01
02
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION
03
CHAPTER 1
04
CHAPTER 2
07
CHAPTER 3
10
CHAPTER 4
12
CHAPTER 5
15
03
*INTRODUCTION With a market penetration of 84.9 percent in the US, the Internet has risen to a status of high importance in the consumer search process. In markets like e-commerce it has in fact, replaced the traditional discovery and purchase methods. In more convoluted markets, like real estate, where the traditional roles of agents cannot be entirely made obsolete, the Internet has become an important correspondent.
Americans turn to the web in their search of the right property, of course. However, they also look up the Internet to look for the right real-estate agency or the right relator, especially when complex commercial real-estate transactions have to be made. Considering how over two thirds of internet-users don’t even bother moving to the second page of search results, stellar online presence is a critical necessity.
Building a distinct and reputable personal brand is the key to creating an authoritative online presence. Social media is always a good place to start. Here we’ve discussed key strategies for creating a strong online presence that reflects your business personality and stays a class apart.
04
CHAPTER 1 Building a Personal Brand on LinkedIn The social media site for professionals, LinkedIn the chief platform
the company page. Edit the default profile URL set by LinkedIn
used by realtors in America. Occupy LinkedIn with five easy steps:
to create a meaningful, vanity URL for your public profile. Use the same Profile Picture through all profiles to build a brand across all
Create a personal LinkedIn profile
online profiles.
This is important even if you have a company page that exists
Post relevant updates
already. A personal LinkedIn profile will allow you to indulge in networking activities that reflect you and not the company generically.
There’s a popular marketing phrase that says “content is king”.
Use this profile to illustrate the causes you care about, the volun-
Relevant content (posts and updates) should therefore, be your
teer works you have done, the awards you have received and so
prime focus. Ensure that you have displayed both current and the
on. Next, optimize your LinkedIn profile.
sold out or leased listings managed by you. Regular and timely updates about listings and local market activity will position you as
Begin with completing the profile. LinkedIn’s progress bar, which
a figure of authority and help build more connections.
rests at 100 percent will guide you through the process and let you know when the target has been achieved. Your profile picture
Additionally, use LinkedIn’s Publishing Platform to publish your own
has to be professional of course, but it should also reflect the
articles. Again, they should be relevant to the industry and must
industry you work in. For an attractive photograph, keep the pixel
help your target audience extract some value. Posts with photos,
size between 200 x 200 and 500 x 500.
videos and links are known to fare better than all-text posts.
Your bio-data, the Professional Headline, Job Title, Position Des-
Get endorsements
cription and Summary are good places to add relevant keywords and attract audiences with a crisp summary of who you are and
The higher your number of endorsements, the better your search
what you do. Treat them as your personal sales pitch. Keywords
results. This is applicable in relation to specific skills only. For instan-
here have Search Engine Optimization value and help you rank
ce, when different members from your network click on a specific
better in online searches. Similarly, make the most of the Personal
skill or expertise listed by you and endorse you for it, your visibility
Interests and Status Bar Update sections to create a distinct style
when someone searches for that skill (or expertise) becomes higher.
and reflect your business personality. Participate in groups To optimize the page for larger viewership, keep the profile Public and add links to your personal blog, Twitter account as well as
All major commercial real estate agencies and organizations have
CHAPTER 1
LinkedIn groups, which allow you to make connections with the professionals (including the C-suite) of the organization. Larger a group, larger the number of people you’ll be able to connect with. Groups like Corporate Real Estate and Commercial Real Estate Professionals and Investors Group are good places to begin with. To build your brand, participate in the groups’ activities. From making conversations via relevant posts, links, articles and other information to adding comments and asking or answering questions – groups are a great platform for connecting and displaying thought leadership. Groups also let you catch the buzz. All you have to do is listen to the conversations and you will know the important topics of discussion in your community. You can also create your own groups. Also, check the profiles of your target clients to get a sense of the LinkedIn Groups they engage with. Join those groups as well and provide valuable content that shows you are a knowledge figure of authority in the commercial real estate market. Measure results with the right tools Use LinkedIn analytics to keep track of your progress. You can check the number of leads you get from different sources, the number of leads who click through and move to your website and the like, to improve your profile and strengthen your online presence further.
