Long Beach Island, NJ real estate market is saturated with agents struggling to make those million dollar sales. The real estate market in the LBI region averages $1.4 million dollars for a 2200 sf abode. An agent armed with the right knowledge can curate meaningful content, nurture online visitors from their website and social media accounts into solid leads. 90% of all real estate buyers search the internet for homes. So why not embrace the technology and new marketing platforms that will enable new or old agents the access to more leads for those million dollar LBI listings.
The following social media/content marketing HACKS only work if you are consistent.
1. Set-up a Professional Website
You don’t have to break the bank when it comes to setting up a professional website for your real estate business but DON’T BE CHEAP! Your website must include your listings, office listings, MLS listings, events calendar, a blogging section for your content marketing material and a nice smiley face of your mug and Old Barney in the background. Your website is the hub for all your marketing efforts. All leads should funnel through your website. Your website also has to reflect the community, so get some nice photos of LBI to sprinkle them all over.
2. Post About How Awesome it is to Live on LBI
Now, that you have a professional looking website that is developed properly, it is time to start using your blogging section. Show off the neighbor with some photos and videos. Make sure you describe your area with details that only a local would know. Show off the sunrise and sunset from many parts of the island. Get comfortable with curating content for your audience that answers their questions. Post at least once or twice a week on your website. People searching about the LBI region will land on your website’s post. They will then seek out your advice about the real estate market. You will be the authority about the LBI region. Content marketing takes time and consistency that will produce results.
3. Set-up Your Facebook Page
Facebook is a must to have if you want to attract visitors from your website to follow you. Your website is where your visitors find out that you have a Facebook page. Your Facebook page must reflect your website’s message and brand. If you are the brand then use your head shot as the profile picture. If you are a company then use your logo. Use a cover photo that reflects your community with a slogan attached.
Creating a Facebook page is not rocket science but it may be since you have to integrate it with your website and Twitter(Another post coming soon about Facebook’s advanced features for your website). CLICK HERE for directions on setting up your FB page.
4. Set-up Your Instagram Business Account
Instagram connects you as a person who is passionate about the LBI region. Instagram engages your audience from locals to shoobies, all the way to potential buyers and sellers. First, you need to get your Instagram Business account set-up. Please watch the video for instructions.
Once you have your Instagram Business account set-up check out these top realtors killing it with Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba-R9OggYNy/
Oh…he is not from this area. Well, here is somebody who is local to LBI.
Instagram is a must if you want to sell million dollar homes on Long Beach Island. Building a following takes time and consistency with posting photos, videos and connecting with your audience. Make sure to LIKE back or else they will just forget you.
5. Set-up Your Twitter Account
Twitter is another tool to you must add to your marketing arsenal. Twitter is a place where your can tweet out 280 character and attach photos and videos. Engage with the right people in your industry and the people within your community. Post useful or educational content that inform your audience about the real estate market in the LBI region. Don’t just post about homes for sale, post about the view of the home you are selling and give them insights about the surrounding area.
Get your smiley face on, get a nice head shot and use it for your profile pic on Twitter. Stay consistent with your head shot that you use for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Once you have your head shot in the profile, pic a panoramic photo of Long Beach Island and use it as the header image.
Enter your bio that represents who you are and what you do. Add your location, contact info and a link to your real estate website. Make sure the majority of the content you tweet about originates from your website.
Go here for more directions on how to set-up your Twitter account.
6. Set-up Your LinkedIn Account
LinkedIn is where the pros get it done. Your LinkedIn profile has to be tight and distinguishable. Many people research who they are dealing with through LinkedIn. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account or you put no effort into building a proper one then you are not serious about your image as a professional real estate agent. LinkedIn is a place to network within your industry, follow the industry leaders and where you can get ideas for your content creation on your website.
Building your LinkedIn profile is easy, just fill out all the information, get your profile pic and cover and start connecting. Connect with friends and family, then with colleagues, people you work with, and then start building out your network in real estate.
Once you have a number of people you are following and industry related topics then start to LIKE and leave comments in people’s post or articles posted. Making a connection through LIKEs and comments in LinkedIn shows that you are knowledgeable in your field.
Now that you understand LinkedIn, you can start adding your own content. Remember, create the content on your own website and then share it on LinkedIn. Again, your content is meant to be helpful and not about spamming a new listing.
7. Connect All Your Social Media Accounts to Your Website
People searching online about the LBI region in general always land on a website that is full of content. The content they are searching for is informational or educational. The content you are producing is for a particular audience looking to buy their second home or moving to the LBI region. Once they land on your website is where they discover that you are connected socially and that is where the first connection happens.
People use social media to connect with the brand or company. Some people prefer Facebook, others prefer Instagram, that is why you need to cover all your bases when it comes to your social media presence. Your website should have the ability to pull in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn feeds. Also, you should have all your social media badges on the top or bottom of the website and on your contact page.
8. Start Networking with the Professionals in Your Area
Nothing beats a firm handshake and a smile! Networking locally exposes who you are and what you do. Joining the local Chamber of Commerce that has regular meetings and events will help grow your network and expose you to potential buyers, sellers and investors.
Post about your networking on your social media accounts. Your audience will know that you are involved in the community and not just another sales person. Join a committee and give some time to the chamber. Sponsor a local event and give out your swag(magnetized calendars, USB sticks, etc.)! Whatever you put in, you get out!
