Since Hastags (#) introduction to popular culture with the explosion of Twitter, they have become an integral part of modern day communications.
Used to mark posts as being relevant to a certain subject, conversation or genre, the hashtag identifier has been used on both Twitter and Google+ to help users connect with content and commentators who are relevant to their queries.
However, it is only in the past few weeks that the handy hashtag has been made clickable on Facebook (allowing users to click a #tagged word or phrase to see more on that subject)
With the holy trinity of social media sites now all singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to hashtags, we thought now would be a good time to offer some pointers on using hashtagging for property marketing purposes.
How to Use #Hashtags to Sell Houses
- Familiarise Yourself with the Format: No estate agent should be attempting to use hashtags to sell houses before they understand how they work. Tech-savvy clients and potential customers will be turned off by amateurish tagging practices. Get to know what hashtags are hot in your field and local area. For example, #SellingHouses is more widely used than #PropertyMarketing, and will expose your content to a wider online audience.
- Add a Hashtag Before Relevant Words in General Posts: Choose the places where you use this tool wisely. Think about the words that matter most to your market. Are they searching for #characterhomes, #periodproperty or #loftliving? Don’t use tags on words with no property marketing power, and even then use them sparingly. #dontbehashtaghappy
- Create Custom Tags for Big Real Estate Marketing Pushes: Trying to sell 4 Bloggs St in Ealing? Try #4BloggsW5 on your posts. Make sure identifiers are unique to you by searching them before you run with them, and then use a tracker such as Tweet Reach to see how far your campaign reaches.
- Encourage Colleagues and Clients to Use Hashtags Uniformly: Give your firm a unique tag that tells the audience what you do, for example Kitty Brown’s Estate Agency might choose #KittyBHomes in place of #KittyBrowns – put your hashtag on printed materials and office displays so clients can use it when referring to you. (Don’t forget to search hashtags associated with your company regularly so you can respond to any queries or issues raised)
