike a chord. Be there as help, not as an annoying agent who appears like a pop-up ad or looks like spam. Be human.
Monitor Trends
People do not care about your business. They are looking for content on social media that is valuable or interesting for them. Therefore, you need to post content that is interesting for your niche market. Fortunately, X has made it easy for its users to find what is currently popular through “Trends”.
Trends include all the popular topics that people are talking about on X. Not all trends will relate to your business but always keep an eye on trending topics. See if you can relate your business to the trending topics. As many people will be talking about the trend your post can get a higher reach.
Define Your Audience
This might sound odd. After all, why would you limit yourself and avoid addressing everybody? You might think the bigger your net the more leads you will get. But that is not true. If you try to reach everybody you might end up reaching no one. The reason behind this is that people who are looking for a service online want an agent who is EXACTLY what they want. If you share a wide range of content with different topics you won’t appear as that agent. Have content aimed at buyers, renters, sellers, etc. A homebuyer will prefer an agent who is focusing on homebuyers.
Study your past audience. Who are the clients that make up the majority? What is their main problem? How old they are? What are they looking for in real estate? The more you narrow down your audience, the better you can target them. Spreading yourself too thin is not going to help you.
Keep Your Audience in Mind
Now that you have your audience defined and know about their problems and what they are looking for in real estate, align your content towards their needs and what they find interesting. Remember that you will not be reading your posts and you do not need to like them. Your audience needs to like them. Therefore, make sure what you are sharing on X is what they are searching for on the internet.
Go Local
Real estate is a local business. People buy and sell homes in a specific area and you can’t cover every place. Therefore, you need to find people on X that are local. Look for local people and businesses and build your network.
Additionally, make sure the content you share on X is local and appeals to locals. Sharing content that does not attract local people in your farming area makes no sense. As you have defined your audience already, the location of these people is what you should bear in mind when posting content on X. Talking about news about other neighborhoods might not be the best content to share on your X business account.
Use Photos and Videos
Posts with images and videos see a 5X more engagement. Try to include a related and interesting video or photo to your posts when possible. Make sure the photos and videos you share are professionally taken and offer value.
If you are promoting a listing this becomes even more important. You can always ask for professional real estate photography services to help you with the visuals for your listings.
Engage with Your Audience
As mentioned earlier, X is a conversational platform where people talk to each other. You need to do the same. Just posting content is not enough. Engage with your audience’s posts, like, comment, and engage in conversations. Repost some of their post if you think your audience will find them interesting or helpful, especially those related to real estate.
Additionally, when people engage with your content, leave comments, or send you direct messages make sure you reply to them as soon as possible. Invest a couple of minutes every day to handle comments and messages. This will show your audience that you care and are there to help them with their questions and problems. When they need serious help in real estate you will be the one they approach.
Show Your Human Side
Every once in a while, a new social media platform emerges and becomes popular. It does not matter what the platform it is; people always are looking to interact with humans. They are looking for personal connections. While you are posting on X you need to let your audience see you as a person too. Not everything should be about business. Share some aspects of your personal life and allow your audience to know you as a person. Even when you are posting about business. Share some behind the scenes content and show how you do business.
Don’t Overdo Listings (80/20 Rule)
Another rookie mistake agents new to social media make. They forget the fact that people are social media to connect, be entertained, find information and relax. Businesses are using this space to sell but it should not be direct. You make yourself available and allow the audience to approach you. Posting listings, direct selling, pitching yourself all the time will come across annoying. Even if you are there for business, help your network by engaging in related conversations, and add value by offering help and valuable content. The golden rule here is that for every 10 posts you share only two can be directly related to sales, including listings, etc.
Learn How to Use Hashtags
X is the king of hashtags. In fact, hashtags were first used on X. Hashtags act like labels that describe your content and define what you are talking about. If you are talking about a certain topic you can use hashtags to make it easier for other people to find it. For example, #openhouse labels your post. If people search for open house on X or CLICK on this hashtag on other post, they will be able to see a list of posts containing this hashtag, including your post.
As there is a 280 character limit for posts at the moment and given the fact that hashtags are included in the post character count, make sure you only use one or two hashtags per post or you will have few characters to be used for the post itself.
Don’t Post All the Time
X folks can take more posts on a daily basis compared to Instagram and Facebook. You can post a couple of times a day but remember not to overwhelm your audience. If you cross the line you will come across as annoying and risk losing your followers. Always try to stick to the content calendar you have developed and maintain a consistent and regular presence on X. Sharing too often or disappearing for a while are things you may want to avoid.
Engage with Influencers
Just like other social media, getting followers when you first start using X can be quite challenging. One of the effective ways to speed up the process and make progress is to engage with influencers who are respected by your niches. These people have a lot of followers and can be used to convey your messages to your niche market. To do so all you need to do is to first identify these influencers and then follow them. Next, you need to repost their posts or mention them in your own posts.
