“I used to say that ‘Twitter was for people who could not write and that Instagram was for people who could not read’,” Stated Andreas Senie, CEO of CRE Collaborative. “... but I’ve since changed my tune, and improved engagement and revenue as a result, so I’m glad I did.”
Whether you have already started using Social Media or you want to start, there is no time to waste.
Today, LinkedIn has seen a 50% increase in use, Twitter a 44% increase, and growing, according to “The New York Times.” This embodies the adage that you need to be where your customers, consumers, and prospects are.
CRECO.ai and its My Social premium offering can help you do just that. Read on to find out more.
First things first:
Take an inventory of:
- What are you doing/targeting for your audience?
- What marketing assets do you have available?
- What does your website look like, and how SEO/user friendly is it?
Your website is your digital storefront and business card. A customer visiting your site is peering through the window of your retail store to understand why they would be excited to walk through the door and ring the register.
Most times, especially in these times, you will not be meeting new clients or prospects until much further down the road, and your digital identity must project your reputation and business style.
To learn more about how to build an effective website, and use the proper tools at the appropriate times, schedule a no-obligation Enterprise Marketing Advisory Consultation through our calendar link https://crecollaborative.agilecrm.com/calendar/marketplace_response_team_
Ranked below are eight digital media channels you need to have, how effective they are in building your business, and how you can claim or create your profiles to drive transactions in a few steps:
Step 1 - LinkedIn -
As real estate professionals, if we are not delivering value in all our interactions, we are wasting energy and time. Given the depth of information, you can find about the person (s) with whom you are interacting, coupled with the fact that professional members of LinkedIn will be very receptive to business messages — particularly if the content you’re offering can help them solve a business problem — makes this an ideal hunting ground to grow your book of business.
“Unlike most other social media sites, LinkedIn is geared specifically to build business relationships. According to the company, LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. With a claim like that, it’s hard to imagine why you wouldn’t tap into this valuable resource to promote your commercial real estate business. Backing up that claim are over 500 million members worldwide, including executives from every Fortune 500 company. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network on the Internet.” (https://btsbrands.com/linkedin-is-a-marketing-must-for-commercial-real-estate-professionals/)
Setting up LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/topics/6227/6228/710
Step 2 - Google Business -
Formerly known as Google Places, Google My Business is one of the best-kept secrets and most effective ways to get to the 1st page of Google.
How? Well, if a customer searches for a business or service near their location, suitable matches will automatically appear on Google’s interactive map – called a “map pack” – in the search results.
Concerning this search, a Google My Business Page is a great way to boost your prominence on Google’s search engine in the markets in which you do business. Now, more than ever, people are looking to invest and divest in new markets, and where do they start their search 80% of the time? On Google!
Need more?
- Manage your information:
You can manage all the information Google users see when they search for your property. Also, businesses that use Google My Business are reportedly twice as likely to be considered reputable by customers. - Interact with your customers:
You can read and respond to reviews from your customers and add visual content to further promote your properties. - Get valuable insights:
You can see how customers searched for your properties and where they come from. This helps you plan and track your sales campaigns more effectively. Google sends you a report about how your properties’ business page is performing at the end of every month.
Claiming Your Google My Business - https://support.google.com/business/answer/2911778?hl=en’
Step 3 - Twitter -
In July 2015, Certified Commercial Investment Members published an article outlining the value of Twitter. That has only grown in its accuracy.
“However, Twitter is often overlooked in the commercial real estate industry. NAIOP explains it well: Twitter is like the misunderstood middle child, difficult to understand on the surface, but complex and interesting on the inside. It gives users the greatest ability to tap into people outside of their networks and to expand those networks.” To read more about the top five reasons to be on Twitter visit http://www.georgiaccim.com/News/20150708/20/Using-Twitter-in-Commercial-Real-Estate.aspx
Now more then ever, communicating with each of our respective communities takes a plan of action. Nowhere else in existence today can you reach out to your neighbors, prospects, and owners at no cost, without being akin to an “ambulance chaser.” Twitter is a forum where, with a little care, you can engage and showcase your place as a thought leader.
Step 4 - Facebook -
By far, one of the most massive online audiences on the planet, Facebook is a great place to invite interaction. Unlike LinkedIn or Twitter, where you are focusing on your targeted offerings or business, Facebook allows you to be engaged and show a personal side of yourself to connect with your clients, customers, and prospects. I am sure we have all heard stories about how someone lost a job or didn’t get into a school because of something on their social media account. In China today, they are already rating citizens by what they call “an Onlife score,” which is a combination of everything someone does, searches, and engages in, through the course of their life. We all have accomplishments, tribulations, and triumphs. Being social is ingrained in many real estate professionals’ day-to-day being. Today you can’t bump into your local property owners at a town hall, but you may run into them on Facebook discussing critical topics in your area. Be heard, be seen, and be proactive by inviting interaction.
To learn more about Onlife scoring and how technology is changing everything, I would recommend reading the book “Who Can You Trust?” by Donna Botsman.
