There is no way that a real estate agent (or any business professional) in suit could compete with a mother duck surrounded by a pack of fluffy ducklings. If you think I’m out of my mind, bear with me and you’ll see what I’m talking about. This is a true story.

Our clients often ask us what content they should post on social networks. Many of them happen to be real estate professionals (agents, brokers, even attorneys). My answer is always the following: post ducklings and sell your kids. Can you imagine the bewildered look on their faces?

However, there’s nothing nefarious about the suggestion. The biggest marketing mistake that most real estate brokers make (especially on Facebook) is post their listings. Guess what: nobody cares! Not on social media.

If someone is interested in buying a house right now, they will reach out to you via phone or email; they’ll subscribe to your mailing list or run an IDX search on your website. However, most people who like your Facebook page or are in one way or another connected with you on social media are not looking to buy a house right now. You’re truly lucky to have them follow you, so don’t turn them off by posting and re-posting your listings.

People may like your page or start following you for a variety of reasons, but they stay interested only if you have something interesting to share. Interesting on Facebook equals entertaining. That’s the easiest way to get people to like your posts and otherwise engage with your content.

Now, let’s talk about ducks. Some time ago I posted a photo of ducks gathered on our hotel patio in Palm Springs. The ducks got 15 likes in a matter of minutes and over a 1,000 people saw the photo.  Once our Facebook page hit a thousand likes, we posted a photo of Bradley Cooper playing “faceketball” on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Over 40 likes and well over 1,000 people reached.

A few days before that, we shared a press release announcing Intelligent Clout’s new website and our move from Chicago to Los Angeles. We posted a stunning wallpaper with our new website design. A couple of likes; one share; less than 100 people saw the post. Were we disappointed? Not at all! I knew exactly what was going to happen. So predictable…

The moral of the story: do share your press releases, industry news, etc., but spice it up with cute ducks, kittens, and even occasional family pics. Common sense and taste are essential, but in the age of zero privacy I see nothing wrong with sharing a tidbit about the happenings in your family, including a photo of your children.

If you’re a real estate agent or a passion professional (yoga instructor, personal trainer, life coach), you’re selling yourself as much as your product. People will follow you because you’re fun, personable, entertaining, and, yes, knowledgeable, but not because you have a lot of photos of properties for sale.

When the time is right they will remember that down-to-earth person who likes to laugh, is relatable, has a nice family, and occasionally posts photos of cute ducklings. They will list a house or buy a property from that person any day instead of doing business with a cocky spammer who doesn’t know any better but to brag about how many houses he/she has sold or how many accreditations (ABR, CDPE, SFR…) he/she has acquired.