The 5 Things REALTORS® Should NEVER Post About on Social Media

Lines often get blurred on social media.

We’ve all seen cringe-worthy content pop up on our social media feeds before.

Not just from tasteless acquaintances or outspoken celebrities, but from business owners and brands — the kind of accounts you don’t expect to post anything but professional content.

In the marketing world, social media platforms are a relatively new tool, and we’re all still learning best practices.

Because most social media sites started off as personal rather than business platforms, marketers often toe the line between the two sides. Many can also be found posting photos and memes that aren’t exactly professional in an effort to seem funny or daring (not that memes are always a bad thing, mind you).

REALTORS® can fall into the same trap, and sometimes the repercussions aren’t pretty.

An unprofessional post can result in public outcry, loss of followers and, worst of all, a tarnished reputation.

Not worth it.

To help you stay likable online, we’re giving you a quick and dirty guide to the five topics you should NEVER post about on your real estate business social media accounts.

1. Your Income

There’s a stereotype that most real estate agents make a lot of money.

There’s another that most real estate agents make a lot of money for not a lot of work.

Neither, of course, are true of all agents, but you want to avoid playing into that stereotype.

Be mindful of posting photos, videos and status updates that could be considered “showing off.” For example, sharing a family snapshot from your recent beach vacation is fine, but maybe a photo album of your Rolex collection isn’t such a great idea.

Basically, avoid making connections between the success of your real estate business and the lifestyle you’re able to lead.

Yes, you work as a real estate agent to pay the bills, but your current and prospective clients might not find flagrant displays of wealth as very tasteful.

On the flip side, constant complaints about tight budgets might also be a major turn-off

2. Politics

It seems like an obvious no-no, but in our highly politicized times, posts about politicians, laws, rallies, and news headlines often find their way into our feeds – from personal and professional accounts alike.

Everyone has an opinion. Including real estate agents.

While you might have strong feelings about an issue, try to suppress the urge to post about it on social media — even if you think that what you have to say isn’t provocative.

This is mainly because you can’t anticipate how your posts might make your followers feel, and what’s mild to you might be a can of worms to others. People might respond in agreement, or they might be disappointed with what you had to say, and possibly even decide to unfollow you.

This rule also applies to your personal social media accounts that are publicly viewable. After all, you are also your business.

If you really can’t help yourself, you might want to just take that to your personal account, and set a few filters, or lock a few posts to be viewable only to select people.

3. “Adult” Content

This is another subject that can get hazy on social media.

While you’re an adult who can do as you please, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should announce it to the world by Tweeting about it.

Sure, photos of you with a glass of wine or a beer might be nice from time to time, but a photo of you on a bender? Maybe not so much.

To stay on the safe side, try to stay away from (or at least minimize) content that focuses or alludes to things like alcohol or smoking

Meanwhile, drug-related content and content that is sexual in nature is a no-no. These can be pretty sensitive — if not downright offensive — topics, and it’s difficult to know how exactly your followers might react to it.

Oh, and one more thing: let’s talk about selfies.

Again, selfies on their own are not so bad in moderation. However, maybe that photo of  you in a revealing swimsuit (for the ladies), or your topless gym shot (for the gents) doesn’t belong on your real estate business social media account.

4. The “Other” Guy

You’re not running a political campaign, and even if you were, throwing your competitors under the bus on social media just simply isn’t a very nice thing to do. In fact, don’t even mention the competition.

Your marketing strategy should always be focused on what makes YOU a great real estate agent — not what makes OTHER agents less skilled or qualified.

Social media content that discredits or pokes fun at other real estate agents working in your market won’t make your followers laugh, or convince them that you’re the best choice. Instead, it might backfire, and you might just come off as insecure — and no one wants to work with an insecure agent.

5. Anything You Can’t Verify Yourself

Urban myths and rumours have been making their rounds online since household internet became a thing.

Everyone has that friend or relative who shares bizarre warnings about overheated cell phones and hacks for turning banana peels into candy — AKA, completely false content that gets widely shared because of how curious the headline is.

Don’t be that person!

Before you decide to share any sort of tip, caution, or feel-good story, double check that it is indeed true. Sometimes, a quick check on Google is all it takes, and for tougher cases, there’s  the online reference for myths and rumours, Snopes.

If you can’t verify that the content is factual, then don’t bother sharing it. After all, you don’t want to be embarrassed by followers who know your post is false and call you out for it.

 

Are there other topics you think that all real estate agents should stay clear of? Tell us in the comments!

 

 

 

Last Updated on July 12, 2024 by myRealPage