Use X Lists
You can organize X users into different categories without having to follow them. These categories can be both private and public. These lists can be used to place all other real estate agents, or influencers, or a certain group of prospects. Lists on X are valuable since you can refer to them whenever you need to reach people that match certain criteria for you.
To create a X list, go to your profile and then click on “Lists” below your image. Now you need to give it a name and short description. Here you can also decide to make the list Private or Public. When you add people to your public lists, they are notified. You do not want to notify people you added them to a list called “Potential Clients”. Go with the Private List for such cases. Once you have built your list, you can add people to it either by searching for their name and right from their profile.
Promote Your Brand
One of the things businesses need to do on social media is to let their audience easily understand what they do. Make sure you use an appropriate and professional profile photo or your company logo if you are representing a team. Your cover photo should represent your business. Make sure all the photos you use to promote your brand are professionally taken and are of high quality.
Your description is the second thing new visitors to your profile will see. Make sure you introduce yourself and highlight your farming area and your main services. It is a good idea to highlight your expertise and point out how you are different and how you help your clients.
Use X Ads for Real Estate
Just like Facebook and Instagram, X offers targeted ads to promote your product and services. You can get started at ads.twitter.com. First you need to choose your objective.
Then you need to proceed with the financial budgeting of the campaign.
Then you specify demographics, devices, keywords and also the placement of the ads. These targeted ads are great for real estate as they allow the ads to target certain areas and certain group of people looking for specific keywords, etc.
Stay Away from Negativity
People who are not doing business on X will post their feelings and sometimes they are angry or frustrated. As a real estate agent, you do not have that liberty. Avoid posting when you are angry or frustrated with your job or a client. Avoid hate speech with other agents and always behave like a professional. Such a negative attitude will not please your audience and will definitely deter new visitors.
Don’t be Generic
When you share something on X don’t sound like a robot. If you are posting a photo, video, a link to a listing, or reposting something say something about it. Tell your audience why you are sharing it. Say why they should spend time on it and why it is valuable. A human connection goes a long way on social media. Your audience is not robots. They need more than links and images. In most cases, they won’t bother to find out what your posts are about unless you tell them yourself.
Top Real Estate X Accounts to Follow
Whether you are a new agent or an experienced veteran, you can always learn from the best. Following top agents on X can help you find inspiration and get ideas to improve your own presence on X Here are 3 top real estate agents on X to follow, although there are many more great agents out there you can reach and follow.
Ryan Serhant
Founder and CEO at SERHANT, Ryan is a true gem in the world of real estate. What he does on X is mainly about his company and his luxurious lifestyle. What is truly great about Ryan is that he states what’s on his mind and appears friendly and real. See how he promotes his closed deals.
He also does a great job at marketing services offered by his company. Likes of Serhant can be a great model for other real estate agents to learn how one can rise from a beginner to a Guru in real estate.
Barbara Corcoran
NYC Real Estate Queen, Barbra is an agent you need to follow. Just like most other top-notch agents, Barbra uses her X account to promote her brand and connect directly to her audience. The personal tone she provides and the demonstration of her lifestyle and business life make her X account a great place to get to know her.
See how she allows her audience to discover who she is and where she comes from through sharing photos:
Danisha Danielle Wrighster
Born in Los Angeles and owner of a multi-million-dollar commercial real estate business, Danisha is one of the most inspiring agents in the world. Her tough journey to becoming a top agent can be a lesson for other real estate agents.
She expresses what’s in her mind regarding different topics including real estate and comes across as a real person.
roomvu X Automation Calendar
We at roomvu have a solution for all those agents who struggle making room for managing their X account. Our social media automation calendar supports X alongside other platforms such as Facebook, Linkedin, etc. The calendar is unique because it not only automates content sharing on X but it also takes care of the content creation process.
All you need to do is to connect your X account, pick the content (Videos) that you like and schedule them on your calendar. You do not need to worry about the content anymore. Our data-driven AI will also recommend videos based on your previous sales and performance. Get your calendar today!
X for Real Estate: Final Words
Xis one of the most underrated social media platforms for real estate. Many blame X for having a low ROI. However X, like other platforms, has its own strengths and weaknesses. The problem is you can not make the best out of any platform unless you know how to use it. X is a conversational social media platform, not a place to showcase your qualifications or your listings.
If you are posting listings and pitching yourself on X for Real Estate and getting no results, don’t be surprised. X folks do not care about you or your business. They care about themselves, the only way you can earn their business is to respect X rules. Engage in conversations and contribute as an agent. Help them with their real estate problems, offer answers and solutions. This way you can build your network and promote your brand. Do it right and X is the best place to talk to your audience.
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