The juice bar is open, which means it’s time for all of your real estate questions! Today I want to address how you stay in the flow with your buyers and sellers, how you can reverse engineer information to help you better serve your customers, and how to avoid the shiny object syndrome, as it relates to open houses! If you find the juice bar helpful, there are several previous episodes you can go back to and ear-guzzle!
As a real estate agent, your goal is not to be in the flow with people, but in the flow with buyers and sellers. The best way to do this is to get really good at finding their search criteria. If you are in an open house talking to buyers, ask them about THAT property, what they like, what they don’t like, what they think of the neighborhood, etc. This will give you an idea of what they are actually looking for. You can then take this information and find their perfect property, then call them to say you have information that they may be interested in. That’s how you stay in the “flow.” You can also use this technique to reverse engineer a sale, by finding sellers who have a property that may fit a buyer. Simply put, the “flow” is just a matchmaking game.
Open houses have been around as long as the realtor, and I don’t think they are going anywhere. What may be happening here is you have fallen prey to the shiny object syndrome, just because things have been slow. If you only have a few people show up to your open house, take advantage of the fact that you can go deep with each of them (a luxury you don’t have when there are 20-30 people present), and get to know their needs better. There may be a dip, but don’t get caught up in the flow pattern. If you have been at the real estate game for a while, you may have enough bandwidth to knock on doors before and after, with both information about how fast the house sold, and any leftover buyers you may have.
“Knowing your market” really just means knowing the flow of the buyers and sellers. There are ways you can get a read on the market, or “the beat,” including asking senior agents in your company how busy they are and asking lending agents how many applications they have received. This will give you an idea where the market is at, and what you need to do to prepare. In the end, it’s all about knowing where to find what the buyers are looking for. If you can do that consistently, you will be successful!
If you are looking for real estate coaching, I am looking for students! In the very near future, I will be launching Neil Mathweg Coaching (I still have Roundbox) a 6-week, boot camp style coaching program for agents. Stay tuned, you guys will hear about it first!
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)
I have spent several episodes talking about the power of video content, how to produce the best real estate videos, and what platforms to share those videos on. Are they social videos? Are they searchable? Do they engage your audience and empower them with new information? These are all questions you have heard me ask. Today, I will encourage you to NOT cross-promote your content on every channel, and walk you through exactly what kinds of content you should be creating for Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn!
If you are posting the same real estate video to all of your channels (Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn, other), you are taking a lazy approach to your content, and actually hurting your brand. There are rules you have to follow for each platform, or your content (and your brand) will sink into oblivion, never to surface again. Instead of cross-promoting your content, tailor it to fit each platform. If you are not sure how to produce the best real estate videos for each channel, stay tuned, I cover that next!
You have heard me say it before, YouTube is a search engine. That means that people are looking for specific, helpful content. Here are a few examples of the kinds of videos and titles you can produce for YouTube: Neighborhood videos in a Vlog style (walk around, engage people and give information that relates to that area). As far as titles are concerned, here are a few examples i have used: “Why don’t I sell my house for sale by owner,” “10 reasons to move to madison (your city),” “housing market update,” “best tips for estate sale,” “what is a short sale,” “how to avoid foreclosure,” “what to expect at an inspection,” “moving tips,” “should I stage my home,”and “tips for picking the best offer in multiple-offer situations.” Work on your titles and descriptions, and remember...don’t post these videos to Facebook, just YouTube.
Facebook thrives on social content, so that is what you should be producing to create engagement. The Vlog format works well on this platform (similar to YouTube, but not a carbon copy). One great way to produce videos is to use Facebook Live when you are at events or hosting an open house. The critical element of every facebook video must have is a reason for your audience to engage. For example, when we were searching for the best burger in Madison for the I Love Madison Show, we live streamed and asked people to like and comment with their favorite burger places around the city. The engagement on those videos was very high! One great way to list a property is to shoot some drone footage, then link that video and a few high-quality videos back to the listing page on your website!
The LinkedIn platform is all about creating relationships (notice the lack of cute cat videos...that’s intentional). When you are creating videos for LinkedIn, keep that in mind. There is no need to produce a video that only highlights your skill as a realtor...no one cares. Use something you have learned to educate and empower. You can sprinkle in short success moments as an agent in creative ways, ie. “I just had a client that bought in this area and this is why” or “this event is in this area and my clients are loving it.” Don’t worry about always bringing it back to real estate. Market yourself as a business person who has learned things, and offer no-strings-attached content.
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)
Quentin Allums aka “Q” joins me today to share 10 tips you can use to start creating content on LinkedIn! Q is the CEO of ie.eg, a storytelling company, and the founder of the Misfits community. He is also the reason I am so excited about LinkedIn, and the possibility it holds for content creators and influencers! Listen to this episode, it could be the launch pad you need to start influencing on LinkedIn!
After a failed startup, Q decided to post a video on LinkedIn every day. For the next 500 days, Q talked about his life, his failed startup and a collection of stories. At first, no one seemed to be watching. Then one of his videos hit 30,000 views, and he realized that people were paying attention. Now he has amassed more than 3 million views on the platform and travels the world as a speaker and influencer, and his company helps other entrepreneurs and companies create effective content on LinkedIn.
Q’s advice to agents or other people who want to get started on LinkedIn is this: Now is the time to create content! There are more than 10 million users on LinkedIn (and growing), but less than 1% of them are creating content. He compares it to Facebook in 2011-2012, or YouTube in 2006. For real estate agents specifically, he recommends talking about broad subjects, as they will appeal to a greater audience. If you need some ideas on how to do this, check out his profile!
