In our relentless quest to help Realtors pinpoint their social media challenges and how to overcome them, we published a Real Estate marketing quiz last week.
Today, I will discuss the “right” answers in depth, offering actionable tips to help you boost your social influence and attract actual clients on social media.
For maximum benefit, please make sure to read the quiz article and answer the questions on your own before proceeding: Garious SMM Quiz: What is Your Real Estate Marketing Style?
Ready? Set? Here goes…
Q1: How many social networks are you a member of?
(A.) None
(B.) 1- 5
(C.) 5+
Surprisingly, there is no “right” answer to this question! In most cases, it is enough to have select few social networks in order to focus on creating powerful presence there. However, if you have enough resources to be effectively present in a multitude of social networks, then by all means; Go for it!
(By resources here, I mean outsourcing social media marketing to an agency or hiring social media professionals to take care of your SMM activities.)
The bottom line is that you need to be active in wherever you decided to create a social media profile because mediocre social presence is as useless as having no presence at all!
Q2: Why did you choose these particular social networks?
(A.) They are popular.
(B.) I know that my target clients are active there.
(C.) They are fun!
I am sure that you guessed that “B” is definitely the correct answer to this question. Still, you may be asking: “How can I know for certain if my target clients are active on these networks?”
Aaron Eden, Garious founder, answered this critical question in details in this article: On-Ramp: Your Digital Mirror.
If you wish to tweak your target client definition using social media, the following presentation can be very helpful.
Q3: How frequently do you use social media?
(A.) I am active on social media at least 3 times a week.
(B.) Whenever I have time for it!
(C.) Rarely
Here is the deal: If you believe that social media marketing is essential for your business success, then you need to dedicate enough time for it and schedule it on your calendar.
I recently watched a video interview with a successful Realtor who explained that the secret to her social media success is promptly attending to the questions of online prospective buyers.
She also noted that many people tell her that they have sent the same questions to other Realtors who didn’t care enough to answer!
Would you miss an appointment with an important client?
Social media can be a goldmine of clients if used intelligently. Fish where the fish are!
Q4: What type of content do you publish on social media?
(A.) My listings and Real Estate market trends only.
(B.) Any information that is relevant to my target clients.
(C.) Foursquare notifications only!
Again, “B” is the right answer to this question. Establishing yourself as trusted Real Estate agent on social media does not mean keeping your social media updates exclusive to Real Estate!
Share some fun, personal facts and information about major attractions in your neighborhood. In fact, I have seen a Realtor who created a trivia quiz about her neighborhood on Twitter.
It goes without saying that publishing content that your target market would love to read requires understanding their problems and offering viable solutions to them.
Q5: Do you use social media automation tools such as HootSuite?
(A.) Yes
(B.) No
I highly recommend using social media automation tools that save time and allow you to target potential clients. You will find more details in the next question.
Q6: How do you use social media automation tools?
(A.) To schedule my social updates
(B.) To “listen” to prospective home-buyers questions about my neighborhood
(C.) Both!
Leveraging social media automation tools can help you in two ways:
- Prescheduling your social updates to make sure you are always visible to your network
- Proactively listening to potential clients’ questions
In a previous article about Jay Thompson’s Twitter success story, we indicated that using HootSuite allowed him to initiate a conversation with a potential home buyer. Do NOT underestimate the importance of adding intelligent automation to your social media marketing mix!
Q7: When you find a question from a cold prospect on social media, how do you react?
(A.) Directly offer your services to them.
(B.) Offer them prompt and in-depth response to their questions and stop there.
(C.) Answer their questions promptly and thoroughly but keep the conversation going by asking clarifying questions and offering your phone number.
In plain English, A cold prospect is potential client that you do not know well. When cold prospects approach you with a question, they are probably putting you on an initial “screening test”.
If you were alert enough to answer their questions thoroughly and promptly, you have won half the battle as some of your competition could have done the same.
That’s why; you need to do more! Take your newly born relationship to the next level by asking clarifying questions to prove that you are so keen on offering them a superior service. Even better, include your phone number in your reply and encourage prospects to call you for more information. According to Tom Ferry, this tip works like charm in converting cold leads into warm leads (and hopefully customers).
Q8: How do you react when a warm online lead (email list subscriber) asks you a question?
(A.) You answer when you have time!
(B.) You answer promptly and thoroughly via email.
(C.) You answer promptly and thoroughly via email but also give my cell number and offer to answer more questions by phone if they wish.
(D.) You answer their questions publicly via blog post and credit them for inspiring you to offer great value to the rest of the readers.
(E.) C. and D.
I guess the “right” answer is self-explanatory here. The key is that you try to make the most out of a private question that can showcase your expertise.
Instead of taking the easy route of hitting the reply button, answer their question via blog post for the benefit of your blog readers.
On the one hand, you will shine like a pro. On the other hand, other readers will feel encouraged to ask you more questions.
Q9: Which of the following does your blog (and social profiles) include today?
(A.) Your phone number and mailing address
(B.) A Recent photo of yourself
(C.) Testimonials
(D.) About me page
(E.) None
(F.) At least two of the above
(G.) All of the above
Again, the right answer here is crystal clear. The more trust-inviting your social profiles are, the better!
Check out the following article for more details on this very important issue.
How To Create “Smart Trust” On Social Media The Stephen M. R. Covey Way?
Q10: How are you incorporating video into your overall social media marketing strategy?
(A.) You create house-tour videos and create personal videos to discuss Real Estate trends and answer reader’s questions
(B.) You do not have time for videos!
(C.) You have few house-tour videos only.
I firmly believe that videos are the ultimate ice-breakers that a Realtor can use to create a bond of trust with his target clients. The following articles discuss how you can create a profitable Real Estate business using video.
Where Do You Stand?
Here is what I recommend you do to make the most out of the eye-opening quiz:
- List all the tips you are already applying but need more tweaking
- List the ones you are not applying but wish to implement
- Decide on the most important one and make a plan to work on it starting today
- Save this article so you can come back and check the next item on the list
That’s it for me! I can’t wait to know your thoughts on our quiz in the comments.To your success!