9. Research is KEY
Knowledge is power! In the highly competitive field of real estate the more you know the more you will stand out among the others. Keeping up with price changes and market trends will help you keep your competitive edge. Knowing your real estate market is vital and one of the most important parts of the job!
So after attaining all of this knowledge, what do you do with it? Keep it to yourself? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Put that information out there through your website, blog and social media. This will make you stand out among the rest and give your clients and potential clients peace of mind that they have an agent who knows what they are doing. The more education the better, you will become a content creating machine!
10. Content, Content, Content for Your Website
Writing a post on your website should be a well thought out process, technically sound and make sense grammatically. The structure of your article should include headings and sub-headings, bullet points, quotes and some bold text. Readability is crucial if you want to make somebody stick to your site. Also, adding media to your post is a must. People like photos and videos that engage them to read further. Make sure to embed your Instagram or Facebook’s media in your post. A post with rich content will engage your audience and set you apart.
The content strategy on your website should take an 80/20 rule approach. It’s stated that 80% of your content should be informational, educational and provide entertainment for you audience, while 20% should directly promote your business. Applying this rule will help guide you when are creating content for your website. People will more likely share your content when you apply the 80/20 rule.
The meat of your content should be about your local market, points of interest and activities, your target audience, heath and lifestyle, vertical real estate industries, home features and styles, home maintenance, the future of the LBI real estate market and then finally about your listings.
Here are some topic ideas to write about:
- What restaurant has the best New England Clam Chowder?
- Where are the dog parks located on LBI?
- Where can I catch the best sunset on LBI?
- What is the current real estate trend on LBI?
- What are the current mortgage rates?
- Should I look for a home with a fiberglass roof?
- What are the benefits of having a fiberglass deck?
- What are the cost of adding solar panels?
- What’s going on on LBI this week?
- What are some common questions asked by both buyers and sellers?
Your listings should be sprinkled in, do not spam your listing because you will just be ignored. People already know that you are a realtor, instead of trying to post your listing, post about the pool, the dinning room and the experience one feels. Don’t sell the house, sell the idea of living in a house of their dreams and an area that is unique.
11. ACT Right to Get the Million Dollar Deals Closed
Now that you have all your social media and content pumping at full steam, you got to understand the mindset of people using social media, they are not interested in buying anything! Social media is not a selling tool, it is meant as an ATTRACTION tool. Expressing your unique personality and content to connect with people.
- Attract: Get their attention through either a face to face, mutual acquaintance, or social media to take them back to your website.
- Convert: Use your website to turn a visitor into a prospect for your real estate business.
- Transform: Turn your past clients(sellers, buyers, investors) successes into testimonials, case studies and success stories.
The process of ACT should be embedded in the principles of your marketing. People love to hear a good story of you solving a problem for your client. The process of looking for the perfect home, all the way down to getting a mortgage, and closing, make a create story to add to your website. The more you keep at it, the more likely you will land a whale!
12. Stick With Your Marketing Plan
Now that you are fully comfortable with creating compelling articles about LBI, living the dream, eating the best Chowder, we got to keep on converting visitors into solid leads and sales(remember ACT). Stick with your marketing plan but keep up with the current changes on the new features that Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn put out almost monthly.
Stick to a marketing plan for at least a year and then make adjustments. For example, Facebook came out with FB 360 videos, where you can tell a story and show off a LBI property with a 360 viewing area.
We've just listed a new property that includes beautiful views of the Salt Lake valley. Please give us a call to schedule a showing.
Posted by ABC Realty on Monday, November 28, 2016
The technology will keep on advancing with or without you. Your marketing plan has to stay on top of current trends in technology. Once you are disciplined in having a consistent marketing plan then you can start tweaking and optimizing. The expanding part of your marketing plan should include paid ads and hiring a local marketing agency to keep your empire growing in the real estate market here in the LBI region.
13. Paid Ads as Part of Your Social Media & Content Marketing Plan
Paying for ads has changed dramatically over the past decade. You can now pinpoint down to a zip code and plaster your ads in a microcosm of people looking for your services. The prerequisites for paid ads are to have an established website with content that is educational and informative to your audience, and establish social media presence and consistency of articles. A fined tuned sales funnel for buyers, sellers and investors. Make sure that you have forms on your website for each member of your audience.
You can use Facebook Lead Ads, to target your audience of people looking for real estate in the LBI region. Google AdWords also reaches your audience through zip codes, town and radius area. All your paid ads should be pointing back to either an article that you have written or a form that they fill out. Generating qualified leads for buyers, sellers and investors for your real estate business with your marketing plan will be invaluable to your bottom line.
Summary
You made it down this far! OK, listen, these social media and content marketing hacks are not easy at first. If it were easy then everybody would be doing it and making fists full of cash. The first step you have to make is a commitment to your marketing plan and yourself. Create content for your sellers, buyers and investors. Use all the main social media outlets of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram to drive traffic back to your website. Your website has to be clean and informative because it is the center of your marketing hub where the majority of your leads will be generated.
CONSISTENCY is the key factor that will separate you from other real estate agents.
Do you have anything you would like to add to the conversation about real estate marketing in the LBI region? Please comment below and share this article with your colleagues in the real estate business.
