Let’s be upfront and honest on this one: you’re probably committing some of the most common and biggest social media errors and mistakes and you don’t even know it. That’s ok! If you’re over 35, it’s not in your nature to use social media fluently – really, social media has only been a proven mainstay of popular culture since around 2006. So, if you feel like what you don’t know about social media might be hurting you, we’re going to talk about the most common and biggest social media errors which are likely negatively impacting your online digital presence.
This is a quick quiz to help you avoid these biggest social media errors! Answer truthfully, and you’ll be able to identify areas of opportunity – all answers are yes or no.
The Biggest Social Media Error Quiz
1. Do you copy/paste most of your content?
2. Do you run a spelling/grammar check on all posts?
3. Do you post infrequently?
4. Do you immediately message people who like your page/content?
5. Do you openly share your personal/political/religious beliefs on your professional channels?
6. Is all of your content first take/first draft?
If you answered ‘Yes’ to any of these questions, congratulations! You’re making some of the most common and biggest social media errors you need to make some changes to your social media approach or you could be driving traffic away as much as you’re failing to attract it!
Copy/Pasting Content
The reality is that to be an effective real estate professional in the digital age, you HAVE to be good with social media. Unless you’re part of the super elite of sellers whose sought for their services, you need to be building your personal brand actively to grow your audience and have it start generating leads. WRITE YOUR CONTENT ORIGINALLY PLEASE. People can tell when you’ve taken that extra bit of effort – and can REALLY tell when you haven’t.
Look below, this is a ‘mission statement’ which has been used verbatim by over two dozen pages of real estate professionals. Some edit it slightly, but all use large portions of it word-for-word.
Note: Resharing useful content and giving credit to the original author on various social media channels is not considered copy pasting.
Infrequent Posting – Keep Your Social Media Account Active
Do you know the usage tendencies of your preferred social media platforms? Have you intentionally tailored your social media plan? If not, you need to do your homework. Some platforms have a higher proportion of daily use than others, and therefore require more content – not having enough content for your channels is one of the biggest social media errors made, and typically results in using the same content over, and over, and over, and over.
Learn the platform’s typical usage patterns and design a content plan that matches that type of usage so your audience can engage better.
The Overshare (The BIGGEST Social Media Error)
Social media is a minefield of inflammatory opinions. Don’t get sucked in. Stay focused on your content plan and audience. Building your personal brand successfully REQUIRES remaining as neutral as possible in the eyes of prospective clients.
Keep your political and religious beliefs to yourself. It’s not worth inviting these kinds of debate to your social media channels. While some say ‘There’s no such thing as bad publicity’. There is.
More importantly, the impact goes beyond just your reputation as a real estate professional.
If politics come up, aim for tact and do your best to strike a conciliatory tone. Your business-related social media is THE LAST place you should be discussing politics. Divisive opinions could alienate potential clients, and why cost yourself a commission check because “freedom of speech”. It’s tacky, it’s unprofessional, and if your personal politics aren’t particularly popular, it could prove costly.