So you’ve worked really hard to build up your real estate brand over the course of weeks, months or maybe even years. Then this thing called ‘social media’ came along and it looked like such a great tool for furthering that brand.
Beware though, as there are 4 common ways you might be killing your brand reputation through social media. Brand appeal and goodwill are important, intangible assets that will drive the growth of your brand – but only if used properly.
In 2015 alone, Facebook was found to have influenced 52% of its consumers’ online and offline buying habits – which is up from the 36% seen the previous year.
If you have a bad brand image on social media, users won’t engage with you – that’s the bottom line. The verdict is quite clear – more people rely on social media to discover brands than ever before, so you need to make sure your branding is tight.
So you may be wondering how you might negatively harm your brand via social media. Here are the top 4 signs you need to watch out for.
1) You’re Being Pushy
You know when you walk through a big city and there are people peddling their wares aggressively in the street? Fair play to them for trying, but good brand marketing is about subtlety – so pushing the product into your consumer’s face can actually be a bit of a turn-off.
Doing this on social media is a definite fail, as it can damage your brand reputation. For a better image of your brand, you should make sure you shine the spotlight on your followers, rather than your service itself. This can take time and effort, but it is always worth giving back to your followers.
2) Ignoring Complaints And Criticism
No one likes to be told that what they’re doing is bad, but it’s a fact of business as well as a fact of life. Taking in people’s complaints could actually get you referrals, leading to further business. This will make clients feel that you’ve provided a satisfactory service, and will therefore be more likely to recommend your brand.
Social media connects so many people nowadays, so if you don’t deal with a complaint swiftly and fairly, you could be putting your brand at risk – so make sure you hit up that feedback network.
3) Not Keeping Track Of Brand Mentions
Monitoring the status of your brand is a crucial part of social media reputation maintenance. According to BrandWatch, 96% of people who talk about brands online do not actually follow said brands on social media platforms.
The research by BrandWatch is significant because it shows that the vast majority of online businesses leave consumers unchecked – meaning that they may interact less with their brand.
You may want to have a dedicated team member to take on the role of policing your social media brand interaction. Tasks for this individual may include checking Google Alerts and manually looking for discussions of your brand on social media.
4) Taking Too Long To Message Consumers
We want everything, and we want it now in this day and age. That’s why it is so important to make sure you’re on top of your messages on social media. Responding to enquiries can really help to drive your brand reputation upwards.
According to research, 71% of customers who received a quick response to their enquiry, were more likely to recommend said brand to their friends. If you keep customers waiting for too long, the brand image becomes tarnished somewhat.