5 ways to prepare for your #CRE MARKETING IN 2022

It seems like an eternity since conventional marketing took place and mailing houses were at full capacity. Now we rely on the most universal tool there is for any business, especially in the commercial real estate industry .... Social Media!

The most common statement I hear from CRE professionals is that they know they need to do more social media but they just struggle with making the time for it. Inevitably, you all know that I can help with your marketing, branding and PR efforts so I am always here to help you grow your social media presence. But for those who may need some jumper cables, and be personally accountable, here are some really important ways to get your creative motor running.

1) STOP MAKING EXCUSES - Please forgive my candidness, but sometimes I feel like a mother who has told their teenager to clean their room fives times, until finally I just go in and take away their clothes. But seeing how we are all adults here, the only thing I can tell you is to stop making excuses because I know, that you know, you are in fact, just prolonging the inevitable. No one needs to tell you to clean your room because you are already aware and probably wearing a guilty-grin look right now.

Believe me, I know that your everyday schedule consists of cold calls, coffee, office meetings, conference calls, tours and long hours. It sounds like my schedule minus the coffee. Clearly entrepreneurs running any business must have strategic plans in place otherwise, it is easy to get sidetracked and distracted from the things you really should be doing to grow your business. You must be proactive and take initiatives in order to create new opportunities. So in 2022, you must also be self-aware when you start making excuses, just stop in your tracks and think out the next 30 minutes of your day.

2) GIVE YOURSELF A "LINKEDIN MAKEOVER" - At the beginning of every year, every single professional on the LinkedIn platform should go into their personal profiles and update their information and give it a visual makeover.

• Update your profile pic with a new professional photo (within 1 year)
• Add to your Achievements and/or any highlights that have happened in the last six (6) months. This is another section that you can add to your profile. The more recognitions that you have on your profile, the easier it is for those in the industry to verify your credentials. For example, if someone is looking to hire you as a keynote speaker, they will check out your profile to see if you have any highlights at other speaking events.
• Publish a LinkedIn article - Become a monthly blogger and start talking about your business, listings, services, recent achievements, etc. By writing short blog features, you can establish a readership within your connections. The more they know about you, the more opportunities you may have.
• Use the "Feature on top of profile" feature, which is located under the drop down menu (3 dots in upper right corner) on every individual post. This feature will place it in your "Feature" section on your profile and people who view your profile will see all these post features right on your profile page. Check out this video on my #marketingwithmelissa Vlog to show where, how and why. Don't forget to subscribe so you can free marketing tips all year long.

3) POST TO SOCIAL MEDIA EVERY DAY - I know, I know. You are probably saying, "Easy for you to say." But ironically, it is not that easy for me either. I have to plan out my content calendar just as much as anyone else. More importantly, I have to strategically design the best content calendar for my clients too, while I am still maintaining my own brand Online. It is not just about posting to post because that is a waste of time. The best way to obtain more engagement is not only posting consistently but also making sure your content has a purpose and a "Call-to-Action" which is oftentimes left out. Meaning, leave your readers with something to click on or a question to comment on. Create the conversation through engagement and don't forget to engage in other people's post too. Establishing new connections is not always just a connect or follow icon. The best way to create momentum is to be proactive on social media too. Top 4 platforms - LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (I always have something to say on Twitter here).

4) ?ANCHOR'S AWAY - CREATE A PODCAST ACCOUNT - The old adage is don't judge a book by its cover, but in this case, you definitely want to have the best podcast thumbnail (cover) to grab people's attention for every single podcast. The people who post links to their platforms can get really stagnant, so get creative. Firstly, it is not easy becoming a podcaster because there is a lot involved in the podcasting process. So for all you beginners out there, download the Anchor App, create your podcast name and what your show is about, upload your podcast image (think of this as your CD album cover), and then start recording right from your phone. Don't worry you can listen to it, add music, and approve it before going LIVE on Anchor. Then you can start sharing this on your social media platforms. When you get comfortable and build up your audience, then you can start to consider of doing in-person or Live podcasts in the future. Also, I wanted to add, that you can also upload recorded podcasts to Anchor as well. Anchor can also extract the audio only if this was a recorded live session.

5) CREATE YOUR OWN WEBSITE - Yes, your own website. A business website is great to promote services and mission statements, but having your own professional website is like having a digital resume that is personalized in a professional way. For example, I have so many business ventures that I am involved with, so it is much easier for me to share my professional website with everyone so they can see everything within my marketing & media brand. If you can get your first and last name.com, then you are golden, but any website name will do as long as it showcases you.

www.melissaswader.com Here are some of my landing pages on my professional website.

• President | Ruby Red Media LLC
• Editor-in-Chief | Elevate Magazine
• Founder | Women in Commercial Real Estate - #womenincre
• Merch Store - #womenincre - a merch store designed to help promote more women in commercial real estate, whether you wear it proudly to create the conversation or give some merch to your friends and colleagues, it makes great swag. Merch Store - #FabulousFindsOnline is my Amazon Influencer store. You can find the latest social media equipment at affordable prices to build your brand online. I use the same items on my store to create all my social media photos, selfies, video marketing, podcasting and live streaming. I also use this for my clients too.

As you can see with just these simple bullet points (website landing pages), I am able to elaborate on each of them and redirect them to its main website. By creating your digital resume under your website, you also are able to create a following and readership in other areas. This is a great place to share your social media links and embed your podcast links so people can watch right on your website. If you are sharing published articles on LinkedIn, you can create summaries on the website and lead them to the full LinkedIn article or vice versa, by hyperlinking your articles. Remember, crossover marketing is the best way to increase your SEO (search engine optimization) organically on all platforms.

If you incorporate these 5 steps into your #CREmarketing brand for 2022, then you will definitely set yourself up for more opportunities that lead to new business. Remember this, in Chapter 1 of my book, One Yellow Brick, is titled "Your Name is Your Brand.... market it with passion."

While I can't teach someone ambition or the passion it takes to succeed, I can certainly help you understand how effective marketing strategies will help build your business online that WILL help you succeed.

BE INSPIRED by your own Ambition.

The Time is Now!