Ah, the hashtag. What was once a simple idea suggested by a lone marketer back in 2007 has become a crucial indicator for trending topics and dynamic, user-generated campaigns. Hashtags are a great way to get exposure and engagement on social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. Every industry uses hashtags, including commercial real estate.
But what hashtags should #CRE pros be engaging with or using? What hashtags should they ignore? Let’s take a look at some of the most popular ones:
#CRE
This is the most obvious hashtag (and easiest to use). It’s short, simple and relevant. As of this writing, 370,00 people view the #CRE hashtag per hour and it’s the No.1 most-popular commercial real estate hashtag on Twitter, according to RiteTag. Since so many people and companies are jumping on the #CRE bandwagon, however, you probably shouldn’t use it expecting a lot of people to engage with your tweet or post. Plus, the fact that it’s so popular means many companies “spam” the hashtag by using it too much lowering potential views and response rate from this popular tag.
Instead of expecting it to move the needle for your social media account, use this hashtag as a supplemental strategy to organize your posts and monitor posts from top companies that use it. Otherwise, you’re safe ignoring it.
#commercialrealestate
This tag is also relevant, but since it’s quite lengthy it’s not quite as popular as #CRE (only 1,400 or so people viewing it on Twitter per hour). It’s also a rather general hashtag, so like #CRE, use this one for organization and monitoring purposes.
#instacre
This is an example of a hashtag you should only engage with and use on Instagram. It’s not ideal or appropriate for Twitter. So, if you’re using software or a tool to post across multiple social media accounts, make sure you’re using hashtags that make sense for all your channels.
#investment, #realestate, #realtor, #property, etc.
These hashtags are too broad to be valuable and should therefore be ignored. People make investments in stocks, funds, accounts, education and much, much more. Furthermore, the real estate hashtag will inevitably bring in posts about residential real estate, which isn’t something you want as a commercial real estate professional. They’re also common spam hashtags.
#companyname
If you have an opportunity to use your company, brokerage or personal name in a hashtag, go for it. It’s likely not going to trend on Twitter or Instagram by itself, but it will be unique and help people find you if it’s associated with a popular post or other hashtag.
#neighborhood, #city
These are the tweets and posts you want to engage with and use, as they’re localized. By tagging or monitoring posts with your neighborhood, city, county, area or state, you’re personalizing your marketing to your target audience. If you can add “CRE” or “realestate” to the end of the hashtag (e.g. #DallasCRE), it’s a way to get even more hyper-relevant with your social media efforts.
#CAMAudit, #LeaseAdministration #FASB, #blockchains, etc.
Finally, it’s wise to stay informed about trending hashtags with industry terms. These tags are opportunities to directly engage with people and companies posting about commercial real estate. They want to hear from you — join the conversation!
Hashtags aren’t the only trend in commercial real estate. To learn more about modern CRE software that can make your professional life easier, request a demo of Quarem today.
