It is perhaps every realtor’s dream to attract as much business as possible with the least amount of time or money spent.

To do so, one must maximize existing resources using creativity and strategy.

With past events that forced us to practice virtually anything, most brands stepped up their digital everything. In fact, social media naturally became a haven for many small businesses looking to tap new markets as well as stay relevant.

With tightened belts and heightened online competition, now is not the time to rest on your game.

Read: 7 Reasons Why Real Estate Agents Need Social Media Presence

If you want to attract more business, then start with these free tips and tricks on how to upgrade your online presence.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 – Ensure your personal website is up to speed
2 – Set up a killer Facebook page
3 – Be genuine with connecting on LinkedIn
4 – Treat Instagram as your brand’s digital magazine
5 – Improve brand awareness with YouTube
6 – Cross-promote on other platforms
Free Online Tools to Give Your Profile a Stunning Look

1 – Ensure your personal website is up to speed

This first tip is for those who may already have set up their own website. If you don’t own one, you can skip to here. The succeeding tips and tricks don’t require you to have one.

But before you do, have you thought of whether you’re in the real estate business for the long haul? If yes, you might want to consider getting your own professional website. The cost of putting up one is manageable when you’re serious about an upgrade to your online presence. Also, the reward is greater because it will help you stand out from the competition.

Now, moving along. If you’re looking for ways to elevate your professional website, here are some tips to highlight your personal brand as a rockstar real estate agent.

TIPS & TRICKS TO UPGRADE A REAL ESTATE AGENT WEBSITE:

Use a responsive design

Mobile usage has surpassed desktop usage. Therefore, you want to make sure to optimize your website can be easily navigated across all devices.

Lucky for you, most of the free website themes have this option. You just have to check the important pages of your websites. For instance, check whether the photos can be easily browsed in like your listings page. Or, if the contact form pages are working when accessed through mobile.

Put a call-to-action front and center

When it comes to real estate agent websites, keep a goal in mind. In order to upgrade your online presence, one should not depend solely on the number of impressions it gets. But rather, it should serve a clear purpose for your business. As a realtor, let your website be an effective lead magnet tool for you to capture and convert leads into new clients.

Therefore, you want to ensure that your leads have every bit of opportunity to get in touch with you. Try placing your contact information or call-to-action forms on every page of your website. Or provide links to your social media accounts to make you more accessible to your web visitors.

Provide valuable content

The buyers and sellers of real estate business today are information-rich which is why they are on the lookout for experts. So if you have a website that only features property listings, consider upgrading those. You can become a one-stop-shop for your potential clients’ needs by providing resources so they don’t have to look somewhere else.

Pack your website with informative sections that will make you seem like the locality expert on your farm. You can create downloadable resources like buyers’ and seller’ guides, market reports, and neighborhood guides. You can also write about the latest real estate news and trends, and update them regularly on your blog.

Putting up a blog on your website can help you gain some organic traffic through search engine optimization (SEO). This means that your words have an increased chance to be the top result when people search for answers to their questions online. Soon you can capture new eyeballs on your website that could turn into leads and eventually potential clients.

Highlight client testimonials

Trust is the foundation of any relationship, and when you’re in a relationship-based business like real estate, building trust is basic to your success. So one key to elevating your online presence is by showing that the person you are offline is trustworthy.

As much as possible you want to dedicate a good portion of your homepage to your top testimonials. Showcase those glowing reviews from your clients about your strengths as an agent and that will instantly boost your credibility online, without having to spend any money.

Ready to invest some dollars on a dynamic real estate website? Check out this collection of amazing WordPress themes.

2 – Set up a killer Facebook page

Facebook accounts for about 2.93 Billion monthly active users as of the 1st quarter of 2022, making it the most widely used social media platform. It’s a no-brainer that businesses flock to this account to promote their brand.

However, it’s not enough to create an account for the sake of it. To be easily traceable and searchable, you need a professional-looking Facebook page. By filling in the sections complete with your business information, you’re making it easier for people to transact with you.

Aside from the obvious, here are some things you can do to make your Facebook page stand out.

FACEBOOK ONLINE PRESENCE UPGRADE TRICKS: 

• Upload a clear and friendly profile picture. An approachable photo encourages your audience to connect and remember you.
• Use video or slideshow on the Facebook cover. Grab the visitor’s attention with beautiful images and videos highlighting your product or services.
• Join relevant groups and communities. Gain quality followers who can help spread the word about your brand. Start growing your sphere of influence by connecting and engaging with a niche audience through private groups on Facebook.
• Share news and articles. Share the latest news to your followers but also remember to add your personal take on the matter. Whether supporting or opposing a cause, there’s benefit in being seen as a thought leader in your industry.
• Post videos and engaging visuals. You can cross-promote your Instagram Reels or Stories and vice versa between these two platforms to maximize your reach.
• Promote your listings or services in Marketplace. This is a no-brainer because there are two main advantages to using Marketplace. Number one fact is that it’s free to use. Second, the next-gen of buyers and sellers are more actively sharing listings online with their family and friends, whilst seeking their opinions.

