In an industry that has feared change for so long, change has arrived, and it’s in the form of a technological revolution that has made an everlasting impact on real estate. Now, the question is whether or not brokerages can ride this wave of innovation and become more successful because of it—or fear the inevitable change and perish among the other non-believers.
Innovation is key to a brokerage’s and real estate professional’s success in the modern age. With the rise of technology comes the advancement of marketing and branding for real estate companies. The trick is to use technology as a valued resource to strengthen your brand. Technology should not replace real estate professionals; it should empower them to connect with more clients than ever before. Connecting with current clients and finding new clients has also become so much simpler through the power of social media.
It’s no longer an option to use social media as a marketing tool for growing your personal business; it’s absolutely vital to the success of an agent. Creating a network online and showcasing your brand will truly help grow your business. There are a few important practices to keep in mind when marketing through social media:
- Be responsive and create conversation within your network through immediate engagement.
- Pay attention to what your network has to say to optimize the best possible content.
- Focus on more visuals and less words.
- Separate personal from the professional. Your account should only be used for professional purposes to help grow your business. If you want to share anything personal, create a separate account.
- Avoid controversial topics. You want to showcase your character and personality, but you don’t want to jade your network by sharing your opinions on controversial matters.
- Make sure there’s value behind your post. Every post should have a goal in mind.
- There are also certain social media platforms that should be utilized. Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn are some of the best platforms for connectivity within the real estate industry. Each requires specific content geared toward the respective platform:
- Instagram is a visual heavy platform; therefore, your content should be visual heavy. It’s also the No. 1 platform for millennials (the largest group of homebuyers).
- LinkedIn is a platform where you can create a specific professional network and content that’s just for them.
- Facebook is the one-stop shop. You can do it all on Facebook.
Another option for making a connection online and growing your brand is creating a blog. A blog is a personal website that showcases who you are, your story, your business and what you’re passionate about. It humanizes you, which instills trust in your clients. A blog is an excellent way to grow your business.
It’s exciting to see the advancement of personal marketing and branding in real estate. Collectively, when real estate professionals follow these practices, along with the help and guidance of their brokerage, a successful real estate brand emerges. An excellent example of this is Realty ONE Group and the UNbrokerage. To learn more, visit www.RealtyONEGroup.com/UNbrokerage.
Fred Bai is chief technology officer at Realty ONE Group. For more information, please visit www.RealtyONEGroup.com.
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