There’s no way around it: if you want to be successful in selling out your communities in 2018, you need to have a social media marketing strategy.

Social media is one of the most powerful weapons in your marketing arsenal. It allows you to connect with your potential buyers in the place they’re already spending their time (which is on their social media profiles), build a relationship, and drive them into your properties. The better your social media strategy, the more buyers you’ll have for your community. It’s that simple.

But social media is a tricky beast. What worked yesterday might not work today, and if you want to successfully use social media to drive potential buyers into your communities and close more sales, you need to keep your finger on the pulse on what’s going on in the world of social media.

So in 2018, what are the most effective trends? What can you do that will really make an impact and drive more potential buyers into your communities?

Let’s take a look at four social media marketing trends you’ll want to implement in 2018 to get your community in front of the right buyers:

Focus on video

If you want more buyers interested in your property, you have to do more than tell them about it on social media.

You need to show them.

Video is arguably the hottest trend in social media right now. According to HubSpot, 81% of businesses use video as part of their marketing strategy, and 65% of business that don’t say they plan to do so in the next year.

And for good reason! 4X as many consumers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it, and almost half of all internet users look for videos related to products or services before making a purchase. In fact, just adding the word “video” to the subject line of an email can boost your open rates by 19%.

The moral of the story is, video is what consumers are looking for in 2018 – including your potential buyers. And if you want to drive those buyers into your community, you need to give them what they want.

Post drone video tours of your community on your social media pages, including Facebook and YouTube. Use Facebook Live to answer the questions people ask on social media (and put a face to your brand). Incorporate email into your email marketing strategy. The more compelling video you can produce, the more of an impact you’ll have on your audience.

Partner with influencers

Another big trend in social media marketing today? Influencer marketing.

Partnering with social media influencers can be a great way to get your community in front of a new audience. And we’re not talking about major celebrities. All you need is to partner with what’s known as “microinfluencers” to see a real impact.

Microinfluencers are people on social media who have a small but engaged following; that can be anyone from a local interior design specialist or a local realtor with a great reputation. Partnering with microinfluencers works because they’ve already established trust with their audience; by partnering with them, that trust also extends to you. Microinfluencers can also drive serious results – even more so than the more traditional celebrity influencers you think of when you hear the term “influencer marketing.” According to AdWeek, microinfluencers are 6.7X more effective per engagement than larger influencers and have 22X more weekly conversations than the average consumer.

Find the people in your area that have an engaged audience on social media and partner with them to get the word our about your community.

Establish a point of difference

There’s never been so much noise on social media than there is today. Every community has a presence on social media, and when a potential buyer starts looking for a home, they’re bombarded with every option in the market.

The key to successfully driving those buyers into your property is breaking through the noise and grabbing their attention. And the best way to do that?

Establishing your point of difference.

If you want to stand out from the competition on social media, you need a point of difference. Who are you? What are you about? What kind of buyers would feel at home in your community? And how are you different from every other community on the market?

Your point of difference is what sets you apart from the competition – and it’s what’s going to speak to your potential buyers. If you want to make an impact and see results on social media, your point of difference needs to lead all of your marketing. Because showing your potential buyers how you’re different? That’s what’s going to get them interested.

Optimize your entire strategy for mobile

As of 2016, mobile browsing has officially surpassed desktop. So if you’re not optimizing your entire social media marketing strategy for mobile, you’re missing out on the majority if the market.

For example, let’s say you’re running Facebook ads that lead potential buyers to a form where they can sign up for more information about your community. If that form isn’t easy to read, fill out, and submit on mobile, you’re going to lose every single person who clicks on the ad from a mobile device – which is likely to be the majority of your audience.

Before you push out anything on social media – whether it’s a form, a lead magnet, an event invitation, a website, or some other form of content – make sure it’s optimized for mobile.

A solid social media strategy is the key to success in 2018. And now that you know the top four social media trends – and how to use them to drive more potential buyers into your community – you’ll be well on your well to selling out your properties in the upcoming year.

Need help with your social media marketing? Get in touch today to find out how Marketshare can help you hit your social media goals out of the park in 2018 (and fill your communities in the process).