Social Selling Made Simple

Social media can be really intimidating when you're just starting out, but it doesn't have to be. What is the very first platform you should start with? How can you use Instagram's IGTV to reach more people and increase post engagement? How do you make social media connection a habit? On this episode, I'm joined by social media strategist and consultant, Katie Lance. She shares on the top social media tips just about anyone can implement. Instagram is such an aspirational platform, which is perfect for real estate. -Katie Lance You don't need the perfect strategy or the perfect content to get started with social media. If you want to make it less intimidating, you have to just start now. Begin with what you have and make a habit out of consistent use of social media. Commit to 15 minutes a day to connect with people and build relationships, and make use of the Live features of Facebook and Instagram. This will get the momentum going and you can build up from there.

Most people think social selling doesn't work because there's no face-to-face connection, but if we leverage our devices the right way, it can be highly effective. How can we get better at connecting with people when we create video content? Besides Instagram and Facebook stories, what are other platforms we can leverage to get our brands in front of more people? On this episode, I'm joined by social selling coach, author, and speaker, Chelsea Peitz, who shares on winning social media strategies. Remember, your brand is not a house. It's your face. -Chelsea Peitz Video content doesn't have to be the lesser version of a face-to-face conversation. Having mobile phones means people have the chance to connect literally right in the palm of their hands. We have to get comfortable with video content to achieve this, we have to force ourselves to do it until it becomes a habit. If we take the camera-first formula, we can ultimately convert people and turn social activities into business outcomes.

In the age of social media, we're bombarded with changes in trends and technological advancements. What will remain the same in spite of all of those? Are there any constants we can capitalize on? This episode is the talk I gave at Inman Connect in New York, where I share why people will continue to use the internet to find solutions to their problems, and what that means for us and our use of social media. I explain how you can become people's advisor of choice in a sea of social media accounts. They used to say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, today one minute of video content is worth 1.8 million words. You should be creating those one-minute videos. -Marki Lemons-Ryhal To get ahead using social media, video content is non-negotiable. While professional video is popular (and advisable, when possible) remember that at the core, your videos need to be serving the needs of your audience. Create content for the people you want to attract to bring you new business. When you don't have all the answers, interview experts. You can even speak to people in your area of influence- just always be sure to keep the camera rolling.

REALTORS® who leverage technology and social media have a massive advantage over those who don't. How do we stay current with social media trends and implement a good strategy? How can we tell stories and make people want to follow us? Why are our families and friends our best brand ambassadors? On this episode, I talk with Tracey Hicks, founder of All Things Real Estate, and she shares the social media strategies that are working for her business. If you know what your intention is for, your social media marketing, your business, and everything else falls into place a lot easier. -Tracey Hicks At the start of the show, Tracey shares on the unique selling proposition that allows her brand to stand out. Next we talked about the importance of telling a story, and why you need to document the process of buying and selling a house with a human element. Tracey also shares how he uses Instagram stories, and why you need to let your family and friends support you. We also discussed: How to hire out for what you don't want to do Hacks and tools you can use to run social media more efficiently The most important thing you need to have in all your marketing and business development is intention. Ultimately if your intentions are good, and you want to really help people it will show through all of your content and social media posts. Make sure everything you do has a strategy behind it, and be consistent. The strategy that works is the one that you follow through on.

Chatbots are a new way for us to engage with potential clients and automate our scripts. What are some of the mistakes many of us are making with chatbots? How can we leverage bots to learn more valuable information about prospects? Can one chatbot do it all? On this episode, Real Estate Growth Hackers founder, Zach Hammer, shares how we can use chatbots to grow our business. The goal of a chatbot isn't to replicate or replace the conversation—it's to start the conversation. -Zach Hammer At the start of the show, Zach shared on what chatbots are, and we talked about how we can use them to enhance our scripts. Next we talked about the biggest mistakes people are making, and the power of using messenger bots as landing pages. We also talked about how chatbots make moving down the funnel a lot easier. Zach also shared on: Why we should never lose sight of the conversation How to silo your conversations and bots Conversion rates of messenger bot landing pages If we don't use chatbots correctly, they'll end up going the way of the phone tree: no one will engage with them and they won't achieve anything. If we want to succeed, we have to always the remember the goal. It's not to completely replace the conversation, but to start it off so that we're more likely to get them on the phone. We have to be intentional and targeted with what we're trying to do so that the chats flow naturally and feel good for the end user.