05
CHAPTER 2 Building a Personal Brand on Twitter After LinkedIn, Twitter is the social media of choice for real estate agents, especially now that web has progressed toward micro-blogging. In 140 characters, you can attract your target audience with informative posts about the commercial real-estate market in general or your local updates to your Twitter Followers and foster working relationships with them. Optimize your Twitter handle Since Twitter is not a professional networking site, you have greater freedom to create a handle (profile) that reflects what you are as a person. Building a personal brand is thus easier on this website. Begin with using the same Profile Picture, same name ( If you are John Samuel Reese on LinkedIn, don’t be J.S. Reese on Twitter) and identical job title and description to create a uniform brand. Use keywords in the Twitter Bio as well. Customize the Header Image to add a personal touch to your profile. You can use an image with a previous client or a behind-the-scene image with your team and the like. Choose high-value Tweets (event invitation, important listing, announcement or simply your favorite Tweet) and pin them to your handle, so that they stay at the top of your page and get viewed easily. Link your Twitter handle to personal blogs, Facebook page and LinkedIn profile. Submit your handle to Twitter directories like Local Tweeps and Tweet Find to increase visibility. Know who to connect with Follow the Twitter handles of other authoritative commercial real
06
07
CHAPTER 2
estate agents and organizations worldwide. This will keep you connected with the industry in general. Additionally, connect with local regulators and authorities like the Town Council or the Zonal Committee to receive timely news and updates about things that could affect your business. It is also a good idea to connect with charities and causes you care about as well as the local ailed businesses, even if they are not relevant to real estate. These Twitter profiles will make your profiles personal to you and add trustworthiness. You can also Follow the clients you’ve worked with and those you hope to close deals with. Use the @mentions feature to interact with these clients directly. Use contents, group offers and sweepstakes to encourage others to Follow you. Know what to Tweet about The urge to Tweet only listings can be strong. However, it is important to resist that urge and vary the content of your Tweets. Since Twitter is all about micro-blogging, you can (and will be expected to) post up-to-minute updates about listing activities from your community. So, you can Tweet about the day’s inventory level, average days-on-market estimate, price fluctuations and the like. Information about industry-relevant local events (like county-wide polls or fundraisers) can also be Tweeted. For instance, you could post alongside vote counts. Local news also make great Tweets and create an image of the well-informed realtor for you. You can also Tweet tips related to choosing a property, surveying and moving. Tweeting questions are a great way to encourage activity from Followers. You could for instance, Tweet the following: “What’s the first thing you look for in commercial property?”. Emplo-
CHAPTER 2
ying hashtags are a great way of increasing the visibility and reach of your posts. So, when posting local updates, remember to hashtag your locality or the event you’re talking about. Retweeting is another great content strategy. Measure results with the right tools Tracking and measuring results is the key to continuous improvement. Twitter provides an array of tools to aide users in scheduling posts, tracking engagement and measuring performance of a Twitter handle. Buffer Analyze for instance, will allow you to schedule posts so that your personal or professional commitments do not prevent you from posting at the right time of the day. Yes, there is such a thing as the “right time of the day� for making brand posts. Research suggests brand engagement is higher on weekends (17 percent). Higher click-through rates are achieved through posts on Friday plus the weekend. Similarly, Followers have been found to retweet the most around five in the evening. Between 12 noon and 6 in the evening, click-through rates have been found to be higher. Depending upon your marketing goals, you can schedule your Tweets. Similarly, tools like Social Oomph schedule Tweets and also perform other functions like tracking keywords and welcoming new Followers. With Sprout Social you can find new clients. Remember to use analytic tools like TweetLevel to monitor, calculate and compare the reach and influence of your and your competitors.
08
CHAPTER 2
09
010
CHAPTER 3 Increasing Brand Recognition using SlideShare SlideShare is a social media that allows you to upload and sha-
create a presentation on topics that add value or are of interest
re presentations. If you haven’t heard about it, it’s probably be-
to the target audience.
cause the site has a targeted audience. With 60 million users a month, the website is a great platform to:
Follow presentation best-practices. Create a structure before you start. Use simple language, less words, more pictures,
•
Increase exposure
figures and links. Keep the background of slides light and use
•
Build a personal brand
black text for good legibility.
