Editor’s Note: Social Skills is a bi-monthly feature in RISMedia’s Daily News focused on social media and digital marketing tips, trends and solutions for agents and brokers.
In real estate, time is money. And if you ask any real estate agent why they don’t post on social media consistently, they will likely blame their lack of time. Between client calls, home showings, listing appointments and contract signings, sitting down to plan a week’s with of content can feel like a luxury. But, what if it only took 15 minutes?
You don’t need to spend hours maintaining a strong online presence. With a simple strategy, you can plan out your content quickly, avoid the last-minute scramble and stay top-of-mind in your market. Try out this 15-minute method to help you find success and save time with your social media content planning.
Come Up With 3 Themes: 3 Minutes
Start by choosing three content themes that you want to focus on for the week. These will guide what you post and help you stay consistent with your content and messaging.
Example:
- Education: Homebuyer tips, market updates, mortgage facts
- Engagement: Polls, “this or that” graphics, questions for followers
- Behind the Scenes: Open house sneak peaks, client stories, a day in the life
Rotate your themes weekly, and don’t hesitate revisiting themes and switching up the content. Remember, you are the expert, so finding creative ways to share your expertise will help you stand out.
Pro tip: Keep a list of content ideas under each theme in your notes or planner so you are never starting from scratch, saving even more time!
Draft 3 Posts: 5 Minutes
With your themes chosen, spend the next five minutes drafting on post per category. These don’t have top be long or complicated, just get your idea down (and don’t forget your hashtags!)
Example:
- Education: “Thinking of buying a home this year? There are 3 ways to prepare your finances before you apply for a mortgage. #HomebuyingTips #RealEstate101”
- Engagement: “Would you rather live in a home with a huge backyard or a dream kitchen? Comment your pick below! #ThisOrThat”
- Behind the Scenes: “Just wrapped a showing marathon with the best first-time buyers. I love helping people make big moves! #RealtorLife”
If you have extra time, draft a few week’s worth of captions in one go. For this 15-minute method, stick to these three and move on.
Pro tip: Consider using AI tools like ChatGPT to help you write up your captions, keeping them fresh and not repetitive.
Prepare Visuals: 4 Minutes
Now that your captions are drafted, it’s time to choose your visuals. Whether you have listing photos, past client images, clips from a video tour or graphic templates, you always want to include a visual element with your posts. If you don’t have an image ready, grab your phone and take some!
Example:
- Education: Take a selfie in front of your office or a listing, keeping your face in front of your audience, letting them know you are there to help.
- Engagement: Pull photos from listings that showcase a large yard or an impressive kitchen. This is also a great way to showcase your listings.
- Behind the Scenes: Share ‘a day in the life’ photo or spread of you showing a home, and the turnout from your open house event.
Pro tip: Keep a folder on your phone or computer of go-to- images you can re=use or repurpose. It will save you time on this step later!
Get Posting: 3 Minutes
Take these last few minutes to load your posts onto that platform of your choice. You can post directly, save drafts or schedule for a later date and time. Using tools like Meta Business Suite, and other scheduling tools, can help you plan out your content for a week in one shot, saving you even more time.
Bonus: Reuse What Works
A tip for agents looking to save time with your content is to reuse and repurpose what you know has worked for you before. Did a past poll get a ton of comments? Run another one. Are there market update templates that generated shares? Refresh if with new stats and post again.
Social media doesn’t have to take up all of your time to positively make an impact on your real estate business. By setting aside just 15 minutes at the beginning of each week, you can stay consistent, relevant and connected to your audience, all without sacrificing time with your clients.
Are you looking to boost your online presence, enhance your content and grow your real estate business? RISMedia’s ACESocial is truly simple content marketing proven to highlight your expertise, increase engagement, generate leads and build brand awareness—all in one place. To learn more or sign up today, visit acesocial.rismedia.com.