To create or claim a Facebook Account, and create a business page, click here: https://www.facebook.com/help/282489752085908/?helpref=hc_fnav
Step 5 - Instagram -
The fact is: images are essential to commercial real estate marketing. As an image-based platform, Instagram is a tool that commercial brokerages, asset managers, and financiers should no-longer ignore. When coupled with other channels, it provides a rapid-fire way to get deals in-front of your customers, clients, and prospects. Sales are all about multiple touches. Deals never die and begin without a relationship between parties. Instagram marks another channel where you get a warm introduction and stay on the mind of key decision-makers.
For example, CRE Collaborator Metro International Investment‘s real estate presence Miami Beach Brokers has their Instagram account updated daily. https://www.instagram.com/miamibeachbrokers/
Brower Group has an impressive list of Instagram rock stars you can review for some best practices at https://brower-group.com/9-commercial-real-estate-companies-that-are-nailing-it-on-instagram/
To create an Instagram account click here: https://help.instagram.com/155940534568753
Step 6 - YouTube -
90% of all searches on the web today start with a video. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then videos have exponential value when communicating your value proposition, brand, and/or properties.
The commercial real estate industry is complex and highly competitive. From Class A+ iconic skyscrapers to smaller building offerings, there’s tremendous pressure on commercial brokers to get space leased and buildings sold. Using video in commercial real estate marketing can give your promotional efforts the extra edge you need to succeed.
Most commercial real estate prospects use the Internet to research property listings. Therefore, it makes good business sense to include video as part of your marketing. Video in CRE marketing can wow your prospective clients and help set the hook for an in-person meeting. (Learn more about how effective video marketing can be at https://www.commercialcafe.com/blog/video-in-commercial-real-estate-marketing/)
Setting up YouTube is easy! Don’t have a Gmail email yet? Create one; it’s completely free. Then go to https://studio.youtube.com/new_channel_setup and login to your Gmail account to fill in your information.
Step 7 - Google Ads -
Google AdWords works for real estate agents because it’s simple. You create the text and images for your ad, and you pay when someone clicks. This gives you a chance to test out different ads, test effectiveness, and only pay for what works. You have the flexibility to continuously redefine your keywords and audience.
Here’s a great success story from a CRE Collaborator Partner platform:
QuantumListing added a Google Display Network ad feature last year. With it, agents can pick which commercial real estate listings they want to advertise, and add to the Google Display Network.
With just a few clicks, it creates display advertising on websites your potential customers are already organically visiting. These image ads target an affinity audience, potential customers likely to have an interest in commercial real estate.
“I ran two of these last week, and I could not believe the results. I did one for my property in Geneva, and I spent the 25 bucks (just base rate), and it came in at like 36,000 views on Google and 17 click-throughs. So people use that to get to the site and learn about the property. And I had a showing yesterday from this. That is the only way they could’ve found me... It was a residential broker out in Geneva. There’s no way they could have found me otherwise.”
“I was very excited, and I’ve done the Google ads before, and they are complex. Even as a marketer, I can’t stand them. That you’ve already set all of this up is like the best thing in the whole wide world. So, this is genius, thank you!”
I’ve never had that much exposure from an ad. And I didn’t have to learn Google ads to do it.”
- Rebekah Carlson of Carlson Integrated.
Step 8 - Facebook Ads
Do Facebook Ads For Realtors Work? Yes, Facebook ads for real estate professionals work.
The people that want to buy the properties you are selling or the people that want to find a broker to sell their property are on Facebook (see step 4, above) in higher numbers and for more extended periods than any other channel, bar none.
Facebook’s user base comprises over 2 billion users, according to Zephoria. This means that a possible 2 billion users are encountering your commercial real estate ads every day. Now, keep in mind that while there are over 2 billion users on Facebook, not all 2 billion of those will encounter your ads, nor would you want them all. You are more likely to gain better traction to your commercial listing ad if you optimize and target your ad for your audience; investors, buyers, and sellers. Facebook Ads allow you to do just that, refine and target your audience down to their city, age, and even their interests, to ensure that the right people at the right time see your ads.
Bring it all together -
Harmonizing and syncing your message through your website and proper client relationship management is critical. One of the hardest things about having multiple social media channels is staying on top of them, posting the right content at the right time and with the right frequency.
With CRECO.ai’s My Social tool suite, all of the above will be posted and managed automatically from one single dashboard. This powerful marketing platform is available to Premium CRE Collaborators.
Don’t worry if you haven’t set up your social media accounts yet; My Social has a Manage Connections link to prompt you to create or login to your social accounts and link them in a few simple steps.
For more information on getting started, see our article, Thrive in Commercial Real Estate: Align Your Physical Image with your Digital Self at https://www.creco.ai/blog/thrive-commercial-real-estate-align-your-physical-image-your-digital-self-five-easy-steps
And remember that CRECo.ai handles your technology for you, so chat with us or call us, and we’ll help you out.
CRECO.ai gives you the tools to handle your marketing, making it frictionless and profitable.
Learn more about My Social; join today at https://welcome.creco.ai/mysocial
Written by:
By Andreas Senie
Founder & CEO CRE Collaborative Inc
Co-Host FriedonTech/FriedonBusiness
203-307-2242 | Andreas@CRECo.ai
www.CRECollaborative.com
&
Howard Oliver
VP of Marketing
CRE Collaborative
416-458-5254 | Howard@CRECo.ai