Stop chasing clients and start growing them. One of the best ways to grow clients is by building a platform and putting out content on a regular basis. Done right, your platform works 24/7 to position you as the neighborhood expert, blow away your competition and attract your ideal client. In our latest episode we covered the main ways to build a platform for real estate agents, and the mediums you can use - written, audio and video content.
Key Takeaways
1. Find your medium first - What you are most drawn to and best equipped to produce- written, audio or video content.
Set a regular schedule to put out content- Whatever you decide to do, do it consistently
2. Make it easy on yourself to create content - watch what top agents are putting out and look for opportunities in your daily life to share information that people in your farm will be interested in
We started by sharing Greg’s story of transitioning from very traditional farming, with door-knocking, mailers and brand marketing like moving trucks, over to video blogging, email newsletters and other high-tech forms of marketing. Then we outlined what a “platform” is and why you should build one and start putting out content.
We talked about how to pull together your own email list from different sources, why use LinkedIn to build your email list, and why you shouldn’t worry about sending your content out to your entire contact list.
Then we shared how to get started with a written blog, some options for hyper-local and micro-niche blogging to position yourself as an expert, and explained why consistency is so important when it comes to your platform. We moved on to audio blogging, also known as podcasting, gave you the optimal running time for a podcast and shared some options to outsource the technical work and get your podcast syndicated to iTunes.
Next we went deep into video blogging, screensharing Greg’s actual Bay Area Real Estate Video Blog, including all the different topics Greg has covered and video series he’s produced, which range from market updates and local business profiles to “Why You’re Wrong About Real Estate” a series of myth-busting videos for buyers and sellers. We also shared how to use native video on Facebook and how to use social media networks as your platform rather than your own website.
We finished by giving the key to dominating a farm area with blogging and two different FREE sites where you can detailed stats, demographics and interesting market information to share. This is a topic that’s near and dear to both of us, so we had a lot of fun while covering a lot of ground. We know there’s a lot of options and it can be a little overwhelming if you’re a solo agent, so our best advice is just Get Started!
Show Highlights
4:25 Shout-out to listeners and people who have reached out to Greg for personal advice
6:21 Greg’s transition from traditional farming to building a video blog platform to communicate with their past clients and farm areas
9:00 Don’t be scared to email your content to your entire contact list - Those who aren’t interested will unsubscribe (and it’s usually a low percentage)
11:45 Written Blog- options include area-specific, community or farm area, or niche topics such as school districts, youth sports, churches or other hyper-local topics
14:50 The key to blogging is consistency
16:15 Audio blogging, or podcasting, and options such as turning your videos into podcasts, using Soundcloud to publish your audio, or using Libsyn to syndicate to iTunes
20:15 The optimal time for a podcast is 22 minutes
21:00 SCREENSHARE: Greg’s Bay Area Real Estate Video blog, including the topics Greg uses in his videos, including market updates, myth-busting videos for buyers and sellers, testimonials, local business spotlights, community events, etc.
27:45 More ideas for local videos - School profiles, local business and non-profit profiles, public service announcements (weather, potholes, etc.) contests, client appreciation parties and more
31:00 Greg’s experience posting New Listing and Open House videos straight to Facebook, using Periscope and Blab.im
35:27 Using a social media network as your platform rather than a website or blog - What to talk about in your videos or blog posts
39:14 The key to dominating a farm area with blogging - Two different FREE sites where you can get detailed stats and demographics information you can share on your platform