Starting your own property business can be daunting enough without having to delve into the depths of social media. However, failing to create an online presence via social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram could mean you are always one step behind your competitors. With this in mind, here are four reasons why you need social media for your property business.

1. Raise brand awareness

All companies have a different way of communicating via social media channels but their motivation is often the same. Companies of all sizes use Facebook and Twitter to grow their customer base and raise brand awareness. But how do you find your target audience? The first step to raising brand awareness via social media is to find the right platform for you. This is especially important if you don’t have that much time to dedicate to running social media accounts.

Facebook is the most popular platform but it may not be the chosen platform that your customers spend most of their time. Twitter is a fast-paced platform that puts most of its emphasis on interaction while Pinterest works best with image based content.

2. Keep up with competitors

If your direct competitors are interacting with their target audience via the medium of social media, it makes sense that you should be too. By being present on social media platforms, you are immersing yourself in a community that is made up of potential and existing customers and this can provide a number of benefits to your business. What’s more you can even monitor what your competitors are doing to engage their customer base and use this information to your advantage.

Keeping an eye on big and small competitors alike such as Airbnb or HomeAway will help you to shape your social media strategy and how to stand out in your industry. Analysing your competitors on social media isn’t about copying their strategy but finding out what content they are posting and what you can learn from it.

3. Improve customer service

Having a social media presence is one way to improve your customer service. Rather than having to go through a complex process to contact a member of staff at your company, customers can now send a quick Tweet regarding their query. Offering a good level of customer service via Facebook and Twitter can lead to improved customer satisfaction and in turn customer loyalty.

4. Drive traffic to your website

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are ideal platforms from which to promote your products or services. It is one way to generate interest around a new product or a service and in turn having a presence on social media platforms will drive a significant amount of traffic to your website. Unlike other forms of advertising, promoting your brand on Twitter and Facebook and attracting new site visitors is completely free but it does require a large chunk of time to keep the content updated.

Could your property business benefit from a social media presence?