How Smart Real Estate Professions Will Use Social Media in 2017
#SnapPack Live is a fast growing community on Facebook for real estate practitioners who want to improve how they use social media marketing.
It’s unlike most other real estate groups in that there is no selling or self-promotion.
It’s a community of people helping one another.
Dustin Brohm of Search Salt Lake City diligently moderates the group to ensure the conversation is supportive, educational, and fun.
On November 30, 2016, the five founding members held a 90 minute webinar to discuss a handful of challenging issues facing marketers in 2017. Here’s the complete video. Below are my notes.
Also, if you’d like to see a recap from their first webinar, go to 26 Social Marketing Tips From 5 Real Estate Professionals.
Repurposing Content
Generating valuable content across many platforms is essential to building and keeping an audience. However, continuing to produce fresh content is challenging.
Robert (“Bucky”) Beeman discussed how he’s leveraging the video content he produces on Snapchat to his Twitter account. He uses the app, https://snappd.tv, which downloads snaps and inserts them into Twitter as a video or photo.
Bucky is also working on incorporating his Snapchat videos into longer form videos on Facebook and Youtube.
Driving Traffic to Snapchat
Use Snapchat Geofilters. Jason Frazier discussed how a client used print collateral to drive traffic to their geofilter at a public event. The client handed out flyers to attendees. The flyer explained the contest and invited people to use the Snapcode on the flyer to enter the contest.
Jason also advised Realtors to include their Snapcode on their business card and house signs.
Bucky added that he’ll often post photos with Snapchat filters on Twitter and other channels.
Incorporating Music Into Snaps. He incorporates music into the background of some of his snaps by simply playing the music on his phone while recording a snap.
Snapping to Audiences with Different Interests. Bucky’s audience falls into two primary groups. Those interested in the Rochester, MN commercial real estate market and those outside the area interested in social media marketing.
Bucky tries to make local issues relevant to those outside the area by asking them questions. For example, his firm RGI represents a shopping mall owner with a high vacancy rate. Bucky asked his audience how to increase mall traffic. He received a lot of suggestions, some of which he’s implementing.
Bucky uses Snapchat as his native camera and editing tool.
Productivity App — IFTTT
Dustin uses IFTTT (“If this, then that”) app to find leads on Twitter. The app has dozens of applications, but Dustin uses it primarily to capture leads. When someone searches Twitter for “moving to Salt Lake City,” Dustin is notified of their search. He then sends them an email. [Read this “how-to” article.]
IFTTT can also be used to post photos to multiple channels. The functionality is expansive.
Dustin’s “pins” on Pinterest get more shares and exposure than on Facebook. For example, he created a Pinterst infographic on moving to Salt Lake City. This drives more traffic to his blog post than any other platform.
Dustin cautions Pinterest newbies that it is essential for them to understand the Pinterest culture before uploading their first pin.
Where to Post Your Blog
If you are starting from scratch and don’t have a following, Dustin said there are advantages to posting on Medium. Medium is a blogging platform with a social component. After you tag your posts with key words, it’s discoverable on Medium.
Dustin recommends creating your own website for your blogs. When visitors come to your website to read your articles, this improve your SEO (search engine optimization.)
In addition to publishing on Medium and your own site, he suggests offering your publications to real estate websites such as Inman and Housing Wire. When other websites send traffic to your site (“back links”), this improves your SEO value. A higher SEO value means a higher search ranking and greater visibility.
Live Video — Become a Personal TV Station
Chelsea Peitz recommends jumping into live video.
Facebook has announced they are a “camera first” company. Essentially, they are taking on Snapchat. (See this article from The Guardian.)
As Snapchat adoption rates continue to climb, users are getting comfortable with being on camera. Chelsea believes savvy marketers will essentially be creating their personal TV station.
She views building a social media brand through the 4Cs: Camera, Communication, Content & Community.
Chelsea cautioned against starting out with unrealistic expectations. “Creating content can be overwhelming. Begin by creating a manageable timeline and smaller pieces of content so you don’t run out of ideas. And then focus on engaging your audience with questions.”
When Chelsea was asked how she manages her content, she warned the audience that they’d be surprised. She then held up a notebook.
“I’m an old school paper person and my brain…” As she espoused the benefits of her paper system over digital, the digital connection was lost.
Indirect Marketing
Jason has grown his Snapchat following without directly promoting himself. For example, he wears Facebook, Snapchat, and LinkedIn branded shirts to get strangers to initiate a conversation with him.
He also recommends marketing locally through Next Door. This is a private community of people who are neighbors. As the leader of his neighborhood, Jason is building his reputation in the community. He uses the platform to engage neighbors about local events.
Jason said, “This is perfect for anyone in real estate looking to become the ‘digital mayor’ of their town.”
How to Nurture Your Leads
Shannon Milligan “touches” each lead 33 times during the year. She explained that this isn’t as challenging as it sounds.
One way she reaches this goal is through holiday promotions and contests.
Shannon will use an event to contact her leads by phone, email, and video. For example, she recently held a Thanksgiving pie appreciation event for her clients.
Join Our Community
Dustin, Jason, Bucky, Chelsea, and Shannon have done a terrific job of building a vibrant community of forward-thinking real estate professionals. The #SnapPack Live private Facebook group would be honored if you’d join us.