We all have goals we'd like to achieve, but the implementation of those goals is not always simple. How can we set effective goals and stick to them? Are there ways we can hold ourselves accountable? On this episode, I share how to stop dreaming, and start doing. Takeaways When setting your goals, it's important to pay attention to what you want to achieve in all areas of your life. Write down your goals and set reminders to hold yourself accountable. Consider shifting your sphere of influence. Get involved in the communities you want to incorporate into your market. Once you decide what you want to achieve, you need to put your heart and soul into the implementation of your goals. Make sure you always have your goals written somewhere you can see them, and set daily reminders. After you've held yourself accountable, it's time to start making it happen. Always keep your customers in mind and make sure they know who you are. Your goals are within reach- you just need the resolve to grab them.

Our industry is so far behind when it comes leveraging social media and technology for marketing, and it's affecting our businesses in a major way. What are some of the social media basics we really have to master? How do we increase our reach, engagement and lead generation using Instagram posts and Instagram stories? What tools and apps can we use along with Instagram to make our content more impactful? On this episode, I'm joined by agent, real estate marketing expert and host of The Massive Agent Podcast, Dustin Brohm to talk about raising the standard of social media in our industry, and using it the right way. People resonate the most with you, your authentic self, and your real life. -Dustin Brohm At the start of the show, Dustin spoke about the huge challenge most agents have when it comes to social media, marketing and tech. Next, we talked about why constantly posting your listings won't increase engagement or followers. Dustin also shared on some of his most successful content, and what we can learn from that. We also talked about why you shouldn't overthink the content you're putting out, and the best tools we can use along with Instagram. Dustin also shared on: Why scripted content doesn't work Thoughts on IGTV How to leverage Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp together Every element of real estate has a tech component, and nowadays, every part of our marketing and branding has to have a social media aspect. The way we utilize social media is very important. If we're constantly posting content that just sells to people, doesn't pique their interest and doesn't authentically show who you are, you won't make an impact. The relevance and authenticity of your content is how people make the connection with you, and then makes them want to buy from you.

Referrals are the backbone of our businesses, but generating them can seem like a real uphill battle. How do we identify someone with a referral personality? What can we do to become champions of other people, and have conversations that lead to ambassadors and raving referrals? How can we grade our database to figure out our most powerful relationships? On this episode, I'm joined by author of The Seven Levels of Communication, Michael Maher to talk about finding the multipliers in our database, zero-cost options for generating referrals, and differentiating ourselves on generosity, appreciation, and love. An ambassador is someone who speaks highly of you and refers you willingly. -Michael Maher At the start of the show, Michael described how he defines an ambassador, and why some people will never be comfortable with giving a referral. Next, we talked about what it takes to become a champion of others, and the value of helping people reach their goals. We also talked about how to identify ambassadors and potential champions in our database. Michael also shared on: 8-10 questions you can cover in a one-on-one How to go from transactional to relational communication. The power of question reciprocity and why it's important to know it Personal ambassadors are rare but they are certainly worth the search. They are the people that will multiply our relationships, reach and impact. But they don't just show up on their own, we have to nurture them by giving value, and caring about them because that bleeds into the questions we ask, the things we say and the way we treat them. Ultimately, it's about being strategic and tactical with direct methods that lead to a conversation that leads to referrals.

When it comes to social media, many agents are intimidated because they feel like they are never in enough places, or posting enough to enough people. How do you overcome this fear? What easy strategies can you implement into your social media platforms to generate leads? Should you consider outsourcing? On this episode, I talk about the importance of social media, the kinds of content you can create and cost effective ways to get results. People are telling you all of their business in real time about every major life occurrence that could lead to a successful real estate transaction. -Marki Lemons-Ryhal Takeaways Social media is overwhelming for most agents because they fear that they aren't doing enough. Invest 60 minutes per day on social media: listening, updating your database, and finding out what's important. Outsource your routine social media practices, not your messaging. Social media doesn't have to be difficult if we stick to a simple system. Building it into our schedule means we'll always be consistent. Keeping track of life events gives us something to connect with people on, and using videos makes us more engaging. It's all about using social media to listen, allowing you to implement cost-effective strategies and tools that can increase your leads.