Six Steps to selling with Social Media for Real Estate Agents

There are many plans and ideas, and even countless more ways and websites that all claim to help real estate agents make better use of social media outlets. Most of them are good, some are fantastic, and others, not so much. But the one thing most Agents fail to do is prepare themselves properly prior to, during, and even after using social media.
Social media for real estate agents IS NOT recreational. You can use your Facebook account to keep up with your friends, and your blog to write about your triathlete training, and google plus to check in, but you also have to use those sites for business- and when you do, you have to be prepared. You have to have a plan. You have to have the right tools. you have to know the best site to use to share the message that you are trying to get out. And the prep work is what makes it easier. And it’s what will give you a bigger return on your time and money investments. And it quite possibly is the funnest part of your job.
During my Selling It Social seminars, i break the six steps into two sessions- namely because it is a lot of material to digest over a few hours. So here they are- take your time through each and the rewards on the other side will be huge!
Step 1- Gather the Tools you need to be successful- And more importantly, KNOW HOW TO USE THEM- all of them. You need to be confident in sharing files, changing photo sizes, creating banners, shooting videos, and doing tasks online and on your computer- A successful Social Media Campaign is very computer heavy- that is why it’s called ONLINE.
The tools you need: A Good computer with a lot of available hard drive space, a good graphics card, and a high speed Internet connection. A Smart phone. A Tablet computer is good as well. A stand microphone for your computer and a wireless lapel microphone for your video camera. You need a good digital SLR or point and shoot camera. A Video or Flip style camera.
Now that you have the tools that will make it easy to create and share your messages online- and you KNOW HOW TO USE THEM and ALL OF THEIR FEATURES, it is time to begin thinking about STEP 2- Building your Online Brand.
Your brand is your image. It is the message, the persona, and attitude that you project to the online world, the one that customers interact with and get to know. Spend the time NOW thinking about the following, and it will make creating your online profiles and your social media marketing plans so much easier.
Create a name for your website, a catch phrase or tag line for yourself, Think about the colors of your sites, the fonts you will use, the layouts you like, and photos you want to advertise- Think like a big company- if you go to their website, their Facebook page, their YouTube channel, their twitter page or any other site they are associated with, you will see consistency with the layout, colors, and message they convey. It’s easy to do this but you HAVE to think of it it NOW!
You also need to create video intros, credit pages, flyer layouts, and any other marketing materials you use with the same elements. This is good time to figure out WHO you are, WHAT you do, HOW you do it, and WHY people should buy and sell with you. Be BOLD, be FORWARD, and most of all, BE CONFIDENT!
Now you are ready for step 3- getting your self online.
Sign up where everyone else is- Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, a Blog site like WordPress, and any other sites you are likely to find YOUR customers. Fill in your profiles and Bios Completely and with CONSISTENT information- the ideas you came up with while thinking of your brand. Make sure everything looks good. Be sure to link all of the sites together, link in with a Customer Database, and test everything out. For more information on this step, check out my YouTube videos and other blogs, or call me to discuss coming out to your office or board for a seminar- they really are helpful!
Now that you are Online and signed up on all of the social Media Sites, it is time for Step 4. PLANNING YOUR MEDIA PLAN. Notice that to this point you STILL haven’t logged in to any of the sites and shared message or posted or tweeted or anything of the sort- Be patient, you will soon enough.
When creating a Social Media plan, keep in mind there are 3 Goals- one, to GET MORE CUSTOMERS to fill your database with so you can share more information and potentially create more prospects. Two, is to help you move the inventory you have and to share the information you know. And Three is to help you become an expert in your local market.
Everything you plan to do with social media needs to be based on one of these three goals. If it’s not, get rid of it- it will only waste yours and your clients time. Now is the time to think of the messages you want to say, why you want to say them, and what is important. Write down what you feel is important to you, and expand on it.
Now for Step 5- the fun part- Going Social.
Take your messages online- post, tweet, upload videos, write a blog, host a LinkedIn group, share photos and listings, become compelling, and share what you know. you have multiple avenues to share your ideas, make sure to use them all in a variety of ways. And INTERACT with those who make comments or forward your ideas along to others. This is what puts the SOCIAL in social media- interacting!
And Now for Step 6, and probably the second most important step behind learning the tools- Engage, Interact, Review, and UPDATE. What is working. how is it working? Who are you interacting with. Did something catch their eye? How are you connecting with people? What is attracting them? Are you reviewing the analytics of your messages, friends, contacts, and website traffic? When you can answer these questions, you can then UPDATE your goals and marketing plan to be even more efficient.
By properly progressing through these six steps, you can set your self for a successful online campaign, one that will bring more prospects, customers, and closings into your life. Take the time to do it right, and you will see the results without the frustrations. Good Luck, and remember, there is nothing like SELLING IT SOCIAL!