SOCIAL MEDIA IN
THE REALTOR ®
WORLD
A WORKSHOP FROM THE LIBERTY COUNTY
CHAMBER/CVB

CAUSE WHO REALLY HAS
THE TIME FOR THIS?

TODAY
• Facebook
• Instagram
• What we are not doing today:
• Talking about how to start a brand new Facebook page
• Getting offended if you get picked on 

WHY CAN WE TEACH
A CLASS ON THIS
• #1 because you came to listen, we can teach!
• We have increased the Chamber FB fan base by 2,000+ in
less than a year
• We have increased the CVB FB fan base by almost 1000
since January 2017
• We have increased our Twitter following over 100+ in less
than a year
• We have increased our Instagram following over 1000+ in
a year

WHAT IS YOUR
STRATEGY
Our #1 strategy in using social media is to create a
relationship with people that will allow them to see us as a
resource for accurate & timely information about our
community.
Our #2 strategy in using social media is to push as many
people as possible to our website because then we can begin
converting them into paying customers.

TAKEAWAY
Social media is social. It is about creating community. It is
the butcher store, the church social, the quilting group from
40 years ago. It is your word of mouth. People buy from
people. Because the #1 form of advertising in today’s world
is still……???
Social media is about conversations that turn into
conversions. You are working to build a relationship.

THIS IS MY *
I am not a lawyer or a REALTOR ® I am merely offering you
advice based on what I have read in the Rules of Georgia
Real Estate Commission, articles & items from the Fair
Housing Administration. If you are ever in doubt of what is
real or true you should consult an attorney, your Broker
and/or the GREC.

FACEBOOK
• You need a BUSINESS Facebook page, not a friend page
• Because it’s the rules
• Because you can be fined (REALTOR ® in VA fined $450
in July 2018 for not clearly disclosing brokerage
association)
• Because without it you have no leverage against things
like take-down policies when your business is your brand

SOCIAL NO NO’S
• When practitioners discuss commissions or working with difficult agents in
Facebook groups, they’re potentially running afoul of the Code and risking
exposing their behavior publicly. Even if the group is private, a fellow member
could take a screen shot of the conversation and file an ethics complaint
against you.
• Don’t vent about another agent
• Don’t share another agent’s listings as it could constitute improper
advertisement of their listing. For example if you attend an open house & post
about it on your feed, you cannot engage in any practice that is inconsistent
with exclusive representation agreements that they have with their clients.
• Many agents have Facebook business profiles that note their role as a real
estate professional and the company they work for. That generally satisfies
the requirement of Article 12, Standard of Practice 12-5, that REALTORS®
must clearly identify themselves and their company when advertising online.
But your personal Facebook profile may not include such details, and if you
post listings or other advertorial material on that page, you could be violating
the Code.
• You have to provide a direct link to display the information that keeps you in
compliance if you are out of character space or when advertising in electronic
messages of limited information.

NO NO
• A common topic that comes up in real estate–related Facebook groups is
commissions. If someone is complaining about a commission they
received and asking for feedback, it can be tempting to spill your own
experience. But aside from it being in poor taste, you could be revealing
confidential financial details about your client if you speak in too much
detail about a commission. Article 1, SOP 1-9, requires REALTORS® to
preserve the privacy of confidential information about their clients even
after the end of their business relationship. You would need their
permission first before revealing such details publicly in order to avoid an
ethics violation.
• Before you make a claim on a social media site or in any print or non-print
advertising about your ranking in the market, make sure you include the
criteria you met to make the claim. Without including the criteria your
claim could be construed as false or misleading advertising. There is an
MLS rule and an article of the REALTOR® Code of Ethics that addresses
false and misleading advertising.
• Fair Housing. March 2018 saw the National Fair Housing Alliance filing
suit against Facebook.

YES, IT’S HARD

NOW THIS IS HOW
YOU DO IT!
• Social media is like any other marketing, follow the 80/20 rule.
Facebook in particular will push you down for posts that are too
promotional.
• Avoid posts that make you sound arrogant or unapproachable. Or
unrelatable. You have to humanize your business.
• Publishing inappropriate items. If you have to think about, it’s
wrong.
• Don’t inflate your posts. This can get you in hot water & make
people not trust you. If you use facts or figures, use accurate ones,
not rounded up or down ones.
• Images & videos are key
• Two of the worst errors you can make on social media are paying
others to provide false reviews for your business or like your
Facebook page. Your audience may not even notice you’re doing
these egregious social media marketing acts, but doing so will
certainly waste your time and effort and potentially lead to issues
with the social networks themselves.

AND THIS IS HOW YOU
KEEP DOING IT….
• You have to engage others. Not just post on your own
page.
• Monitor ROI
• Everyone is trying to sell, those that can inform are more
likely to get sales.
• Get reviews. Don’t leave a closing without it!
• Have a plan
• Do an album for every listing.
• This doesn’t mean you should share everything! Let’s talk
about links & making posts your own.

AND KEEP GOING…
• Use an editorial calendar
• Fill out your about section
• Don’t like your own posts are yourself
• Learn how to add events
• Change your cover photos
• Learn how to tag
• Verify your page
• Tell your story

RESOURCES
• https://www.zillow.com/agent-resources/blog/101-social-
media-posts-for-agents/

TIME
• It should not take you more than 10 minutes per day.
• Post 1-2 times per day.
• Like other posts, comment & ask questions.
• A PLAN will help you execute this.

INSTAGRAM
• Is visual.
• Is artsy.
• Doesn’t want poor quality photos.
• Doesn’t want a photo of the whole house unless it’s super
cool (like really old or ultra modern!)
• Doesn’t typically like pictures of you.
• Needs to have the same look/feel
• Include a link in bio to your website
• Tag photo locations
• Learn how to do your story
• Use #

TIME
• Should not take more than 10 minutes per day.
• Post 1x per day
• Like other posts, comment when you can
• Post a short 15 sec video in your story

FUN & USEFUL APPS
• Desygner
• Slack
• Follow cop (or similar)
• Photofy
• Goo.gl
• Letstag
• Hootesuite
• VSCO