Top ten best strategies for real estate agents to maximize business in a higher interest rate environment

(...and the secrets to making them work for you.)

The first nine posts on the Top Ten Best Strategies are listed below.? To get the details on each, please review my articles posted previously.? They are:

2) ?Supercharge your Open House Showings.

3) ?Invest in Professional Photography: High-quality images are critical for attracting potential buyers and setting your listings apart.

4) Stay Informed and Educated: Keep up with market trends, legal changes, and new technologies to offer the best service to your clients.

5) Build a Strong Online Presence: Develop a user-friendly website with a blog that offers insightful real estate tips, market analysis, and community information.

6) Utilize Email Marketing: Send regular newsletters to your contact list with market updates, new listings, and real estate advice.

7) Offer Exceptional Customer Service: Personalize your interactions, be responsive, and go above and beyond to meet your clients' needs.

8) Implement CRM Tools: Use Customer Relationship Management software to efficiently track leads, follow up with prospects, and manage client information.

9) Host Open Houses and Virtual Tours: Make properties accessible to a wider audience and use these events as networking opportunities.

10)?? Collaborate with Local Businesses: Partner with local home improvement services, interior designers, and mortgage brokers to provide comprehensive services to your clients.

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And number 1 strategy is…

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1)????? Leverage Social Media? Yes, I realize you’ve heard this at least a hundred times before.? “Get on Facebook and Instagram, your missing out!” is the war cry of many.? But, here’s what most are not telling you:? they don’t get much in the way of new business, if anything at all, on these platforms because they don’t know how.? Your colleagues use social media primarily so they don’t feel left out and only engage on these platforms because, “everyone else is”!? That’s not a good reason and is. Frankly, a waste of time!

What if 10% of your new clients this year came from social media, would that make a difference?? You bet it would and it’s possible if you know just a little bit about how to use social media to your benefit.?

To begin, here are 8 fundamental requirements to get started down the path of getting business from social media:

1. Choose the Right Platforms: Focus on platforms where your target audience is most active. For real estate, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest are popular choices.
2. Create High-Quality Content: Listings: Post high-quality images and videos of your properties. Use virtual tours to give a comprehensive view.? (See my prior article on photography) Educational Content: Share blog posts, infographics, or videos about buying, selling, and investing in real estate. Market Insights: Provide updates about the local real estate market, trends, and forecasts to position yourself as an industry expert.? Stay in touch!
3. Engage with Your Audience: Respond Promptly: Reply to comments, messages, and inquiries timely to build relationships and trust. Ask Questions: Encourage interaction by asking for opinions or hosting Q&A sessions. User-Generated Content: Share testimonials, stories, or photos from your clients (with their permission).
4. Use Social Media Advertising: Targeted Ads: Use the advertising tools provided by social media platforms to target your ads to a specific audience based on location, interests, and demographics. Promoted Listings: Promote your property listings to reach a wider audience beyond your followers. (This is advanced feature for which you may want to seek expert help.)
5. Optimize Your Profiles: Ensure that your social media profiles are professional, include a clear bio, contact information, and a link to your website. Regularly update your cover and profile photos with professional images or branding.
6. Collaborate and Network: Partner with local businesses, interior designers, or mortgage brokers and tag each other in relevant posts. Join real estate groups or forums to engage in discussions, share insights, and expand your network.
7. Schedule and Analyze: Use social media management tools to schedule posts in advance and maintain a consistent presence. Analyze the performance of your posts to understand what content resonates with your audience and refine your strategy accordingly.
8. Stay Informed and Compliant: Ensure you are aware of and adhere to any legal requirements or industry regulations related to advertising real estate on social media.

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So which platform(s) do you use?? The short answer is most of them if you have the time and know what you’re doing.? My favorite?

My fav platform has mostly business subscribers, all the way up to the executive level throughout.? It has 191 million members in the US and nearly all of them are gainfully employed with the average member earning six figures according to published statistics.? Which platform? If you guessed LinkedIn, you are correct.? LinkedIn is the go-to platform for business operators—the people who have jobs, make great income, and can afford to buy houses.

Did you know LinkedIn has a new feature called the LinkedIn Newsletter??? A LinkedIn Newsletter is a feature within the LinkedIn platform that allows individuals or organizations to publish and distribute articles on a regular basis to their network and beyond. This feature is part of the LinkedIn publishing platform and is designed to help professionals establish their expertise, expand their reach, and engage with their audience in a more consistent and formalized manner.

It gives you:

>? Regular Distribution: When you publish a newsletter on LinkedIn, your subscribers are notified through LinkedIn notifications and possibly via email, ensuring regular and direct distribution of your content.

>? Builds Authority: Regularly publishing insightful content on your area of expertise can help you establish and strengthen your authority and thought leadership in your industry.

>? Engagement: Newsletters on LinkedIn often see higher engagement rates in the form of likes, comments, and shares, helping to foster a community around your content.

>? Subscribers: LinkedIn users can subscribe to your newsletter, and you can also see and manage your list of subscribers, which is beneficial for understanding your audience and networking.

>? Analytics: LinkedIn provides analytics for your newsletters, giving you insights into the performance of your content, such as views, engagement rate, and demographics of your readers.

If you look around LinkedIn you’ll see newsletter authors with 100,000 to 5,000,000 subscribers they have attained in just a few months.? Imagine if you had just 20,000!? Very doable.?

LinkedIn newsletters are new, so here’s a link to get you started: Create a LinkedIn Page newsletter | LinkedIn Help.

There you have it.? Nine creative ways in 2024 to make this your best year ever in real estate.? Good luck!