Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing — take advantage of what’s already at your fingertips!

Marketing 101:   With any business, the more people that know about your product, the more chances you have for a successful sale at the highest price in the open market.  The same goes for fix-and-flip investors selling their remodeled properties.

Certainly, we recommend utilizing “traditional” methods of using a listing agent and the services they provide, which extends to the listing being visible on Zillow, RedFin, and a host of other internet sites.  But, even before the property is listed with an agent, using social media diligently can gain significant exposure and potential sales for your fix-and-flip projects.

Plus, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and even TikTok, truly are a free tactic to promote a property that is both coming to market, or already listed.  We frequently see our clients get inquiries on social media from real estate agents and potential homebuyers for additional information or showings on their fix-and-flip projects after they have posted about them.

Using social medial to build your brand as a real estate investor requires little time or effort and can be done on your own schedule.  Even if you are new to social media, the platforms are user friendly and with a little practice are easy for everyone, even those who are technologically challenged, to use.

Social Media Marketing for your Property:

Disclaimer:  With any social media platform, it is up to the individual user to determine and enable the level of “privacy” settings one is comfortable with.   It’s also up to you to make sure you are complying with the rules of the various social media platforms.

To begin, you may want to consider setting up an LLC through the Secretary of State’s website (or consulting with an attorney to do so) and giving your fix-and-flip business a name that conveys that you are in the home business, such as Smith’s Distinctive Homes, LLC (this is for example’s sake only).   Then, you can include your home flipping business name on your personal social media pages, as well as setting up separate business pages on the social media platforms to promote your fix-and-flip venture.   You may also want to consider developing a logo for your fix-and-flip business. Sites such as canva.com, and others, have logo making templates.    Having a strong brand can be a huge asset as you continue building your real estate portfolio.

Once you’ve purchased a home to fix-and-flip, start documenting your rehab process via social media. Create posts and use the “stories” features in Facebook and Instagram that show the narrative of your improvement process—from initial purchase of the home and the “before” shots, the labor & materials going into the rehab, the “coming soon” photos, the fully staged property, the listing with the property details, and ultimately the sold property! Here’s an example of one of our “Before & After” posts, which always gains a lot of attention.

The more you post, the more exposure your property gets, the more interested buyers you may attract even before the project is complete, and the more you build your brand!   Plus, you don’t have to “recreate the wheel”, by posting separately to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  The various platforms can be linked to each other and have “share” features.   For example, you can share a post on Instagram to Facebook and Twitter. This is found at the top right of your post where there are three dots, touch the three dots, then select the accounts you have linked to share to.

While taking photos and videos to post, consider the quality of them. They do not have to be perfect and professionally done, but you do want quality lighting and tasteful angles -especially for your ‘after’ shots. But remember, even if your photos are not perfect, they can still gain significant traction.

Using hashtags in your posts such as #remodeledhome #comingsoon #modernhomes #historichomes #modernfarmhouse…really anything that feels applicable to your specific project…, can help gain exposure.   These hashtags will aggregate all photos that have used this same hashtag, so those interested in say, #FixerUpper, will find your photo when they click on that hashtag. Simply put, it’s another way to reach a larger audience base.

Likewise, tag others, such as your real estate agent, contractor, lender, stager, etc. as this can help both them and you gain more followers and more views and more exposure! Tagging other accounts that have large numbers of followers, such as @bathroomsofinstagram, @kitchensofinstragram may even get your post “reposted” to their site!  Plus, scrolling through other accounts such as these yourself may give you design ideas for your current or future projects! Here’s an example of one of the popular design pages, @bathrooms_of_insta, which is great to gain the attention of its followers & also for design ideas.

Be consistent about posting and post at least once a week or more if you can.  Don’t’ get caught up in how many likes or comments you get (leave that for the teenagers).  Many times, the prettiest pictures posted at optimal times get the most “likes”, but we have seen some very profitable properties get only a few “likes” maybe because they didn’t seem as “luxurious” or stunning in pictures, but they were very profitable none the less. Plus, just because a post doesn’t garner a “like”, does not mean that the person seeing it didn’t actually like it; not everyone takes the time to comment or respond to every post.

Even if you’re new to social media or maybe use it only once in a while to stay up to date with friends and family, it’s never too late to start using social media for your business. It truly is a power tool that is both free (albeit you can pay to “boost posts” and run ads if you choose to do so)  and already at your fingertips!

Quick Tips & Takeways:

1. Build brand identity for your fix-and-flip business via a memorable, relatable LLC name and logo.
2. Create a separate page for your brand or specific property.
3. If you are comfortable, Set your profile to ‘Public’. (this is up to the individual user’s discretion).
4. Create posts and stories throughout the entire rehab and sale process. Use the share feature amongst the various social media platforms so that you aren’t having to post separately on each of the sites.
5. Tag as many other accounts as possible in your photos.
6. Utilize #Hashtags.
7. Post often to keep your momentum going.
8. Try to create a ‘narrative’ with your posts – be authentic, show before & after shots.
9. Connect platforms so you can post on multiple sites with one click.
10. Don’t be intimidated—it’s easy, fun, & free.

We genuinely hope you enjoy using social media & wish you nothing but the best,
The Merchants Mortgage Team