It can be hard to see when people share your content on LinkedIn, so Q recommends creating a unique hashtag for your brand. This will help you track where your content goes, who is sharing it, etc. For him, he wanted people to see his content, but also realize that he’s just a normal guy producing content. #JustQ on LinkedIn will display a whole library of his posts, reposts, and videos. It also helps tell his story...THAT is a great content strategy!
#1: Just start - If only 1% of all LinkedIn users are producing content, it means your material will be seen more.
#2: Use a great profile photo - Make sure people can see your face. This is your first impression, make it count!
#3: Use a great cover photo - If you live in Milwaukee and are trying to do business there, your cover photo should somehow relate to that place or subject.
#4: Use Video - video plays on all the senses, and it’s the best way for people to get to know you in the least amount of time.
#5: Put your ear to the ground - see what’s working, watch what other people are producing, and always look for ways to improve
#6: Message people - the core of LinkedIn is relationship building.
#7: Create a hashtag - #JustQ is the perfect example. It’s trackable and it tells part of his story.
#8: Go to events - At some point, the relationships you are building must go beyond the screen. Get out and connect with people, start a LinkedIn local, etc.
#9: Put Calls to Action (CTAs) in your profile - Once people have connected with you, tell them why that connection is so important to you, or what you want them to do.
#10: Optimize your profile - Make sure that your descriptions, bio, and content clearly reflect who you are and what you are trying to do.
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)
Hey Juicers, let’s dive into the Instagram TV App! The IGTV app, which will work as a button inside Instagram and as a standalone app, will be displayed full-screen and vertically and won’t be limited by Instagram’s current one-minute length. The app, which is meant to model a traditional TV, will start streaming videos uploaded by one’s followers as soon as it is opened by the user. On this onion juice episode, I will share a few ideas you can use to start producing content on IGTV!
Normal Instagram videos are limited to 1 minute of content, but with the IGTV feature, videos now can be up to an hour long! This is a good and bad thing...most people will not sit and watch you for an hour, but it does give you the freedom to do a full walk-through or document an event, which is super cool!
IGTV will only allow you to post in vertical format, so don’t plan on flipping your phone horizontal to get a wide shot...Instagram will crop the edges! This will take some getting used to, especially if you are already posting on YouTube. If you are editing your videos in a secondary program, such as Final Cut Pro, you will have to reformat how the video gets exported to make sure it maintains the vertical layout! Just look at it this way, you have a chance to practice a new skill and learn something new!
Remember, people are not jumping on Insta to search for how-tos, or “10 tips,” so remember to keep your content entertaining and engaging. This is still a social channel, so creative, succinct content will yield the best results!
The length of the videos will throw some people off, as they will try to include a lot more content. Just remember, respect the platform! Here are a few ideas that may work really well on the new IGTV format! Neighborhood documentaries (plan these ahead of time) may be one great option, as you have enough time to capture detail and point out interesting things. The same concept applies to event documentaries, like open houses. Try going behind-the-scenes...if you are producing an event (like a podcast), set up your phone and record the production side of things...it’s a great way to engage your followers!
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)
I am STILL so excited about what is happening on LinkedIn, I decided to use this Onion Juice episode to talk more about the platform, and how less than 1% of all LinkedIn users are creating content. Back to back episodes on the same subject means you should lean forward and pay attention, this content is juicy! Today, I talk about how to launch a LinkedIn Local group, the third type of digital content, and a few content ideas you can use to grow your influence on LinkedIn!
If you are planning to launch a LinkedIn Local event, the first thing you should know is it takes more than a one-man band. To pull off this event in Madison, we had an amazing team of people...a panel, a moderator, coordinators, and sponsors. LinkedIn Local: Madison lasted four hours total, with 2 hours of networking to bookend the event, a panel discussion, and a Q&A session. If you want to start your own event, check out D.P. Knudten’s LinkedIn profile, where he posted a How-To PDF for a LinkedIn Local event!
You guys know about the two major types of content, searchable and social, but are you aware there is a third type of content? (I’ll wait for your heart rate to normalize...AND...welcome back!) This third type of content is not really searchable, and it certainly isn’t social, by strict standards. This new category is LinkedIn content. This could be called 3E content, which stands for Educate, Empower, Engage. The content that is getting viewed the most on LinkedIn does all three of these things. Anyone who starts producing 3E content on LinkedIn right now stands a good chance of becoming an influencer!
Some of you might be thinking “great, I’ll produce 3E content and post it on all my channels…” To that I say, respect the platform! Not all content is equal across all platforms. Facebook has a different ranking algorithm than Youtube, LinkedIn content is different than Instagram TV, and so on. Any smart marketer should be posting across each channel, but the content should be planned according to how the users are interacting with it. If you post a real estate listing on LinkedIn, don’t expect people to like or share it...that’s not what they are looking for. If you educate and empower, you will see great results!
Are you wondering how you can start influencing on LinkedIn? If so, good, that means you are engaged! Here are some ideas to empower you to start creating great content on LinkedIn. The first and most powerful is to post about your core values. What is your life mission, what’s your sword in the stone? These things tend to make great content! If there are books or quotes that have inspired you, share those! Start a video with a quote, then talk about it for a min. If you are headed off to a conference, Vlog (video blog) about it, record snippets, etc. Another great way to share content is to talk about a lesson you have learned (be vulnerable and real). If you are excited about something, talk about it! Chances are, you are not the only one...Lastly, tag other influencers in your posts. This is a powerful way to reach beyond just your own followers.
[1:00] If you produce content on LinkedIn, it won’t take you long to become a LinkedIn Influencer
[3:45] Launching a LinkedIn Local Event [8:30] My Network
[11:30] Some people are doubting the power of LinkedIn
[14:30] There is a third type of content: 3E
[17:00] Respect the platform
[18:00] LinkedIn inspiration for launching great content
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)