How to Make “Happy Birthday” Posts on Social Media Useful & Interesting
One of the most common types of social media posts I see brokerages do is the post that wishes a real estate agent “Happy Birthday!”
I get why brokerages do this. It can be hard to know what to post sometimes, and wishing someone a “happy birthday” is a pretty low-risk, cheerful social media post.
The thing is… I’ve noticed that these posts receive very little engagement, and in my honest opinion… they’re pretty boring! (You might even cause some people to unlike your page if they feel like they’re being spammed with random happy birthday posts for people they don’t know!)
But these types of posts don’t having to be boring! You can make them work for you and serve a purpose. Now, I really don’t even think you need to be doing birthday posts, but you SHOULD be highlighting each of your agents’ expertise.
For a few quick ideas, I put together this video that shows you a few ways to make those boring “happy birthday” posts useful AND interesting:
You can also read more on these ideas here:
This is just one example of a way to make those “Happy birthday” posts more interesting.
Use birthday posts as an opportunity to showcase the birthday agent’s local expertise.
There are so many different ways to do this! One example is to put together a social media post that highlights an agent’s favorite things about the neighborhood or city they work in. I used myself in the example on the left. You could post this graphic on Facebook and Instagram (the one downside is that this has too much text to boost), and maybe even link to a blog post that expounds on the “neighborhood favorites” a bit more.
And of course, wish the agent happy birthday in the main post if you’d like, and tag the agents’ Facebook business page, Instagram account, etc. in the post as well. You should also tag any businesses or other relevant pages in the post.
Share fun facts about an agent.
Make it silly and interesting! Put together a fun list of personal tidbits that could be entertaining and offer an opportunity for people to connect more with an agent. So often, I feel that what truly makes a real estate agent unique can get a bit lost in their professional bio and headshot. And people love Q&As—they’re easy to skim!
You might decide to go with a real estate theme and ask agents to share their funniest or most awkward home tour story, or maybe their favorite HGTV show. Or maybe you can do an entertainment Q&A and share favorite movies, bands, actors, TV shows, etc. There are so many fun ways to do this, and not every idea will suit every brokerage’s “vibe.” Choose something that works with your brand and overall marketing strategy… just make sure it isn’t boring!
Make it personal.
Take this opportunity to share something that the agent does in their personal time, or something that makes them unique. Many agents have an “agent persona”—basically, who we see on their bio page or their website’s “About” page. Who knew that agent with a suit and tie on in their headshot is actually a drag queen on the weekends?! Or what about the agent who plays drums in a band, has traveled to all seven continents, or is an avid Star Wars fan with a whole room in their home devoted to their obsession?
All of this is interesting stuff and opportunity to connect with people on a more personal level. These types of posts should create a gateway for people to learn more about the agent. So, along with sharing a photo that shows off the agent enjoying their hobby and some info about it, be sure to tag their social accounts, link their website, and of course, wish them a happy birthday if you’d like.
Have a different theme each year.
At the beginning of each year, decide what your “theme” will be. Maybe it’s asking agents about their favorite neighborhoods, maybe it’s the fun facts theme. Pass out surveys to all of your agents all at once and set a deadline for them to turn in their answers. You can prepare the content for the entire year at once to make it easy! Or, if you have a huge brokerage, it might be easier to do one month at a time for the agents with birthdays the following month. Batch it, baby!
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One last tip: Make sure the featured agent checks in on the post a few times to respond to any comments, and they should also share this to their own social media profiles.
I hope this post helps get your creative juices flowing. Tag Home Scribe Creative on your birthday posts so I can see what you come up with!
