Every Realtor and mortgage broker needs this social media marketing cheat sheet.

Like no other professionals I can think of, Realtors and loan officers are responsible for not only performing their duties of representing clients, but also acting as their own full-time marketing and advertising agencies. In fact, about 60% of the average real estate agent or loan officers’s time is consumed with marketing, promotions, prospecting, and trying to land their next client. 
 
These days, there is no better way to grow your audience and reach potential new home buyers & sellers, purchasers & refinancers than on social media. However, too often, Realtors and LOs fail to grasp and execute the fundamentals of social media marketing. It’s understandable, considering it seems like there are so many platforms, options, and advice when it comes to social media, and not all of it in agreement!
 
Today, I wanted to present you the basic guidelines, stats, best practices, and useful notes on the world’s top social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Linkedin.
 
Start by implementing these basics, and you'll be on your way to the best year of your career!
 
Facebook

Key stat:
Photo albums have 180% more engagement than other posts.
 
Profile photo dimensions:
Must be at least 80 x 180
Displays at 160 x 160
Thumbnail will appear on screen at 32 x 32
Display at 140 x 140 pixels on smartphones
 
Cover photo dimension:
Must be at least 399 pixels wide and 150 pixels tall.
Displays at 828 pixels wide by 315 pixels tall on your page on computers, and 640 pixels wide by 360 pixels on smartphones.
File under 100kb is optimal.
 
Best times to post:
1 pm most shares
3 pm most likes
The highest level of user activity between 9 AM and 7 PM
 
Best days to post:
Thursdays and Fridays
 
Extra features:

• Facebook Live allows you to broadcast live streaming video to your audience, perfect for events, demonstration, and education.
• Instant articles: Sign up to create and post custom, interactive, and responsive content that will be published on Facebook.
• Slideshow ads: Integrate text, music, and videos into slideshows to get your audience’s attention.

 
Notes:

• Organic reach has declined significantly, but boosting posts and sponsoring ads is highly effective and not expensive. 
• Video still has the highest reach potential.
• Don’t use hashtags on Facebook!

 
Twitter
 
Key stat:
Tweets with images receive 18% more clicks than those without pictures.
 
Profile photo: 
Will be cropped square
Recommended size 400 x 400 pixels (px)
Displays at 20 c 200 px
 
Header photo:
1500 x 500 px recommended
Maximum file size 10 MB
Use png (best), jpg or gif photo file
 
Best time to post:
1 PM most retweets
12 PM and 6 PM highest activity and usage
 
Best days to post:
Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays
 
Notes: 

• Expanded form 140 characters to 280
• Images/media no longer contribute to character count
• Native GIF search
• Live broadcasts and streams are o the rise
• Post one or two hashtags at the most.

Instagram
 
Key stat:
Instagram users engage 25% more with brands than on other social media platforms.
 
Profile photo:
Appears as 292 x 292 on a desktop computer and 160 x 160 on mobile app
Thumbnails display as squares (but your original image doesn’t have to be square)
Photos are also 292 x 292
 
Best times to post:
Peak Instagram usage times are 3-4PM
 
Best days to post:
Instagram shows consistently good engagement all week long, with the exception of a slight dip on Sundays.
The highest day for engagement is Saturday by a small margin.
 
Notes:

• Instagram Stories are all the rage, but these photos and videos disappear after 24 hours, like Snapchat.
• Just like Facebook Live (Facebook bought Instagram), Instagram Live allows you to stream live video. However,
• Instagram now has Group Boards for you to share your images with a community or around a topic.
• You can automatically add Pinterest sharing buttons to all of your images (using third-party apps).
• Instagram now offers the option to make your IG a Business Account, offering improved analytics and paid ads.
• Post as many hashtags as you like, as Instagram allows 30 total between the post and your own comment (the best way to include so many hashtags without ruining the post’s aesthetic.)

 
Linkedin
 
Key stats:
Linkedin posts with images get 98% more comments, and posts with links have a 200% higher engagement rate.
 
Thumbnail photos 160 x 160
Feed images 350 x 250
 
Best times to post: 
Between 10 AM and 11 AM
 
Best days to post:
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
 
Notes:

• New tools for candidates to notify and interact with job recruiters.
• Career pages offer more company information for job seekers.

 
YouTube
 
Key stats:
84% of consumers were convinced to make a purchase by a brand’s video, yet only 63% of businesses are recording videos to connect and inform their audience.
More than 50% of all YouTube views are on mobile devices like smartphones.
 
Channel Cover image:
Full-size displays at 2560 x 1440
 
Video uploads:
Must maintain a 16:9 aspect ratio
Must be at least 1280 x 720 quality as HD resolution
For highest quality, upload videos at 1920 x 1080 resolution and 4k resolutions
 
 Best time to post:
 12 PM – 3 PM 
Around 5 PM – 6 PM
 
Best days to post:
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays
 
Pinterest
 
Key stats:
93% of Pinterest users use the platform to make purchases, and Pinterest users spend 15x more money than Facebook users. For that reason, Pinterest drives 25% of all retail website referral traffic!
 
Profile photo:
DIsaplays at 165 x 165 on the homepage
Displays at 32 x 32 everywhere else
Maximum file size of 10mb
 
Pin sizes:
Pins display at 238 px wide, but their height automatically adjusts to the image.
Expanded pins have a minimum width of 600 px.
 
Board display:
222 x 150 px (large thumbnail)
55 x 55 px (smaller thumbnail)
 
Best times to post:
Pin between 8 PM – 11 PM
Peak time 9 PM
 
Best day to post:
Saturdays
 
Notes:

• Pinterest is actually not a photo app, but considered a search engine for its SEO benefits!
• Creating Boards is one of the most critical aspects of Pinterest.
• Promoting video content on Pinterest is now crucial for marketing.

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Need more help with your marketing and client acquisition? Contact me for a free ebook that will explain the essential pillars of marketing for every real estate and mortgage professional!

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