Facebook and Twitter are two tools that have the ability to help firmly establish a Realtors brand, increase your customer loyalty and boost the number of referrals you receive from each client. These tools place your brand and the results you have achieved for your clients squarely in front of their network of friends and associates, positioning you to be the first name that pops into their head when buying or selling a home.
Here are a few tips I recently suggested to a group of Realtors that we provide with Local Search and Reputation Marketing services. They will help you to make these tools an asset to your business without becoming a time drain in your day.
- Create a good looking page for your business
Both FB and Twitter have easily customizable home pages. First impressions are important so either spend the time to create a good looking page or ask someone to create one for you.
- Display your name, address, phone number, photo and logo prominently
Your contact information is obviously important for the prospect or client to connect with you. Once your account is connected to our local search tools that information is also picked up by search engines, causing your page to show up in search results. Have a photo taken that presents you professionally (pay attention to what’s in the background!) and has good resolution. Be sure to use your name and best key word in the descriptive text for image (Bob Jones, Orange County Realtor). That text is searchable and is another opportunity for search engines to find you!
Somewhere between two and three times a week is good for most people, depending on your business volume, clientele and comfort level. Be personable and provide beneficial information in small bites. Remember, not everyone wants a constant barrage of market data, what matters to you may not be earth shaking to them. Updates on important events in the lives of their friends lives is a different story. To help you determine the best frequency for update type posts we suggest looking at your personal FB time line and deciding how often you would consider to be effective if you were the recipient. Think like your client for the best results.
- Connect on these platforms with all of your new contacts
This is an effective way to expose prospective clients to the relationships, referrals and thank you’s that you’ll accumulate on your page. It’s much more valuable for them to read what others say about you than for you to tell them how great you are yourself. Ask new contacts to like your page and like theirs in return. Once they have done so all posts you make on your page will be displayed in their time line and in the time lines of their friends.
- Ask permission to post updates as part of your marketing plan
Don’t assume that it’s okay to post updates about them without their permission! Aside from helping you avoid embarrassing situations (my boss didn’t know I was quitting and moving to Tampa until his wife read on Facebook that we listed our home!) permission based marketing is a respectful and more professional approach that shows you care. For more on this topic I recommend reading “Permission Marketing” by Seth Godin and this article on the topic in Mashable.
This lets them know that you care and announces to their network of friends that their house has sold and that YOU got it done for them. You’ll be surprised how many times this post will be shared through their network as it’s an easy way for everyone to spread the good news.
It may seem like less work for you but avoid the temptation to congratulate multiple clients in the same post. This lessens the personal touch and introduces a strangers name into their network, something that some may not appreciate so, each announcement gets it’s own post!
- Collect and post testimonials
Video testimonials are proven to be much more effective than written ones so, have your camera handy and ask for a short video referral on the spot. Get the referral or testimonial in writing if they don’t want to do video. Post them to your Facebook page for all to see! Requesting the testimonial a day or two after posting your “Congratulations!” works well.
- Post your testimonials on your website
Talk to us if you need help with this or with embedding video testimonials into your pages.
- Create a YouTube channel and upload your video testimonials to it
Were you aware that Google owns YouTube? Did you know that YouTube receives almost the same number of searches per day that Google does? Having your own channel of testimonial and informational videos with search optimized text descriptions of each is another great tool we can use to get you found by the people looking for your services!
- I couldn’t give you a list with only nine things on it, could I?
There are many more ways we can help you to effectively market yourself as a Realtor. Curious about how our Local Search and Reputation Marketing Service can benefit your brand and impact your bottom line? This link will tell you more about it.
Hardenbrook Marketing Solutions 2660 NE Hwy 20 Suite 610 #79 Bend, Oregon 97701 855-550-0123Schedule a free initial consultation
We’re here to help you make your business successful!
About Eric Hardenbrook
Eric is an experienced Internet marketer, helping companies of all sizes to double or triple the effectiveness of their marketing plans with proven tools and techniques. Connect with Eric on Google+
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