Mainebiz

V O L . X X X N O. V I I I A P R I L 1 5 , 2 0 2 4 18 R E A L E S TAT E / C O N S T R U C T I O N / E N G I N E E R I N G F O C U S Two-thirds said they use social media mainly to promote listings and build client relationships, while only 28% cited enjoyment as the main reason. Facebook, used by 92% of respon- dents, is by far the most popular platform for real estate, followed by Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube — as has been the case for the past three years, according to Brandi Snowden, NAR's director of member and consumer survey research. Among U.S. adults as a whole, YouTube and Facebook are by far the most used online platforms, fol- lowed by Instagram in the No. 3 spot, according to a January report by the Pew Research Center. It shows that 68% use Facebook, close to half use Instagram and a third now hop onto Tiktok, up from 21% in 2021. Realtors "are aware of who their ideal customer is, and what platforms they're on," says Rich Brooks, president of flyte new media, a web design and digital marketing agency in Portland. "With Facebook and Instagram you're going to reach a wider audience, and your ideal customer for real estate is also on those platforms." His suggestion for brokers who make use of social media is to go in with a plan because of the changing landscape, including a possible U.S. ban of TikTok, the Chinese-owned video platform. "TikTok might go away in America, and Facebook's business model is not your business models" he cautions. "ese are networking parties you're showing up to, but you have no control over them." Jesse Fowler, owner of OSC Web Design in Scarborough, urges those working in real estate to have their own website and social media and not just via their employer. "A lot of companies give you a website so if you leave the company, that's gone," he says. "It's all about building the personal brand." Branding with 'Billy' For Chris Davis of Places in Maine Real Estate Group, part of the nationwide, publicly traded Real Brokerage Inc. (Nasdaq: REAX), social media branding is a daily activity. He's active on multiple platforms, using Instagram to show what he's up to all day from working out to showing properties across the state. "I cannot sleep if I do not have an active story," photos and videos dis- played to his 3,000-plus followers for 24 hours, he says. "We're working hard » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E I cannot sleep at night if I don't have an active story. — Chris Davis Places in Maine Real Estate Group Chris Davis, of Places in Maine Real Estate Group, puts his thespian skills to use in a social-media comedy series he has created featuring an outlandish character named Billy. S C R E E N S H O T S

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