3 – Be genuine with connecting on LinkedIn

LinkedIn remains to be one of the most useful platforms to form new professional connections and discover new job openings. In 2021, LinkedIn saw an increase in its revenue by 43.7% year-on-year. This number was brought in by a portion of its 822 million members. That’s a huge number of professionals seeking and sharing opportunities online you don’t want to miss out on.

Now if you want to stand out on LinkedIn, set up your page in a way that’s authentic to you. There is a multitude of ways to show how you’re a person worth connecting with. And no, that doesn’t mean you have to fake your profile or exaggerate your accomplishments. But rather, you have to show in your profile that you’re genuine with what you represent and what you search.

Read More: Smart Ways Real Estate Agents Use LinkedIn for Personal Branding

In a nutshell, the secret of success on LinkedIn is in value-giving vs. value-taking.

LINKEDIN ONLINE PRESENCE UPGRADE TRICKS: 

• Your LinkedIn headshot must be up-to-date and professional. The photo must reflect how you look on a daily basis, which includes your attire, hair & make-up, and even facial expression.
• Craft a compelling bio. It’s the best free real estate for your skills and achievements so make sure to highlight your top and most recent accomplishments.
• Use your LinkedIn headline to your full advantage. Some common yet effective examples start with “Looking for opportunities” and descriptions that have “#1”, “top” and “help” in them.
• Be active in engaging with your connections. Leave lasting impressions by providing actual insights on topics instead of self-promotion.
• Work on getting more recommendations. You can prompt others to give you recommendations and endorsements by taking the first initiative.
• Talk about your journey. Some of the most viral posts on LinkedIn have been:
  • success stories of entrepreneurs
  • from-fired-to-hired stories of professionals
  • company updates with a touch on CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)
• Post original content on LinkedIn. You can garner attention even with a simple status message or through long-form content using the article function.

4 – Treat Instagram as your brand’s own digital magazine

Instagram is a treasure trove of fresh lifestyle content and relevant social matters. For years, the platform has become the go-to for promoting and discovering aspirational and informative content.

Many brands and influencers found success by curating or creating a drool-worthy feed. Lucky for you, there are many ways to get discovered on this platform that don’t require a dime but instead, the wise use of your time.

INSTAGRAM ONLINE PRESENCE UPGRADE TRICKS: 

• Brand your Instagram with a handle and name that represents your cause. They don’t have to be the same which can help you get more reach. For example:
  • Instagram Handle: @homiamx
  • Instagram Name: Beach | Real Estate | Travel
• Fire up your profile with interactive content. Interactive content shows your personality and highlighting this as something of value in your profile can attract loyal followers.
• Invest time producing Reels. In so trying to compete with the virality of TikTok, Reels are being favored by Instagram’s algorithm. Repurposing your old and new videos for Reels can increase your reach to a broader audience for free.
• Use niche hashtags to get discovered. Like4like and follow4follow are so 2004. They’re not really effective anymore to use with the 1.21 Billion total users on Instagram.
• Feature your company slogan in your bio. This prompts your followers to be part of the cause whilst providing you with user-generated content.
• Create guides. Not many people are utilizing this feature which means you have a chance to stand out. Guides are your own curated list of places, activities, anything basically, to share with your audience.

Read More: Instagram Real Estate Content for your Feed and Stories

5 – Improve brand awareness with YouTube

One of the many advantages of setting up a YouTube page is the fact that you can be your most creative self. You can produce content, direct the narrative, and be the star of the show.

According to YouTube, it has about over 2 Billion users across 100+ countries which accounts for almost one-third of the internet. Also, YouTube has upgraded its viewership through Premium Membership which means more people see are seeing it as a valuable commodity.

Can you imagine the amount of exposure your product can gain by using this platform well?

On the flip side, this means the platform has become increasingly competitive. And it only continues to grow since YouTube makes it possible for content creators to monetize their videos. Therefore you have to ensure that the efforts you put in will be well worth the click from people who are watching.

YOUTUBE ONLINE PRESENCE UPGRADE TRICKS:

• Spruce up your channel consistent with your branding. Create a visually striking banner or arrange your playlists to be easy to navigate.
• Choose the most compelling video for the featured section. To create impressions that last, use featured videos that are most relevant to what you represent. Switch it up from time to time to keep it looking fresh for your returning visitors.
• Take advantage of Shorts. Create short-form videos that are trendy, relatable, and catchy. Chances are you’ve created them on other platforms like TikTok or Reels. So reposting it on YouTube simply adds another layer of possibility for your listings or services to be discovered.
• Reach out to your audience. Instead of waiting to be discovered, be strategic with leaving trails. Engage with the audience of videos similar to yours to heighten awareness of your content.
• Upload videos with SEO in mind. Make sure your video’s title and tags give as much information as possible about the video. The first line of description is also effective in getting your video the attention it deserves.

6 – Cross-promote on other platforms

Your mission when you upgrade your online presence isn’t about signing up for all the free platforms available.

