Let’s face it. If you’re an entrepreneur or a real estate professional, there’s almost no way to avoid marketing your business without using social media. Social has become one of the top ways business professionals connect with potential clients and bring awareness to their business.
Whether it’s through writing the perfect caption for all the photos you’ve captured for your newest listing, or, trying to find the best way to use the latest features released by your social media platform of choice, we’ve all been there. You sit there; smart device in-hand, and you think, and you think, and just when you’re ready to get past yourself and post, you talk yourself out of it.
Sound familiar?
We recently had the chance to speak with one of our #relentless that has taken the bull by the horns and elevated his social media game. Ryan Servantius of Century 21 Affiliated in South Haven, Michigan has learned a thing or two about how to build an online community via social media and how to create the dynamic content that leads to new clients. With over 10k followers, he shared some of his secret sauce in doing social, effectively.
Living and working in a small resort town in Lake Michigan, two hours north of Chicago, and three hours from Detroit, ninety-nine percent of his clients are from out of state. They often travel down the shorelines to seek a different lifestyle only smaller communities typically can afford.
“I always ask people when they come up, ‘What do you want your story to be? ‘What are you looking for?’ and ‘What makes you happy when you get away from your primary home?’
Understanding your local market is a key to real estate sales success. With these answers in hand, I can deliver first-hand experiences and a marketplace best suited for them.
I went out and purchased an electric golf cart, branded it, and spend summers showing clients different properties and neighborhoods based on their personal preferences.
The golf cart and my inflatable boat helps sell the lifestyle in person, but to get people to know and to trust me as the local market expert who can deliver the experience and the personalized service they are looking for, I started almost a decade ago a blog called, ‘Things To Do in South Haven.’ From interviews with business owners, to festivals and local cooking classes to city planning attempts to rid the community of short-term rentals, the blog serves as a knowledge-based touchpoint for others to find information and or solutions on the real estate market.
The blog helps to keep me in the public eye. Plus, by being a trusted and valuable member of the community, many in town send me referrals of people who come into their shops or spark up conversations with them. They’ll say, ‘Hey, go talk to Ryan. He’s around the corner at the CENTURY 21 office, maybe he can help you out.’ To date, ‘Things To Do in South Haven’ has 10,300 followers (more than the local Chamber of Commerce.)
People like to work with people who are like them. I am South Haven and the other second and or vacation home markets I serve. It’s important to be comfortable with who you are. It’s very simple. You do have to do your homework. Once you do that, people will trust you as the agent to go to. You’re in the know. You know what’s going on.”
Note: This material may contain suggestions and best practices that you may use at your discretion. The views, information, or opinions expressed in any user-generated content are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Century 21 Real Estate LLC.
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