2014 is the year of social media.

And social media is a great way to increase your leads, become a community expert and gain brand exposure.

What Makes a Good Social Media Strategy?

According to this article from Inman, what makes a good social strategy is consistency, relevancy and not being afraid to try new things.

You want the online community to see you as an expert on real estate and the surrounding community so it’s very important to keep posting relevant and informative content. Consistency is everything.

It’s also important not to be afraid to try new things. Social media is all about trial and error so there’s no set-in-stone strategy to get you a million followers. Eventually it will get easier, but in the beginning you’ll have to keep plugging away and switching up your game plan. Don’t worry though. We’ll show you how.

Creating a Community

Another one of social media’s lofty goals is to create a community. One great thing about the real estate industry is that a tight knit community is already deeply embedded in the industry. We learn, share and improve together.

Google+

Rebekah Radice of Rebekah Radice LLC is a social media strategist who has a big following on Google+.

“As the real estate industry continues to evolve, so do the tools used to find, connect and engage today’s online consumer. Social media provides real estate professionals an opportunity to get in front of the right people in the exact location they spend their time online,” Radice says.

Due to Facebook’s recent changes, you risk being lost in the shuffle if you don’t pay for advertising The solution? Make the move to Google+. It gives you the opportunity to design a virtual community and interact with potential buyers and sellers. Not to mention, it’s the perfect way to establish yourself as an expert on the community and surrounding area.

Be In It to Win It

Katie Lance of Katie Lance Consulting says you should be in it for the long haul and she’s absolutely right.

It’s all about consistency and not giving up.

Lance suggests connecting with at least five people a week. That doesn’t mean follow them on Twitter and hope they follow you back. It means having a conversation and establishing a

relationship.

One tweet or post won’t get you anywhere.

Also, make a top 10 list of influencers you want to connect with. Authentically engage with them, but don’t be creepy.

Measuring your Success and Trying Something New

If people see you as an expert, they will be more likely to work with you.

You’ll want to set up Google Analytics so you can track your success. It’s not something you’ll be able to fully understand right off the bat so do yourself a favor and put aside a couple hours to familiarize yourself with the lifesaver product.

An original idea from the author of the article is not to create a content calendar. Make a conversation calendar instead. Remember, authentically engage with your audience as much as possible—without being too over the top.

The hardest part about social media is getting started and staying consistent during the early stages of the initiative. Once you’ve started gaining more traffic and found a strategy that works for you, it should become a lot easier.