For most people, buying or selling their home is one of the biggest moments of their life. It’s right up there with getting married and starting a family. And at the end of a transaction, after spending weeks or months with these clients, so often, real estate pros aren’t equipped to stay in touch with these clients in a meaningful and relevant way.
Sure, postcards, drip email marketing and calendars are all nice touches and they are all part of the marketing mix. But, social media allows us to keep in touch with our sphere in a scalable way like never before.
So much of a real estate professional’s business comes from past clients and/or referrals – but there is nothing worse than running into an old client and them asking, “Are you still in real estate? We just bought a new home!”
In 2017 and beyond, it’s more important than ever before to think about how to intentionally connect and reconnect with your sphere.
Here are a few simple tips on how you can use social media to do this.
1. Engage where they are
Ask your clients where they are ‘hanging out’ online. Is it Facebook? Snapchat? Instagram? None of the above? All of the above. Connect with your past clients on the platforms they are most active on and never assume which ones they may or may not be on.
2. Be a good finder
When you are on social media, be on the lookout for good news that your sphere shares; birthdays, special days, big wins, and more. These are ‘social signals’ and allow you a great opportunity to not just “like” their post but to leave a thoughtful comment or reach out personally through the phone, text or a handwritten note. For your top-referring clients, set up a Google Alert to alert you of their favorite interests. For example, if they love wine in the Pacific Northwest, you could set up a Google Alert for wine tasting events in their local area. Then, you can share that with your clients and you will look like the hero for being thoughtful!
3. Maximize your Facebook personal profile by sharing who you are beyond business
People connect with you when you share who you are beyond who you are professionally. Stick to the 80/20 rule; 80% of your posts should be personal and 20% can be business (here’s a video where I talk more about that 20%.) Also, use Facebook Messenger to connect with people one-to-one. Leaving a voice message on someone’s birthday through Facebook Messenger is a great way to surprise and delight your clients!
4. Cut through the noise on Facebook and create private lists
Put your clients and potential clients into a list using your Facebook personal profile. Once you have completed a transaction, if your client is on Facebook, reach out to them and ask them to connect. It could be a simple message like, “Hi Susy, It was great working with you and John. I’d love to keep in touch here on Facebook.” Once they are in a list, spend 5-10 minutes each day looking at that list and look for moments of opportunity to comment or engage with them online – or to see if there is an opportunity to take the online, offline and send them a note in the mail or call them. Relationships are built with small interactions over the course of time and this is one of the easiest ways to intentionally keep up with your sphere on Facebook. You can do this on Twitter too!
5. Understand the magic is in the one-to-one
As you are using your Facebook lists, remember the magic is in the one-to-one. Use Facebook Messenger to send an audio or video message to wish them a ‘happy birthday’ or to reach out personally versus be ‘one of the masses’ to comment on a post on their page.
6. Create helpful and relevant content for your sphere
Content is the name of the game. Create relevant content in bite-size pieces that are helpful to your sphere. Quick videos or blog posts are things that are relevant, you can share on social media and you can share to your database. Here’s another quick video with some super helpful tips on how to create content quickly! Plus, when you create relevant content, your sphere is more likely to share it with their friends and family on social media. Relevant content could be created through Facebook Live, Instagram Stories or even Snapchat.
7. Lean into who you are, and who you are not
Don’t try to be all things to all people. When you create relevant content and really lean into who you are – you will attract more great leads than you can imagine. Have an opinion and a voice and people will resonate with that.
These are just a few tips on how to use social media to build your sphere. I’d love to hear from you and let me know what works for you as you build your business!
