Social Media Do’s and Don’ts

For Realtors and Other Professionals

Social MediaWhy bother with do’s and don’ts? – It makes your content easier to read– It makes your content more attractive– It makes you look more professional,

more friendly, and more competent

ImagesDo: Use pictures! They make your posts more visually appealing. Color and imagery catch the eye. Posts with images get read and shared more often.

ImagesDon’t: Use poor-quality pictures.

Unflattering angles on a home, poorly lit rooms, views with tilted horizons: all make a property look bad.

Cluttered infographics and images can obscure the point you’re trying to make.

What to PostDo: Know your audience. As long as you appeal to their interests, you’re good.

You don’t need to restrict yourself to industry topics. If you’re reaching homeowners, you can talk about home/car repair, local interest, etc.

What to PostDon’t: Post everything that you personally find interesting.

Keep your professional accounts focused on your audience. If you’re interested in the venomous snakes of Australia, that’s cool, but keep it to your personal pages.

When to PostDo: Post regularly.

Social media accounts can suffer large setbacks if they aren’t updated regularly.

Keep your name out there with interesting posts and content.

When to PostDon’t: Post too little. Social media has a short memory: people can forget about you almost immediately.Don’t: Post too much. If your account is a non-stop flood of posts, people will get tired of it and unfollow you.

AutomationDo: Automate what you can. Your regular self-promotion posts can be automated, as well as some content-sharing.

You can’t spend all day online. Automation can help.

AutomationDon’t: Automate everything.

Accounts that auto-post everything miss breaking stories, and never interact with other accounts. Keep the “social” in “social media.”

What to PromoteDo: share others’ work and content! If someone posts something great, share it. This builds your network.

Always link to and credit the original: stealing content isn’t cool (and in some cases, is illegal.)

What to PromoteDon’t: only share and promote your own work.

No one likes to listen to someone constantly talk about themselves; social media is no different. Some self-promotion is fine: try posting three links to someone else for every one of yours.

Online DemeanorDo: Be friendly and professional.Whether you go for casual or buttoned-up, keep your online tone friendly and professional. Being pleasant goes a long way toward keeping your audience.

Online DemeanorDon’t: Be antagonistic. It can tempting to tear into others we disagree with, or whom we believe are doing things incorrectly, but resist the urge. It will kill your message.

Spelling and GrammarDo: Use good spelling and grammar

Good grammar keeps your content easy to read and looking professional; typos can make it look like you are careless or unintelligent.

Spelling and GrammarDon’t: Post without checking for typos.

Glance over Tweets and Facebook posts for spelling and grammar. For long form content, like blog posts, get someone else to proofread.

What Social Media to Use

Do: Try new things.

New social media sites pop up all the time. If something seems interesting and useful, give it a try! Experiment with Periscope, Reddit AMAs, and more.

What Social Media to Use

Don’t: Spread yourself too thin.

You don’t have to be everywhere. If a site isn’t working for you, drop it. Focus on the sites that give you the best return for your time.

How to InteractDo: EngageRespond to tweets, Facebook, LinkedIn posts. Talk to others in the industry and in your local area. Share ideas, experiences, stories. Find hashtags that interest you. Network!

How to InteractDon’t: Spend all your time chatting.

The internet is the ultimate time trap. There are lots of funny, interesting people there. Don’t let your time on the internet take away time from your face-to-face business.

Being “Hip”Do: Stay up-to-date on basic internet terminology

You don’t need all the specifics, but get the basic idea. Knowing what a “meme” is, what “AMA” means, etc.

Being “Hip”Don’t: Use memes and slang that you don’t understandNothing will make you look unprofessional and out-of-date faster than using an internet item that you don’t understand. If you’re unsure, don’t use it.

Takeaways• Stay focused on your audience• Be professional and friendly• Watch your spelling and grammar• Don’t overdo anything• Drop what doesn’t work