As a real estate professional, you likely have a lot on your plate. From juggling the day-to-day responsibilities of home showings, open houses and client inquiries to managing your personal life, it can be overwhelming, to say the least.

You’re constantly on the move, ensuring every detail is perfect, every client is satisfied and no opportunity is missed. Amid all this hustle, finding time to dedicate to social media can seem impossible.

Work smarter, not harder, by repurposing content across all platforms

Social media, however, is a critical component of your marketing strategy. It’s where your dream clients discover you, where you build your brand and where you can showcase listings and your expertise. But when creating content, engaging with followers and staying up-to-date with fleeting trends feel like just another mountain to climb, it’s easy to push social media marketing to the bottom of your to-do list.

If this sounds familiar, it’s time to work smarter, not harder, by finding clever ways to maximize your social media marketing efforts without sacrificing quality or consistency. The answer is simple: repurpose your content across all platforms. Today, we’re sharing our agency-approved tips for repurposing your content quickly and effectively, saving you time and energy. 

1. Turn blog posts into social media posts

Blog posts are a goldmine for content. If you’ve spent time writing detailed, informative blog posts, don’t let them sit idle on your website! Instead, break them down into bite-sized social media posts or repackage them on LinkedIn. 

For example, a “5 Tips for First-Time Home Buyers” blog post can be transformed into a five-part Instagram carousel or a series of tweets. This not only maximizes the value of your blog content but also keeps your social media feed active and informative. Additionally, you can repurpose your blog posts on LinkedIn to extend your reach further. A new headline, bullet points and updated image can make your older content feel fresh and new. 

2. Create video snippets from long-form videos

A well-shot long-form video can be repurposed into Reels, TikToks or YouTube Shorts. For example, if you’ve filmed a video tour of a property or an in-depth discussion on market trends, you can extract shorter clips highlighting key points. 

These snippets are perfect for engaging your audience on platforms where short-form content thrives. Additionally, shorter videos are more likely to be shared, increasing your reach and attracting new followers.

3. Share email content on social media

Your email newsletters are another untapped resource for social media content. If you’ve crafted an insightful email update for your subscribers, don’t hesitate to share it on your social platforms. This strategy not only saves you time but also promotes your email list, driving more traffic to your primary communication channel and increasing your database of leads.

You can post snippets of your email and a call-to-action inviting followers to subscribe to your list for more exclusive insights. For example, you might pull out a key statistic or an interesting takeaway from an email, and turn it into a visually appealing social media post. Pair it with a compelling call-to-action like, “Want more exclusive insights? Subscribe to our newsletter for the updates!” 

4. Bring your audience behind-the-scenes content

People love getting a peek behind the curtain! Sharing behind-the-scenes content humanizes your brand and builds a stronger connection with your audience. Whether it’s a day-in-the-life of a real estate agent, a sneak peek of an upcoming listing or a glimpse of your team at work, this type of content is both engaging and easy to create. Behind-the-scenes posts give potential clients a taste of what it’s like to work with you, fostering trust and familiarity.

For example, you can document a day-in-the-life of a real estate agent by sharing short clips on Instagram Stories, from your morning coffee to showing homes and meeting clients. You can also host a Facebook Live video tour of your office, introducing your team and giving a real-time look at your work environment. Additionally, you can write a LinkedIn article titled “Behind the Scenes: A Day in the Life of a Real Estate Agent,” detailing your daily routine and the challenges you face. 

5. Repurpose testimonials

Client testimonials are powerful marketing tools that build trust and credibility with potential clients. Instead of limiting them to your website, you can also share them on social media. Create visually appealing posts featuring quotes from happy clients, or have past clients film short video testimonials. Highlighting positive feedback on social media can reassure potential clients and encourage them to reach out to you.

By repurposing your content, you can maintain a consistent and engaging social media presence without the constant pressure of creating new material from scratch. Implement these strategies to streamline your marketing efforts, and watch as your online presence grows with minimal added effort.

Working smarter, not harder, will allow you to focus on what you do best: helping your clients find their dream homes!

Over the past couple of years, artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT have revolutionized the way we approach content creation. While AI can’t replace the human touch required to tell compelling stories and create a personal connection with your audience, it can significantly enhance your content strategy. 

In a recent post, we talked about the importance of having a clear social media content strategy. Today, we’re exploring how AI can streamline the process by helping you generate fresh and diverse content ideas. 

ChatGPT can be used to help you brainstorm a wide range of topics, ensuring you never run out of content ideas. It can help simplify the content creation process, offering new perspectives and ideas that might not have been considered otherwise. Additionally, automating parts of your content creation allows you to focus your energy where it matters most: on crafting valuable content that resonates with your dream clients.

