Using Storytelling to Market Yourself and Your Listings
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We live in a digital age, where everyone can see you instantly on social media or online, and it’s time our marketing reflected that. There are so many agents competing for a client’s business, that it’s not enough to be just a realtor anymore. You have to bring something more to the table.
One of the best ways to win clients is by showing them who you are and showcasing your personality. Your clients want to see a real person, not just another agent trying to win their business. Here are a few ways you can win your clients over through the art of storytelling:
Utilizing Social Media
People are doing more than just connecting with friends on social media. They’re searching for their next local hangout, their next favorite clothing brand, and they’re looking for their next realtor. If you’re not using your social media to promote yourself and your listings, you’re leaving money on the table.
Social media is not only a cost-effective method of advertising but is extremely underutilized. It won’t be this way forever, though, so it’s a good idea to hop on social media and up your social media marketing game while it is still a cost-effective method.
Don’t get caught up with doing nothing but self-promoting though. The ideal ratio on social media is 80/20, with 80% of your content being authentic and showing off you and your personality, and 20% of your content being advertisements.
Think long term with your social media marketing plan. There are no shortcuts to marketing, and it will take work on your part to stay on the forefront of your marketing.
Marketing Your Authenticity
Nowadays, potential clients are going to see plenty of agents before they see you, so give them something to remember. You will stand out so much more if you can reflect on your personality. Most people spend a considerable amount of time on social media, and it’s becoming easier and easier to differentiate between a profile that puts out authenticity and a profile that is constantly trying to sell you on something.
When’s the last time you followed a profile that was nothing but ads?
No one wants ad after ad on their social media, so giving your clients and followers something else to view is an easy way to stand out and lock in sales. Provide value to your clients and those in your industry, and expect nothing in return.
Be an active voice in your community as well. You want to be not only a go-to for clients, but you want to be a thought leader in your industry as well. What does this mean exactly? It means you want to be someone others in your industry look up to and try to emulate.
Make Your Listings Stand Out
Speaking of ways to stand out, that 20% of content that is advertisements needs to catch the eye and be memorable. The best way to stand out is by using eye-catching media. This can be a staged home tour video, a twilight photo, or a funny video that sticks in people’s minds.
Use this media on your social media pages, your listing pages, or your print media. The goal is to get your listing in front of the client’s eyes, but also to make your listings stand out in their mind.
Post anywhere you are active. Google loves pulling from YouTube, so consider starting a YouTube channel if you haven’t already. You want your content in front of as many eyes as possible.
Tools of the Trade
Here are some resources you can use to up your marketing game:
APPS
VSCO
VSCO is a photo editor that goes beyond adding filters and adjusting brightness. You can set presets, crop your images, adjust white balance, and so much more. If you’re looking to handle a lot of your own media, VSCO is a must for your photos. You can read more about VSCO and why we recommend it HERE.
Instagram and Facebook
These seem a little redundant, and most people use these two already, but if you don’t you should. If you do already use these social media apps, start looking into running ads. Instagram will run promotions where they will give you an ad credit once you register as a business account. Running these ads is relatively inexpensive, and can get your name and your brand in front of a lot more people.
Buffer/Hootsuite
These two apps help you schedule your social media posts so you aren’t glued to your phone every day. You can use these apps to outline what you want to cover as well as help you plan your content across all social media as well as your blog (if you have one). Both allow a few accounts on their free plan, and scheduling out social posts just one day a week versus everyday can be a life saver, especially when time is your most precious commodity.
Repost
This app allows you to repost Instagram posts from others while still tagging them in the post and maintaining credit to the original creator. While this is certainly not a necessity as you can screenshot the post and tag the creator yourself, it does streamline the process, and we highly encourage you to always credit the original creator if possible.
Canva
Canva is an app that helps you create simple graphics you can use, such as brochures, flyers, and social media posts. There is a free and pro version, with the only real difference being access to premium elements (such as photos or illustrations) and templates.
You can use this link to sign-up with Canva and receive a free credit when you create a design, which you can use for a paid element or photo.
This app isn’t necessarily to help you market yourself but more so to help you find creative marketing ideas (or staging or open house ideas too). You can also find VSCO presets and Canva ideas on Pinterest, and if you are a blogger or looking to start a blog, Pinterest has a wide array of resources.
Unfold
This app helps you build Instagram and Facebook stories, with templates you can use as well as allowing you to build multiple pages in one story that will play through the story as it should. If you’re looking to get more professional, put-together stories, Unfold is definitely an app to keep in mind.
Photomatix Real Estate
The Photomatix Real Estate Photographer App is an app that allows you to take better real estate photos using your cell phone. It uses a basic version of their photo fusion software to make your real estate interiors look bright and welcoming while allowing you to also see the outside view through your windows. It automatically applies lighting effects and can be easily edited in the app to make your photos look their best. While it is no replacement for a professional real estate photographer, it’s a great way to make your listings look their best in a pinch!
BOOKS AND BLOGS
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TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Cell phone gimbal
If you want to start getting quality videos with movement in them, consider a cell phone gimbal for getting quality, stabilized videos with your phone. These gimbals typically support both Android and iPhone and do a remarkable job of stabilizing video while you walk with it. We recommend the one below. It’s the same one we use for our travel/social media content and we love it. It’s easy to setup, and easy to use.
JOBY tripod
JOBY tripods are a small, portable, bendable tripod that helps you get straight and stable photos and videos. Unlike the gimbal, these tripods are best used for vlogging, or video that does not require movement. We recommend the one below. It’s the same one that we use, but comes with a cell phone mount. JOBY is a great brand, and while there are cheaper options, I’ve found they usually don’t hold up to extensive usage.
Cell phone tripod mount
This product is for use with the tripod to hold your phone (the tripods are typically designed to fit a DSLR with no mounts). You can use these mounts on JOBY tripods as well as some regular tripods. We recommend the one on the left for a higher quality mount, or the one on the right if you’re getting started on a budget. If you get the JOBY mount above, you do not need the mount, but always double check when getting a tripod if you will or not.
I personally have the one on the right (the plastic frame) and while I do like it, it is a bit flimsy. You have to make sure the mount is tightened down properly or you risk ruining the perfect shot (trust me, I know).
GoPro
If you’re an active person or a frequent traveler, using a GoPro for things you do such as bike riding or kayaking, or even with your dogs if you have any, is a great way to create additional content that looks great on your social media and will draw in attention. We recommend the GoPro Hero 8, the newest model. However, anything model 5 or up would be ideal. Beginning with the 5, GoPro added internal stabilization which can really bring your videos from amateur hour to pro level.
Hopefully, this post gives you some good ideas on how to market yourself and some of the tools you can use to do so. Do you know of any apps or tools that help you that we didn’t mention here? Let us know in the comments below!