The rise of social stories has opened up an opportunity for entrepreneurs and major brands alike to take their marketing to a new level. Social stories are short-term content pieces that live for 24 hours on Facebook and Instagram.

“They allow you to connect to your followers in a more personal way and show people that you’re somebody that they would love doing business with,” says Marliese Gowin, social media strategist at KWRI.

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Typically, these stories include a sequence of photos and easily digestible 10- to 15-second video clips of things that happened recently. Once a viewer opens your story, the clock begins running. After the allotted time, the next video or photo appears. And, after 24 hours, your story expires.

Social stories are a powerful marketing tool for several reasons:

  • Digestible: The moment a viewer opens your story, they are presented with little snippets of content. No long-form articles or complicated tasks. The experience is seamless.

  • More coverage: Social stories allow you to increase the volume of content you get in front of your audience, extending your ability to stay top-of-mind without spamming their newsfeeds.

  • An inside look: Today, clients are expecting more from businesses, including transparency. With social stories, you can give your followers a look into your world. This is especially helpful as you’re working to build your reputation as their local real estate expert.

  • Low production and cost: There’s no need for a fancy camera, money, or extensive editing skills when it comes to creating a social story. With a little creativity and a smartphone, you can create an impressive story that will keep clients and potential clients coming back for more.

What to Share

Social Stories BlogHave no fear! You will never have a shortage of content that delights your followers. Begin with these below …

Listings

Share professional and candid photos of new listings on Facebook and Instagram. You can add to these until the listing sells and even afterward. For example, when you hold an open house, be sure to promote via your listing’s story – then include content from the open house. Record meet-the-seller and meet-the-agent videos.

“Listings are one of the more interesting things (to share), especially if an agent is new and is not sure what will pique interest,” Gowin says. “But you don’t want to show everything.”

Client interactions

To show how involved you are with your clients, post short clips or still photos with them throughout the day. Make sure to include a brief description of what you are doing together. For example, when delivering a closing gift in the morning, shoot a short video with a comment from the seller. Have lunch in a new café with a client and shoot a video talking about the trendy neighborhood.

“What you’re showing is real people and real customers and the diversity of people you’re helping,” Gowin says.

Neighborhoods

Who doesn’t love learning about new restaurants, venues, and upcoming events in their neighborhood? When you’re out there, take a photo or video of the place you’re visiting with a bit of information about it. Always make sure to tag the venue as well!

As you’re out and about, share market snapshots with your audience through Kelle Market Snaps! The feature allows you to pull hyperlocal market reports with one voice or text comannd to Kelle: KW’s award-winning, AI-powered virtual assistant.  

The more you show followers you’re out and about and know the details about various neighborhoods, the faster you solidify your reputation as the local expert.  

Best Practices

Gowin recommends being strategic and planning different types of content for specific days of the week.

“It does take a little bit of pre-planning to do it well. You want to make sure what you’re showing is accurate and is presented well.”

  • Monday – Post a picture or video of you at a hot new restaurant in the neighborhood

  • Tuesday – Create a story of smiling clients at your client appreciation event

  • Wednesday – Give users a tease of upcoming open houses

  • Sunday – Do a walk-through of a home at an open house

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And, if your first attempt doesn’t go well, delete and reshoot.

Experiment and Gauge Response

If you already have a following on social media, you should have a feel for what type of content your followers respond to. Review past posts for responses, then plan to give your followers more of what they like. Are they more likely to comment on or share content about your personal life or business activities? Do followers engage with Q & A live video, or do they prefer stills of listings?

Agents who haven’t built up a social media following should experiment with a mixture of personal and business content to determine what is most popular. But don’t give up after the first try: “Try each new type of material three times at different times of the day and on different days to learn what followers want,” Gowin advises.

“It’s a really versatile tool that lets the agent be very creative in how they share something about their business in a way that makes sense for their business.”