Getting found in social media has become one of the most important objectives of a company’s marketing campaign, including real estate companies. In today’s hyper-connected world, 72% of all internet users are now active on social media, which would explain why 93% of marketers use social media for business. It is hard to ignore numbers like this, which is why it is important to make sure your real estate company is getting found for the right things in social media. One of the best ways to do this is through the use of hashtags.
New to Hashtags?
Hashtags are essentially keywords that link a collection of related content from all over the internet into one place on each platform. Written as one word placed behind a pound sign, for example #realestate, this real estate hashtag could be used in a Twitter tweet or Google+ post to add your company’s content into the searchable real estate collection. Therefore, when someone is searching Twitter or Google+ for real estate, or clicks #realestate on any other piece of information or a photo that contains that hashtag, a list of content that has been tagged with #realestate will appear, including yours.
Why Hashtags are Useful in Real Estate
More than 90% of consumers begin their home search online, and because the majority of those people are also actively using social media, they are using platforms such as Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and even Instagram to supplement their search.
Hashtags are also the perfect tool for attracting people who aren’t already followers of your social media accounts. By connecting to other information that is relevant to yours through hashtags, the people who are searching for similar content to yours will now be able to find you easier on social media.
Ideas for Real Estate Hashtags
- Target your real estate company’s audience through local hashtags on Pinterest
When an interested consumer enters “Georgia Homes,” for example, into the search bar on Pinterest, a page with numerous homes in Georgia will appear, posted by other consumers, home décor companies, and real estate companies alike. When that person clicks on one of the homes he or she likes and #peachtreeheights is listed below the photo, clicking on that hashtag will take them to all of the content that is related to that specific neighborhood. Use this to your real estate company’s advantage and post local hashtags to attract people who are looking for homes in your specific area.
- Use “Trending Hashtags” on Twitter
Twitter features hashtags that are currently trending alongside their home page. Finding a way to incorporate one of these hashtags is a creative way to get exposure for your company through Twitter. For example, if #ImHappyBecause is trending for the day, post a picture of one of your customers with their new home and say “They’re happy because they just found their dream home,” and be sure to include the hashtag.
- Descriptive hashtags in Google+, and other platforms
When posting your photos to Google+, an image-driven platform, and other social media sites as well, use hashtags to describe your properties or to highlight the information in a blog post that relates to the topic and redirects visitors back to your company’s real estate blog. When a consumer searches Google+ for “country living,” for example, an ongoing scroll of related content will fill their screen. Use that hashtag to connect to that content and show off your country real estate and advertise that blog post, “Top 10 Best County Kitchens,” to redirect visitors to your website.
The possibilities are virtually endless with hashtags, but a few things are definitive. Knowing what hashtags are and how to effectively use them in your real estate company’s social media campaign will greatly increase awareness about your real estate company.