For the first time ever, social media is now the main source of news in the U.S.
According to a global study, more than half (54%) of people get news from networks like Facebook, X, and YouTube, overtaking TV (50%) and news sites and apps (48%).
Before anyone says, “THAT DOESN’T ADD UP TO 100%,” these stats show how popular each source is individually, not as slices of a single pie.
Personally, I’m refreshing X and Instagram throughout the day to get my news. That’s where I hear about things first. Very rarely am I typing in a website unless it’s nowbam.com, or turning on the news. My face is buried in my phone. I’m not proud of this. It’s just reality.
Now that we got that out of the way, let me explain why this matters to YOU as a real estate agent.
Meet Consumers Where They Are
Consumers are turning to social media for news, so why not be that source?
Instead of turning on the local news (which usually sucks), or opening up a local blog (which also probably sucks), imagine people getting updates about their city from YOU.
Imagine they open Instagram, and there you are with a breaking news graphic or a green screen video about the new construction you just saw while driving home from work.
Imagine a consumer sitting on the couch with their spouse, scrolling on their phone, and seeing you talking about a new restaurant they need to try.
Imagine it’s the Fourth of July, and instead of searching Google or ChatGPT for ideas, they see a post from their real estate agent listing five awesome places to watch the fireworks.
Useful, valuable, NEW information.
The phrase “digital mayor” is a little tired, but it’s never been more accurate than it is today.
Even “Small News” Gets Engagement
Nothing gets more engagement and reach on social media than breaking news. Ignoring this strategy is paving the way for someone else in your market to take that role.
And the news that you post about doesn’t have to be big. It can be as simple as a new brewery opening up, like this one from the KC Scene, aka Kyle Talbot:
He is the hyper-local king of Kansas City:
Notice how simple these posts are, and look at the engagement. Why is it so good? Because people love being in the know, and it gets shared.
Here’s another example from Katie Day about a new development. This one uses a green screen instead of a carousel:
Both strategies work, and both should be implemented.
Want to create content like this? We have these templates ready for you to customize in our community. START NOW.
Use News Content to Attract Followers. Then Keep Them with Value.
Disclaimer: This doesn’t mean your account should be strictly news. You still need to post real estate market updates, educational content, your listings, business wins, personal moments, etc. Variety is always key.
But remember, most people who see your content are NOT looking to buy or sell right now. If all you post is listings and market data, they won’t care. But everyone is interested in news. Use top-of-funnel content like this to bring them to your page. Once they’re following for the updates, you’ve got them in your ecosystem, and they’ll think of you when they are ready to make a move.
Give the people what they want and meet them on their phones! They can randomly sit on your face at a bus stop once a year, or they can interact with your content on a daily basis. The choice is yours.
As I mentioned earlier, we have all of these news templates and hyper-local ideas for you inside our BAMx Community.
