The stats don’t lie.
The average adult spends 5.9 hours a day interacting with digital media (up from 3 hours just 10 years ago). Taking these staggering numbers into account, it comes as no surprise that the digital landscape offers unprecedented opportunity for realtors looking to grow their databases. So how does the opportunity-driven, knowledgeable realtor take advantage of these favorable circumstances when they’re always pressed for time?
You cultivate a winning digital personality.
Your digital persona is an extension of your personal brand. And though realtors thrive on personal, face-to-face communication to get the job done, it’s becoming clear that those who neglect their online selves are in danger of disappearing into the crowd of those who don’t. And what a crowd it is: as of last year, there are 1.3 million members in the National Association of Realtors competing for that slice of the real estate pie.
Carve out your digital niche and ensure it can be found through search and social media
To ensure your competitors become silhouettes in your digital glow, position your brand as an expert in the local market. By establishing yourself in a particular community, you lessen competition and turn search engines to your benefit (local search results tend to rank higher to better serve a respective area’s users). A few ways to make Google work for you are:
- Ensure you’ve entered all of your information into Google My Business. This includes who you are, where you are, and when they can contact you (pretty much always, right?).
- This is an important one: manage, monitor, and respond to online reviews on Google, Facebook, Twitter, your website, and any other digital channels you’re using. By showing interest in client feedback, you show that you value their opinion and appreciate their time.
- Consider a link on your website that invites users to share their experience of working with you. Pick your top, happiest reviews and display them on the home page for all to see!
- Upload appealing photos of your business and property listings to your website and social channels. A good place to find a professional real estate photographer is through freelancing websites like Upwork.
- Create a unique, compelling, and consistent brand story for your brokerage. By visualizing and storifying your organization and its services with top-notch imagery and content, you stand a better chance of reeling in prospective leads. Questions to ask yourself are: what makes us stand out from the crowd? Who do we cater to and why are we successful at it? What makes our brokerage team unique?
Go social
You knew this one was coming! And we’ll bet your social channels are already up and running. The question is: are they bringing you new opportunities?
Leading platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram generate the best results when you’re active and responsive across platforms. Sharing your website blog posts, articles, and listings is a great way to direct traffic to your website, while interacting with users and sharing positive reviews will foster a sense of community around your brand. Here are a few ways to capitalize on social media:
- Facebook houses a variety of tools and features to make your content more thumb-stopping, such as posting 360-degree images of your listings to give users a clearer, more persuasive idea of what you’ve got on offer.
- Keyword searches on Twitter will inform you when someone in a specific area is looking to buy or sell.
- As Instagram is an image-driven platform, it gives you the opportunity to tell a visual story about your listings.
- Host video tours and personal walkthroughs of your property listings and the surrounding neighborhood. For crisp, high-quality video and long-lasting battery that supports live-streaming, consider using an Osmo Mobile 2.
Pair up with a social-savvy Virtual Assistant
The above digital touchpoints mean nothing if you don’t have the time to manage your channels effectively. Most realtors are already too overwhelmed by the traditional responsibilities of real estate to actively engage with clients online or update their digital channels with valuable, lead-generating content.
Choose the affordable, social-savvy option for admin alleviation
Zirtual understands the pressures of real estate and how tough it can be to have all of your ducks in a row. Every task is important, but you can’t seem to find the time to complete all of them at the high level of quality you hold yourself to.
This is where a tech- and social-savvy Virtual Assistant (VA) can lighten the load. Zirtual’s experienced VAs will take on your social media community management and digital promotion so that you’re able to field the growing interest from buyers and sellers.
You deserve a break from administration. A VA can help you focus on your passion for selling homes to valued clients, while carving out a unique digital niche in the property market. Find out more by downloading our free eBook for realtors wanting to offload the smaller tasks for greater rewards:
