Being across social media and effectively managing your online presence in the real estate industry can be a challenging task, but one that our CLK Sales Agent Tom Watson embraces with enthusiasm.
We sat down with Tom recently to chat about what social media platforms he uses, where he seeks support and knowledge and the pros and cons of having to be seen online in a positive way to raise your real estate profile.
Tom’s work profile @tomwatson_realestate can be found on his two primary channels of Facebook and Instagram, where he manages to attract the most genuine followers (and potential buyers) via the engagement algorithm and GEO tag for Echuca Moama finds the most non-follower traffic.
Put simply this means that Tom has been able to use targeted ads and short form videos to attract followers that aren’t his family and friends.
Note: that all our CLK Sales Agents have a separate, personal page from their business (work) profiles.
Most of Tom’s social media leads come through Facebook where he spends his time inside Facebook’s Meta Business Suite talking to people. Meta Business Suite is a centralised platform provided by Meta (formerly Facebook) that allows businesses to manage both Facebook and Instagram accounts, including posting, messaging, and advertising - all in one place.
Tom also likes to be across AI and automation content on Instagram, which involves using third-party tools and software to manage tasks on your account automatically.
Always on the lookout for cutting edge support or inside information, Tom recently engaged the services of a tech and AI guru from Singapore to gain a greater understanding of how he can best utilise the benefits available for real estate professionals.
AI can be a strange beast for many to get their heads around and it comes as no surprise that Tom is tackling it head on with his trademark enthusiasm and attention-to-detail.
“I've used AI extensively over the last 12 months, but I’d suggest that with social media it should be an assistant rather than the driver. The output of AI is derived from the input (you) and learning how to prompt correctly to Large Language Models (LLM) has been a game changer.
“I use it to help with copywriting and building out automations to help with lead management. If you’re not using LLMs and AI automations to reduce labour, you will be left behind in years to come,” he explains.
It’s not all serious business for Tom online though, who loves to have a bit of fun with his social media presence and although he always takes his role as a CLK Sales Agent seriously, he likes to be playful with the unique selling points on behalf of his vendors. See the perfect case in point via the Instagram video link below that features a property Tom was selling back in March 2025:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHcQH9Ks1D4/?igsh=d291ZnF0NDIxYnJk
When asked what sort of presence he aims for on the ‘socials’, Tom explains that his personality naturally gravitates to having a laugh and not conforming to the status quo which certainly reflects through some of his short form content.
“However, remaining semi-professional and not being too cringe is important, as we’re often representing people’s biggest asset and it’s important to take it seriously. Views and engagement are important metrics to getting properties exposed to more people but don’t compromise on your values or standards. Reputation takes 10 years to build and 1 day to ruin,” Tom cautions.
When it comes to utilising the underdog of the social media world, Instagram, Tom believes that it doesn’t receive the love that it should.
“I feel like Instagram is fantastic for people to start building a connection with you before they start interacting with you face to face,” Tom says.
Although not claiming to be totally across any specific social media area, Tom makes it his business to know all there is about all what platforms are best for real estate agents. In addition, he has engaged a highly successful mentor in the space who encouraged him to treat any interaction you have on social media as a personal conversation (with a human) and not just another lead.
“You have to treat each person with the respect that you would expect in return. Some weeks I will speak with more than 100 people and it’s important to realise that this may be someone’s first interaction and you to make it count - be patient and considerate,” he said.
Of course, we all know the pitfalls of operating online and social media can be a challenging space, where unfortunately negativity and time wasting can dominate. Tom explains that his biggest pitfall is how easy it is to go from ‘working’ on a social media platform to ‘consumption’ in less than a second, which can very quickly become a time waster.
“Your time can so easily be fragmented with all the distractions… we must remember that these apps are designed for consumption,” he warned.
Tom combats this challenge by only managing and monitoring his ‘socials’ via the Meta Business Suite, which keeps him away from all the other distracting ‘social stuff’ and he can focus on using social media simply as a work tool.
“I also don’t have Facebook and Instagram on my phone… just the Meta platform, where I can monitor and interact and not get distracted,” he says.
Tom is happy with the balance of time and effort he puts into his social media platforms and his short term goals include stepping up his Instagram presence for greater consistency.
His advice for anyone starting out in the social media space would be ‘just to start’!
“Just start… because the bar has never been lower for entry into social media, meanwhile inaction and procrastination is costing you more than you think.
“Personally, I choose to engage a consultant to help with my aptitude of the platforms as the landscape is constantly changing. It’s comforting knowing I have someone in my corner advising me on best practice. And because I help people buy and sell houses every day, I know that my time is better spent talking to Echuca Moama locals rather than researching Meta’s latest platform change,” he said.
Follow Tom on his social media channels here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555478039618
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomwatson_realestate/