We’re totally abused these days emotionally. Protests, the lockdown, curfews, economic downturn – the future is uncertain. We’ve established that; you don’t need another post about it. Yet you’re probably wondering how to make the most of this time at home. An excellent way to feel less powerless is to take action and get control over your life and career. What can you do until the real estate market – when/if it ever does – goes back to normal?
Agent, get your house in order
Now is the time to seriously look at what you’ve put on the back burner. I’m guilty of pushing back things I don’t like doing much either because I don’t care for it or because I don’t know how to go about it. We’re only human. But here is your chance to tackle the beasts left in your closet. Start with the basics: do you/your team have a logo, a listing presentation, social media profiles, email newsletter, and content to share? Is your online presence professional? A general branding assessment is an excellent place to start. Start reviewing the following:
● Your website
● Your social media
● Your listing presentation
● Your email marketing
Social media: Upgrade your game
While social media is approachable and everyone can post cat and yoga pictures, it’s another ball game when, as an agent, you’re trying to get traction from your ideal prospects. It can feel like busywork at times. I know you’d rather go on calls with clients and do walkthroughs, but it’s complicated now. So instead, you might leverage current “forced” desk time and improve your social media. Who does a good job? Typically, the bigger teams, the ones that are getting help. Why? It’s not being an excellent broker that makes you great at engaging on social media. It’s hard to create exciting content, put it together, and post consistently. Get some help or commit to doing it yourself and dedicate at least 2-3h per week to prepare and schedule your content.
Email marketing: Don’t just send your listings
Do you get a lot of engagement when you email your listings and neighborhood news every month? Meh. Most likely, you’re sending all your new listings to your whole database. While it’s a reasonable effort to stay in touch with your prospects, you also need to consider bringing value.
● Think of a piece about your predictions about the real estate market for the rest of 2020
● Tell us how sellers are feeling right now and how it’s going to affect prices
● Tell us about mortgages, contractors, and about the changes you, as an agent, are seeing
You’re the expert. Give the people what they want: golden nuggets that only you as an expert have access to.
Lead generation: Nope, it’s not just ads
People are glued to their devices right now; get as many eyeballs on your content as possible. Lead generation is not just about placing ads and paying to get views/clicks. It’s about providing valuable information to people who are interested in what you have to say. What is happening to price? It is now the right time to buy/sell. Be a resource to them. Lead generation is pricey, and I wouldn’t recommend doing it yourself. It’s too complicated, and it’s expensive. Hire an agency. Pricing will vary drastically depending on your location (and the competition in your area). Remember, lead generation is a long-term strategy. If you don’t have the resources and can’t commit to doing it for at least six months, it might not be for you yet.
Video, this beast
You know you’ve been thinking about it. But you dread it because it’s uncomfortable and you’re worried about the price, about how you’ll look. I get it. Video is intimidating. However, right now is the time to explore how you can consistently create content and get comfortable in front of the camera. Look for videographers, get some quotes, educate yourself on the process. Look at what other brokers who you admire are doing. The sooner you start, the quicker you’ll get the hang of it.
In my next article, I’ll speak about lead nurturing strategies you can use and how the fortune is in the follow-up.
If you need help or have any questions about the topics we’ve discussed here, feel free to reach out to me.
Cheers,
Anne Lise
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At Brandora, our mission is to help real estate teams grow. Many real estate professionals have limited options when it comes to hiring reliable marketing talent. When we created Brandora in 2015, we wanted to create something effective for growing teams. We wanted to implement proven strategies that have worked for bigger companies and top brokers. If you need help putting a strategy or some content together, feel free to reach out to me.