Keep reading and discover how you can prompt ChatGPT effectively, saving you time and effort while still maintaining a strong, personal connection with your audience. 

Effective prompts to enhance your real estate content strategy

When it comes to utilizing ChatGPT, it’s not enough to simply ask it for content ideas and hope for the best. To generate impactful content tailored to your brand (and avoid sounding like a robot), you first have to lay the groundwork with detailed prompts that work for your business. Here’s how.

1. Establish your brand identity 

The first thing to let ChatGPT know is who you are. If AI doesn’t understand you, your business or your goals, the content it generates is going to be generic and unspecific. 

In a previous article, we outlined how a cohesive brand identity can help you enhance your marketing strategy. After you’ve taken steps to solidify your brand pillars and promises, you can begin your content creation efforts by inputting this information into ChatGPT. 

Here’s an example:

“I’m a real estate agent in [insert your city]. My brand pillars are [insert your brand pillars]. My target audience includes [insert your target audience, e.g.: first or second-time home buyers who want help navigating the complexities of the real estate market]. I promise my clients they will [insert brand promises, e.g.: ​​feel confident and at ease in their real estate journey]. My content goals are to [insert content goals]. Now, imagine you are my content strategist, keeping this information in mind as I continue to ask you more questions and create content.”

2. Dive into data and research

Research is a crucial step in developing relevant content that converts. ChatGPT can assist you in brainstorming new strategies, gaining deeper insight into the needs and desires of your target audience and identifying popular trends across different social media platforms. 

Here are some ways you can prompt ChatGPT to collect valuable data and research.

Brainstorming strategies

• “What are innovative marketing strategies for real estate agents working with a similar target audience?”
• “How can I differentiate my real estate business from competitors?”

Understanding your target audience

• “What are the key characteristics of [insert target audience] in [your city]?”
• “What are the main objections holding my ideal clients back from hiring me?”

Identifying popular trends

• “What are the current trends in real estate content on Instagram?”
• “What type of content is performing well on Instagram right now?”

By using ChatGPT as a research tool to collect current data, you can develop a broader understanding of your target market and create highly relevant and engaging content for your audience.

3. Generating content ideas

Now, the content creation begins. Once you’ve gathered essential insights, leverage ChatGPT to spark a wealth of tailored content ideas for your real estate brand. After you’ve asked one of the brainstorming questions listed above, try this prompt:

“Now, with everything you know about my brand pillars and content goals, generate a list of 20 related content ideas that align with my business and will perform well based on current social media trends.”

4. Editing and refining your content 

Lastly, ChatGPT can be a powerful tool for fine-tuning your content. For example, you might ask it to:

• “Edit this email to increase conversions.”
• “Rewrite this Instagram caption to be more engaging.”
• “Revise this paragraph to better align with my brand voice.”

Remember, ChatGPT lacks the human component, and it may take some trial and error to get the hang of it. While AI can’t replace the human touch in storytelling, it can significantly enhance your content strategy by streamlining the creation process. 

One of the biggest advantages of using ChatGPT is the ability to reclaim your time. By automating the more tedious parts of the content creation process and integrating AI into your workflow, you can ensure that your content is consistent and engaging without spending countless hours brainstorming and drafting.

In 2023, HubSpot reported that the main reason 63 per cent of realtors were using social media was to promote their property listings. Given today’s digital landscape, this hardly comes as a surprise. 

But does social media really lead to leads for realtors?

An end to door-knocking and cold-calling

While the days of door-knocking and cold-calling aren’t quite over yet, social media might be calling for the end of an era.

“I was actually making 50 to 75 cold calls a day when I first started and wasn’t enjoying it,” says Conor Kelly, an agent with Stonehaus Realty. “So, I started doing two TikToks and one Instagram story a day. I was anticipating it to take three to five years to get a decent lead flow. But, a month and a half later, the phones started ringing.”

If you’re a realtor who’s interested in social media platforms but you’re unsure where to start, follow these tips from other agents who live and breathe social media.

Tip 1: Listen to your audience

When it comes to social media, it can be easy to overlook the “social” component. Social media is more than about creating high-quality content — it’s also about engaging and listening to your audience.

When Alex Dunbar, an agent with the Real Brokerage, first started creating content in 2018, he was making videos he thought would be of interest to his audience, primarily on educational topics like explaining property transfer tax or closing costs. But then he started analyzing data on what his audience was actually most interested in.

“Now, I go back at the end of the year and actually look at where all my deals come from,” says Dunbar. “I can tell you I had this many come in through TikTok, YouTube or Instagram.”

