Why Pinterest is in Your Best Interest
In the age of social media, it can be difficult to keep up with all of the different forms that are out there. With Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and more, it can be tough to know where to put your energy. However, one of the less utilized yet also fastest growing social media platforms is Pinterest, and it is rapidly becoming a valuable way to drive website traffic for real estate agents.
So, what is Pinterest?
If you haven’t explored the site already, the basic concept behind Pinterest is that it lets you create virtual pin boards that are collections of things you are interested in and want to remember to pursue further. These may include recipes, craft projects, home organization tips, new cleaning products or even (here’s where you come in) your dream home. Because you can see what other people have “pinned”, and they can see your interests too, the amount of exposure a certain item can get simply by being added to someone’s interests can rapidly escalate.
How can it benefit a Realtor?
As a real estate agent, Pinterest can be used in many different ways. A good place to start is with pinning the homes that you’re selling or that your clients have recently bought. If you pin photos of amazing looking homes (think eye-candy), the circulation of those photos increases chances a potential buyer in the area will want to click over to your website to see more. If a given home is lackluster, that’s alright, highlighting the home’s best features will accomplish the same thing. Another idea is to pin pictures of happy buyers posing in front of homes that you’ve sold, perhaps with a testimonial of their experience, and this will also increases the likelihood of someone in the area looking to sell their house will get in touch. Just be sure the photos you pin reside on your domain, perhaps in a blog post somewhere, otherwise you miss on the opportunity to drive traffic back to your website.
Think outside the box with your local community
Another plan of attack when it comes to Pinterest is to pin information regarding the communities and towns that you represent. By showing prospective buyers all the things they can do and see in the area, they will find themselves imagining how the neighborhood is a place where they could very happily live out the next chapter of their lives. Do your best to appeal to a wide range of clients by pinning information about the top restaurants, parks, schools, beaches, shopping centers, nearby attractions and just about anything else you can think of! It’s also a great opportunity to show people how much you know about the area. Be sure to map your pin board and fill out the location information when you create it – as seen below, simply check yes to ‘Add a Map?’ when you create your board. You can further promote your pin boards by sharing them on other social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or even your blog with only a few minutes spent each day.
Add a Location to Your Board
Yet another avenue worth exploring is DIY and home renovation projects. This is a huge area on Pinterest, and by pinning such projects you can appeal to home sellers and buyers alike. This will further your reputation as a helpful resource, as well as inspiring your potential clients to either put some work into their home prior to selling, or to look for a new home that they can start adding their own personal touch to.
Become a follower
Of course, you can also use Pinterest to follow the pin boards of other people of interest to you in the real estate industry. Their posts may be a source of inspiration and information, and can help you make the most of your own Pinterest presence.
What the future holds
Around 5 months ago, Pinterest began experimenting with promoted pins. We can all see it coming that with their enormous user base, it is simply a matter of time until their advertising options blossom into maturity. This is certain to include a way to geo-target ads – one of the most popular targeting methods already available on other top social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Slowly building out boards now will let you take advantage when the time comes, and you won’t be scrambling like every other agent who doesn’t yet have a Pinterest account. Showcasing a list of top schools, home financing resources or other helpful local information is great way to digitally introduce yourself to potential buyers in your area.
Bryn Kaufman
Posted at 10:19h, 04 MarchI would like to hear some success stories about Realtors using Social Media like Pinterest or another site. While there is no doubt Pinterest, Facebook, etc. are very popular, users are not going there to see or hear about our latest listings.
Also, popularity does not equal success for an agent. The Internet is very popular, but putting up a Website on the Internet does not guarantee success.
It seems to me this is similar to door knocking, where the person is not in the market, but you want to take their time and interrupt their day to introduce yourself and something they are not interested in at this time.
If it is working let’s hear about it. If it is not working, then maybe we should focus on marketing avenues where the people are actually looking for Real Estate information, such as our Website, Craigslist, PPC, Watch Lists, etc.
Drew Meyers
Posted at 10:20h, 04 March“interrupt their day to introduce yourself and something they are not interested in at this time.”
Here Ye, Here Ye – https://geekestateblog.com/ye-ye-read/
Sam DeBord, SeattleHome.com
Posted at 09:41h, 05 MarchI can see Pinterest working for a group that has someone dedicated to marketing, like the Corcoran group. Most agents are just spread too thin. Passive social media marketing definitely has a place, but it’s a slow, low-impact process. If you’ve got the bandwidth to really cultivate a local community group, then go for it, but it’s an uphill battle for attention.
Drew Meyers
Posted at 09:43h, 05 Marchit’s an uphill battle for attention regardless of what platform/strategy/approach you try 🙂
Sam DeBord, SeattleHome.com
Posted at 09:44h, 05 MarchWithout a doubt. But passively attracting attention might be a lot more work for most agents than just directly going out and meeting people. I guess that’s the crux of any online marketing.
Drew Meyers
Posted at 09:48h, 05 MarchYup agree with you.
Bryn Kaufman
Posted at 11:47h, 05 MarchSam, I agree and disagree with you. I agree that it is slow, low-impact. I would say slow, low, no-impact, especially for most agent’s listings.
The agents getting $20 million listings have eye candy photos to share, but those clients value their privacy, and don’t want photos of their private property being shared around the internet.
The typical agent’s listing is not eye candy, it is average, and therefore creates an average photo which is not so exciting to look at.
Where I disagree with you is in having to have someone in your group dedicated to marketing. Today I will be assigning a marketing project that takes a lot of time to an oDesk contractor. Someone who bills way under the minimum wage here in the US, and has the time and most importantly the skills to do this project. I have used oDesk for a number of projects, so I don’t feel being spread too thin is a reason not to do a good project.
The only reason not to do a project is it won’t return much benefit. If the benefit is there, an agent can put together a virtual team to get it done at an extremely reasonable price.
Sam DeBord, SeattleHome.com
Posted at 11:51h, 05 MarchI’m totally on board with that. If you can hire it out at a reasonable cost, and keep doing what you do best, great.
Dara Lin
Posted at 01:08h, 07 MarchPinterest can also promote traffic to the main site where prospect can fulfill his knowledge about the thing that he might desired with.