It's no secret that everyone is on social media, whether it's your daughter, grandma, or company. It’s a train that millions of people and companies around the world have jumped on. But what if we told you you were just scratching the surface of your social media potential? Companies who have an online presence that engages their customers have greater overall lead traffic. This increased traffic can lead to happier customers, and more referrals.
However, advertising on social media isn't just a matter of posting about your listings. We've organized the best ways for agents new to the industry to get a great head start on digital advertising when it comes to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
Social Media Facts:
- 64% of marketers are using social media for six or more hours weekly, and 41% for 11 or more hours weekly (Social Media Examiner).
- Nearly one-third of the world uses social networks regularly (eMarketer).
- More than half of marketers who have been using social media for at least two years report it helped them improve sales (Social Media Examiner).
- By spending as little as six hours per week, 66% of marketers saw lead generation benefits with social media (Social Media Examiner).
- 63% of Facebook and Twitter users say each platform serves as a source for news about events and issues outside the realm of friends and family (Pew Research Center).
Instagram Facts:
- 28% of adult internet users use Instagram (Hubspot).
- 59% of Instagram users are on the platform daily, including 35% who visit several times a day (Pew Research Center).
- Total Number of Monthly Active Instagram Users: 700 million (Omnicoreagency).
- U.S’s adult Instagram use has doubled since 2012 (Websitebuilder).
What you need to know about Instagram:
- You can upload pictures, videos, and gifs to your Instagram profile to start building your page.
- You can also upload "Instagram stories" where you can film or take picture of whatever you would like to share with your followers.
- As you start to gain more followers and start to follow other people, you can start to try to build a brand for yourself.
- To gain more followers, you should start trying to post strategically by deciding who your audience is. Who do you want to follow you and be engaged in your posts?
- Once you know your audience, you can start posting at optimal times, posting strategic content, and figuring our your online "voice".
- When you post Instagram "stories" you can also embed a link so anyone who views your story can swipe up and be sent directly to your website!
- Posting once or twice a day is ideal but some companies like to post three or four times a day.
- You can pay a small fee to "promote" your Instagram posts. This is a feature where Instagram advertises your post on people in your target market's feed.
- Instagram is a great tool for marketers to use to get themselves out there and really have a chance to show who they are and what their brand is all about!
Facebook Facts:
- 74% of people say they use Facebook for professional purposes (Hubspot).
- Content consumption on Facebook has increased 57% in the past two years (Hubspot).
- 76% of people use their Facebook feed to find interesting content (HubSpot).
- Facebook sends 82% of social media traffic to longer stories and 84% of social traffic to shorter news articles (Pew Research Center).
What you need to know about Facebook:
- Professionals on Facebook can utilize Facebook ads to promote their posts.
- In these ads, you can choose who you want your advertisement to reach by specifying demographics.
- Companies can create company pages where users can "like" the page and receive updates.
- Facebook will update you with information about post reach, web clicks, and how many people clicked the "contact us" button.
- With this data, you can adjust your marketing plan accordingly and watch your Facebook presence grow.
Twitter Facts:
- 23% of adult internet users use Twitter (Pew Research Center).
- Twitter accounts for 16% of referrals to longer articles from social sites and 14% for shorter news articles (Pew Research Center).
- In the past two years, content consumption on Twitter has increased 25% (Hubspot).
- 3 in 10 online urban residents use Twitter, compared with 21% of suburbanites and 15% of those living in rural areas (Pew Research Center).
What you need to know about Twitter:
- When products and services are advertised on twitter, people are more likely to buy them or at least visit their website.
- Much like Instagram and Facebook, Twitter also allows you to promote your products to be seen on the feeds of people in your target market
- On Twitter, its common for accounts to promote each other. You may see a user who has a lot of followers tweet something about a specific product, and encourage their followers to buy this product.
- When you tweet, you can only type 140 characters or less. This encourages tweeters to be certain of what they want to get across so they can fit the most important information into their tweets.
- Twitter also gives you analytics such as impressions, engagement rates, top audiences, top tweets, follower demographics, and much more important information that can help you become a digital marketing star!
For some more social media tips, check out or blog post Social Media's Do's and Don'ts