It can be a lot of work to manage two accounts consistently which requires a supply of quality content.

And if your job is not really in marketing, then that’s going to pose some challenges.

Instead, focus on understanding your target audience and the language they use to interact per platform. That way, you can fully utilize your efforts and do better in cross-promoting yourself across different areas.

CROSS-PROMOTING TIPS TO UPGRADE YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE

Pinterest

Create and share high-quality infographics on Pinterest to get more saves for your images. The higher the impressions you get, the more referral traffic it brings to your other websites.

In addition, much like TikTok, Reels, and Shorts, short-form videos have arrived on Pinterest! So you can add this site to the growing list of websites you can upload videos without having to spend money on getting more views.

Medium

If you want to be seen as an authority in your field, writing valuable pieces of content might be worth your while.

While a personal website may be the pinnacle of attracting an audience, the advantage of social media platforms is bringing their audience to you.

Try writing or republishing your LinkedIn articles or blog posts on Medium. For instance, my first submission here was curated by Medium which was a sure boost in my online presence.

Alternatively, you may set up your full blog in Medium although that has its series of pros and cons.

Quora & Reddit

The users on Quora and Reddit are among the most engaged audiences I’ve seen in years. These platforms thrive on niches and communities which gives them instant credibility and an incredible notoriety.

Try participating in Q&As in Quora and #Trending topics on Reddit. It will slowly build you to be a trusted provider of information.

All it requires is for you to allot a few minutes, say every week, to provide answers to questions and share your expertise on topics respectively. Naturally, you can cross-promote this nugget of content on LinkedIn or Twitter to add more to your week’s content.

TikTok

TikTok has long since become more than just a video-sharing app to share dance trends or lipsync videos. As of 2021, the app has reached 1 billion active users that saw plenty of opportunities for brands and entrepreneurs to increase their brand awareness or scale their business.

With an algorithm that favors entertaining, educational and novelty content, real estate agents have a plethora of opportunities to make a name for themselves in TikTok. You can create “how-to” videos, property tour videos, ask a realtor series and so much more. Also, since the app supports videos in vertical format, you are able to cross-promote your content through its Meta counterpart Reels, or Google’s YouTube Shorts.

Just remember to do some research about your target audience in your location by going through some of the popular hashtags or topics in your location. This way you can plan around your content for weeks or months ahead and deliver them consistently to grow your traffic.

X (Formerly Twitter)

With the Twitter app, you can ‘tweet’ just about anything about your business the same way you’d share them through a Facebook status.

Though in recent years, Twitter has joined the bandwagon of most social media platforms because they also favor images or videos. With this, you can increase your chances of retweets by 150% by using some of those beautifully curated images you’re saving for Instagram.

Again, without spending money, any of the tips and tricks from this article can take your online presence up a notch. So try to pick the medium that feels right for the resources you want to share.

Of course, if you have a knack for social media then by all means sign up for all of them! After all, your efforts in creating informative or entertaining content should not go unnoticed.

Knowing you can maximize your online presence with absolutely no cost, no one can really stop you from showing up on at least ten social media platforms, amiright?

Free Online Tools to Give Your Profile a Stunning Look

Every so often, tech companies launch new apps with the sole purpose of helping us solve our everyday problems.

In the case of digital marketing, there’s a wide variety of readily available tools that can help you create stunning graphics or videos.

Most of these online tools are convenient to use since they can be accessed through either mobile or desktop. Not to mention you have the option to use its free or premium version.

Read More: How to Easily Create Stunning Social Media Real Estate Graphics

The FREE version of these apps is packed with good stuff for beginners. Meanwhile, the PREMIUM version promises an even more elevated look that you can easily incorporate into your digital presence.

• Graphic Design: Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud Express
• Photo Editing: Lightroom, Photoshop Express, PicsArt, VSCO
• Video Editing: InShot, VN, CapCut, iMovie
• Self-editing: Grammarly, Evernote
• Social media management: Hootsuite, Buffer, Later
• Keyword Research (great for blogs): Google Keyword Planner

I have used all of these tools for years which was a big help to me. For instance, Canva provided me with engaging graphics for my social media and blogs. And if you’re not a pro designer like myself, then you will appreciate how much time and money you can save from using these apps.

Summary

When you upgrade your online presence, you are helping put your business in a positive light. By doing small changes at little to zero costs, you have the potential to create a rather huge impact on your brand.

It’s worth noting, however, that it may not seem like a bad idea to be present on all social media platforms. But because of the nature of your job as a realtor, it’s better to stick with only a few you can consistently manage. This is especially true if you’re not tech-savvy and are easily overwhelmed by the number of trends that dominate the different platforms.

So my simple advice: Focus your efforts on growing and continuously upgrading your presence on platforms where you can connect with your audience the most.

Because as long as you’re willing to be creative and consistent with your strategy, your online presence can go from bland to grand. Thus, helping you attract more business to your brand.

— First Published on June 10, 2020 | Last Updated on December 18, 2022