Listening to his audience has helped Dunbar create content now that is more aligned with what his audience is truly interested in seeing — whether that’s city and neighbourhood guides, moving and relocation tips or market updates on Greater Vancouver, for example.

Tip 2: It’s not all about you 

Imagine you’re having dinner with someone and they only talk about themselves the entire time. No fun, right?

Same goes for your social media content. It shouldn’t be all about you.

Take Tyler Burrows, an agent with Oakwyn Realty. He’s recently gained social media attention with his hashtag #TouringWithTyler. Burrows regularly posts walkthrough video tours of properties for sale, especially unique ones like lofts, on his social media accounts. The catch? They’re not his own listings.

Now, Burrows estimates that about half of his leads come from social media. Not only has he been able to build relationships with the listing realtors of the properties he’s viewing, but people have begun reaching out to him when they’re in search of properties similar to the ones in his video tours, like lofts.

Tip 3: Don’t let the trolls get to you

While your social media engagement will likely be mostly positive, it might also attract the occasional troll or two in your comment section.

“Some of them are so bad that I can’t even say them here,” says Kelly.

It may be easier said than done, but the simplest advice would be to simply ignore the trolls. 

“I just don’t let other people’s words have power over me,” Dunbar mentions.

Tip 4: Give it time

Becoming a social media sensation isn’t an overnight process. Having a strategy and being consistent is key to a realtor’s success.

“You have to consistently put things out on a daily, weekly, monthly, annual basis to actually start to see results,” says Dunbar. “If people see you one time, they’re not immediately going to like you or build trust with you. But when they see you’ve been doing it over a long period of time, that’s when they’re going to reach out.”

“Views don’t necessarily equal deals,” explains Kelly. “I didn’t get a legitimate lead until I went to a presale in Mission and ended up closing four deals off of that one video.”

But, it took time and a consistent social media presence for Kelly to gain that level of influence from a single video. Gaining credibility and trust might be more important metrics than views, impressions and engagement rates — even if they can’t quite be quantified.

There’s no one formula for social media success. What might work for one realtor might not work for another. It’s about finding your voice and what works best for you.

“The important thing is you do it your way,” says Burrows. “And you stick to it.”

You don’t have to be a novelist or an expert marketer to tell a story that will resonate with your dream clients. In fact, the key to good storytelling is to be invested in your protagonist’s — or, in this case, your dream client’s — transformation.

In a recent post, we explored why storytelling is a powerful tool for building a brand identity. Now, let’s take a closer look at how you can use stories to create compelling content that will have clients lining up to work with you.

Craft your brand voice

First, it’s important to hone your voice by getting clear on your voice pillars. Just like your brand pillars, these are the values and characteristics that make up your brand voice. 

Messaging: Your messaging refers to the core message you want to convey to your target audience. It should be memorable, compelling and relevant to your dream client’s needs, goals and desires.

Tone: Tone refers to the attitude and personality conveyed in the language you use in your marketing. Your tone might be formal or informal, serious or playful, or authoritative or friendly, depending on your brand values and target audience.

Use this as a guide to ensure your brand’s messaging and tone (which can also include vocabulary and style) is consistent across all marketing channels to create a cohesive brand image.

Uncover your personal transformation story

You already understand the importance of creating an emotional connection with your audience to help build your like, know, trust factor. Now, it’s time to uncover the stories that carry the deepest emotion for you and therefore are clearly connected to your key transformation, your purpose and your why.

The goal is to paint a picture of where you were then versus now.

As you uncover these stories, make notes of the key themes and emotions that show up (this may also help to fine-tune your brand voice).

Here are some prompts to help you uncover your best stories:

• What are your most vivid childhood memories?
• What beliefs about yourself and the world led you here?
• What has been a pivotal moment in your life, when you realized nothing would ever be the same?

Help your audience imagine their transformation

Remember how we encouraged you to show, rather than tell, your clients how you’ll change their lives? One of the best ways to leverage storytelling in your marketing is to swap the usual client testimonial for a story that paints the picture of a client’s journey.

For example, you might detail how you helped that first-time buyer close a deal despite a tough market or how you taught someone to leverage their current property to purchase an investment home. The key is to tell the story from the client’s perspective to show (rather than tell) future clients what you can do for them.

Here are some prompts to help paint a vivid client transformation story:

• What were their key pain points? What were their dreams and desires?
• What fears, blocks or obstacles were stopping them from taking the next step? How did you help them move past these things?
• How did you guide them through their journey?
• What is a promise you made to this client that you wouldn’t be afraid to make to another?

We believe stories have the power to change the world. How will yours?

Take this as a sign to revisit your social media content, website copy or emails and see how you can implement more storytelling into your marketing.