Up your social media game with these ideas.

Is the type of social media content you’re posting adding value for your customers? For most people, their home is their single biggest investment, and they need a knowledge base for buying, selling, and maintaining this asset. Social media is where you can step up and fill this key need. By providing a variety of educational content in your social posts, you'll position yourself as an expert advisor who can help customers navigate the current market and get both maximum return and enjoyment from their homes.

The following categories can guide you in developing content:

Buying or selling a home is a complicated transaction that’s full of legal procedures, industry jargon, and an alphabet soup of acronyms. Fortunately, social media is ideal for breaking down big ideas into a lot of small lessons that customers can access on the go. Short videos, infographics, “word of the day” posts, and other consumer-friendly content will keep your followers engaged and improve their confidence in their ability to navigate the process.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

These can include everything from on-trend paint colors to instructions on how to tame a leaky faucet, which means you’ll never be short for topics. Plus, this is some of the most clickable content out there because it appeals to nearly everyone in your audience. Homeowners can get tips on how to spruce up their space, sellers can learn how to make their home appealing to buyers, and buyers can be inspired with ideas for their future home.

Your customers are being fed a constant stream of information about the housing market, but they need you to help them make sense out of all the noise. Don’t let them fall victim to analysis paralysis or unwarranted pessimism, because either of these will keep them on the sidelines and out of your office. Instead, take every headline or market report — even the negative ones — as an opportunity to provide context and perspective.

One sure way to stand out from your competitors is to become a local expert — someone who knows all the best features, hidden gems, and up-and-coming areas in your community. Your insight can help your followers pinpoint the features that appeal to them most, and in a tight housing market like this, may expose them to neighborhoods that weren’t on their radar.

What should a seller do before an open house? How can someone prepare for an out-of-state move? Which curb appeal improvements have the most impact on buyers? Think about questions you frequently hear from customers, or just draw on your own experience. You’ll find a rich vein of material that lends itself to easy-to-read (and easy-to-create) checklists.

All of these content types can help you take advantage of both the immediacy of social media and the wide variety of content these channels support. Just remember that if you share a post, article, or resource from another source, always add your own comments. You may have additional insight or a way to tie a general story to your specific market. In addition to providing more value to your customers, you’ll boost your image as a thought leader in your field.