A year ago, I declared that LinkedIn was just a large database, not really social media. Today, I am changing my tune. In fact, I believe that LinkedIn is the social network of the year! There is so much happening on this platform, so I am declaring that it’s time to get on this train! Stay tuned, I will explain...
There is a trending hashtag and content sharing movement happening on LinkedIn called the #TenTipsTenDays. For 10 days, influencers are posting a short video that contains tips and best practices for their niche. Not surprisingly, this is attracting the attention of tons of followers! I decided to start my own #TenTipsTenDays for all of you agents out there in the OJ nation. I will be creating content for working according to a vision vs. needs, efforts or results, no one relates to your perfection, social vs. searchable content, cheese and whiskers, developing a clear plan, the disease to please, getting connected in madison, and comfort is the enemy of progress, to name a few!
As of right now, only the top 1% of people on Linked in are creating and sharing video content. This means that there is a huge opportunity to grow, connect and establish yourself as an expert! To give you an idea of the potential, right now, LinkedIn looks like Youtube in 2006...let that sink in, then start creating!
I was recently asked to be on a panel for a LinkedIn Local event, which is hilarious because just over a year ago, I declared that LinkedIn was not a social platform. This event was an amazing opportunity to connect to other business professionals from Madison! Besides helping to establish my credibility as a realtor, the fact that were were all present made it easier to blind follow other people’s profiles. If you don’t have a LinkedIn local where you live, you should start one! If you have questions, reach out, I would love to show you what we did here in Madison!
Our sponsors:
You can find my personal real estate coaching websitehere
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Onion Juice podcast on Apple Podcasts(formerly iTunes)
What do you do to stay in touch with your past clients and SOI (sphere of influence)? This is called being “Top of Mind.” This is what most business owners want. They want to be Top of Mind with people that need their services either right now or in the future. If you have been around the OJ for awhile, this concept might sound familiar...and you would be right! Today, I am re-squeezing episode #18, to both update some of the concepts I talked about, and show how, more than ever, being top of mind is super important for any real estate agent.
In recent episodes, I have talked a lot about social vs. searchable content. As it turns out, I was dancing around this concept back in January of 2016 (episode 18), I just didn’t define it as clearly then. If you are posting every video to the same places (Facebook, Instagram, Youtube), you will notice a discrepancy across channels when you look at the view statistics. Market reports don’t belong on Facebook, people will get bored and leave. There are people who are searching for tips and advice from agents, and they are using keywords to do it, so start categorizing your YouTube channel to make it easier for them to find you! For more on this concept, check out past episodes where I interview Karin Carr (OJ 131) and TJ Kelly (OJ 132) on this subject!
Back in 2016, I touched on the idea that you should be attracting people to your business through social media. While this has not changed, I know for a fact that if you only focus on the attraction pillar and neglect the sphere of influence or the chase, you will starve. Depending on the avenue you are using to attract business, it may take longer before you start to see results. Radio advertisers, for example, say it takes 12-18 months before clients start responding to your ads. For me personally, I use the I Love Madison Show as my attract pillar. As of right now, that show is not paying the bills. My open houses, newsletter, and grinding are paying the bills, but people are starting to recognize my team and I around Madison. I am confident that will eventually turn into a stream of business. For now, Caleb Jahr and I will keep highlighting amazing places around the city, we will keep Vlogging and keep connecting people.
Two years ago, I said “You’ll get their attention not only by what you share (posts, images, podcasts, etc.) but also through HOW YOU ENGAGE with them. When you come across as a real person, then you’re going to be much more successful at getting people to feel that they know, like, and trust you.” I think that content is still fresh! You get do lots of things to get people’s attention...you can light yourself on fire and stand in the middle of the street, and that will garnish you some attention, but people will not trust you...the best way to gain trust is to be authentic in every interaction you have with a client, whether its in-person or online. Authenticity builds trust. When a client is considering a house, it is one of the biggest and most important decisions they will ever make, and they will not work with someone they don’t trust.
One of the main reasons I launched the I Love Madison show was to help trailing spouses get connected here in Madison. Last night, I had the chance to speak at an event called Disrupt Madison where I talked about the trailing spouse. Afterward, several people came up to me to say “I had no idea I was the trailing spouse, thank you for that presentation.” Why do I share this? Not to toot my own horn, but to talk about the importance of operating INSIDE of a vision, supported by your “WHY.” As a real estate agent, you will communicate all sorts of things to your clients, but all of that communication should flow from a crystal-clear vision of what you are trying to accomplish. When you are consistent with that vision, people will start to notice.
Our sponsors:
You can find my personal real estate coaching website here
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Onion Juice podcast on Apple Podcasts(formerly iTunes)
My question for you today is this: are you living in the clouds, or living in the dirt? To be honest, I see a lot of real estate agents who spend most of their time in the clouds, and not enough time in the dirt. On this awesome Onion Juice episode, I encourage you to get dirty, build real relationships, not just connections, and implore you to abandon the word “rededicate.”
The clouds represent that fun place in your business where you are planning, dreaming, envisioning a prosperous future, and endless good ideas. The clouds mean a clear plan. If you are just starting out, the clouds can be a fun place to hangout. When I am coaching new agents, we start up in the clouds…we figure out a strategy, play on your strengths, dream a little and plan a lot. We start in the clouds, but we don’t stay there.
The dirt represents the possibly tedious, redundant tasks that ACTUALLY grow your business. Phone calls, knocking on doors, reaching out to your email list, creating new content…this does not mean tweaking your logo to perfection…honestly, your logo doesn’t matter. Your brand is insignificant to the amount of time you need to spend in the dirt working. For established agents, sometimes they spend too much time here, and need to spend more time in the clouds. You may have built your business on just hard work, but you are lacking a plan that will sustain you long term.
Chances are, you have a ton of followers on social media and hopefully a solid email list. You reach out to a lot of these people, a few messages, comment on their content, etc. You might even see them in person and exchange a quick hello. These are connections, not relationships. Relationships are built when you spend time with people in order to get to know them. You share a meal, or coffee, you know their family and what matters to them…they would bail you out of prison…I encourage you to spend time building real relationships. They will ultimately sustain you, and those will be the people that you do life with, not just real estate transactions.
I recently heard an interesting take on the word “Re-dedicate,” and it got me thinking about how often I hear people say they are going to rededicate themselves to work or a project or goal. This does not make sense to me. If you are going to “rededicate” yourself to a project in the future, what you are actually communicating is that you have no dedication at this exact moment. A commitment is now. There is no”Re-dedicating” yourself, there is simply dedication and commitment right now.
Our sponsors:
You can find my personal real estate coaching website here
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!