Real estate agents around Greater Vancouver are utilizing the power of social media to build their unique brand, connect with new clients and get listings in front of as many people as possible.
As more industries embrace the power of social media, agents and realtors are choosing digital marketing options rather than traditional modes of advertising themselves and their listings.
Maxwell Hasman, marketing director and real estate agent with Angell Hasman and Associates Realty Ltd., said he aims to be as innovative as possible with social media in order to stand out from other agents.
“It's really easy for a lot of people to copy what everybody else is doing. So a lot of what we do is to ask ‘How can we stand out? How can we market a property as best we can? How can we get the most exposure for our listings?’ In terms of long term goals, I would say it would be to innovate the market to become more like a Miami, New York Los Angeles style,” he said.
Not only does social media separate his work from other agents, but it helps to create a personal brand, Hasman says.
When it comes to searching for a home, 97 per cent of all homebuyers used the internet in their home search, according to a 2021 survey from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). In addition, 52 per cent of realtors surveyed said that they got their best leads from social media and 49 per cent utilize social apps to build and maintain client relations.
By utilizing apps like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, Hasman’s boutique brokerage is able to get five to six listings a year as a result of social media engagement. In addition, Hasman said the brokerage got a listing in Coal Harbour for nine million dollars as a result of Instagram.
Tirajeh Mazaheri, the founder of Vancouver Elite Real Estate Team, has been building her social media presence for the past four years. At the time of publication she has a total of 114,000 followers on Instagram and is listed as the top real estate agent on social media by PropertySpark.
Mazaheri has been able to get multiple listings and new clients, both from buyers and developers, in addition to marketing opportunities as a result of engagement through social media.
“If you're looking to sell your property, social media is the number one tool right now. So work with somebody who's going to properly know how to make your property stand out on social media platforms,” she said.
“Especially when the market is slower, like what we're seeing today, all you need is that one right buyer. So if you can get your listing in front of tens or thousands or millions of people just through social media, why not make use of that and benefit yourself?” she said.
While an agent's brokerage and their marketing is important, she says that at the end of the day it comes down to the individual real estate agent to make unique connections with potential clients by using an authentic approach.
Posts that include educational content seem to get the most engagement on her profile, Mazaheri said.
“Whenever I put content like that out there, I notice that it gets a lot of people asking me questions. Even if they're not specifically interested in the post for themselves, it'll get the conversation going so that they can open the door and ask me the question that they really want the answer to. That's how the relationship is formed so that I can get a listing from them or go and purchase a property for them,” she said.
Social media for anyone within the real estate industry is extremely beneficial, said Mayank Badhan, the owner of Realty Studios.
Digital marketing on social apps has the advantages of being cheaper, faster and can be accompanied by analytical tools to help agents understand what content is getting the most engagement, according to Badhan.
“What it allows them to do is showcase their brand, their photos or videos, but also potential properties to their existing or future clients and potential buyers. And what we have seen is actually a lot of new business coming up for realtors as a result of this,” he said.