•
Get more followers
•
Get more email subscribers
•
Rank better in search engine page results
Promoting presentations Share a SlideShare link on your blog as well as Facebook,
There isn’t much you need to do to enjoy these benefits. Using
Twitter and LinkedIn profiles. You can also embed the link to
SlideShare is as simple as creating a presentation, posting it
your presentation on your organization’s landing page. could
on the site and then promoting it! The website keeps a track
affect your business.
of the number of views and downloads each presentation get. You can use the information to fine-tune your content strategy to attract more clients. Creating a SlideShare presentation Choose a topic that is not only relevant but popular. For instance, the different problems faced by clients when leasing out or purchasing commercial real estate properties. Or, the different documents needed for exchanging contracts. Or, the most frequent queries that people have about commercial real estate. Alternatively, you can also create a presentation about the population or economic-activity hotspots in your town or county, great places to invest in the region and the like. The idea is to
011
012
CHAPTER 4 Leveraging the Power of Blogging Personal blogs are a powerful marketing tool, especially when the goal is
ve and thus, you have complete liberty to “be yourself” on
to create a strong online presence. For starters, they have high Search
your blog. So instead of seeing the professional realtor that
Engine Optimization (SEO) value and improve your rank in Google’s search
you are, your readers get a glimpse of the real person be-
results. Additionally, here are seven reasons to create a blog -
hind the company website. This gives your practice a more human touch. For instance, by talking about personal likes,
Increased traffic
hobbies or a day off with the family (and posting pictures alongside) you create an image of a regular, loving family
Every blog post you make, adds an indexed page to your website.
man who can be trusted.
The higher the number of indexed pages, the better your search results. Blogging is a great way to ensure you are found on the first
Thought leadership
page of Google search results. High-quality information, when found on your blog, increaLead generation
ses your reputation as a knowledgeable and trustworthy realtor. So, buyers will feel more comfortable making their
You can end each post with a call to action like “visit our office” or
purchases with you.
“call us today” for more details. Alternatively, you can have readers fill out short forms to receive some free offer from your blog. The
Advertising income
information can then be used to add to your email marketing list. You can use advertising campaigns like Google’s AdSense Lead nurturing
to feature real-estate ads on your blog and get some additional income from it.
Catering to the information demand of an industry is one of the easiest ways of nurturing leads – something which blogs let you
Customer service
do in plenty. Additionally, blogs can be used to share interesting, but irrelevant posts (like a list of your favorite memes) that attract
Blogs can double as a great customer service asset. You
attention and participation from readers.
could for instance, invite clients to ask questions or discuss their concerns about commercial real estate purcha-
Humanizing the business
ses and cover those items in blog posts. Longer how-to’s and descriptions of listings, with photographs and the like
Blogs are the most informal of all platforms discussed abo-
can also be made on the blog.
CHAPTER 4
How to create a blog Most hosts have their own tutorials that teach users how to create a blog. You can create your blog in less than five minutes with hosts like Blogger, Tumblr, Wordpress Selva and Posterous. These are free hosts. However, paid hosts like GoDaddy and Bluehost or HostGater offer significant benefits and more personalization. Choose your background for the blog and create your first post, which is essentially a small discussion about yourself. Aim for at least two posts a week. On the upper end, you can go as far as possible without sacrificing the quality of content. A good idea is to blog about industry-relevant topics, news-based items and general topics that are trending at the moment.
13 013
CHAPTER 5 Strengthening Brand using News and Media Good content is the key to attracting and engaging clients. While industry-specific content is important and sets you as a trustworthy source of information in the commercial real-estate field, it is important to experiment with different types. Within the confines of the commercial real-estate market, you can create and share content in the form of: •
Inforgraphics are essentially information + graphics. They
are a visual representation of content. They use photos, tables, charts and other visual elements to present information and are the most popular form of content. •
Videos, which are not only engaging but have high
SEO value. Videos hosted on YouTube for instance, are ranked high by Google in search results and increase your brand presence. •
News, which can be shared across all social media
sites, irrespective of the industry you belong to. Discussing news items, which are of industry or national importance help you gather attract audience without much trouble. News-based content also shows you are concerned with important, non-business related activities as well. •
Lists, which have been a popular form of content since
the beginning of time. Remember the 10 Commandments? Lists have an appeal that doesn’t seem to end. You can create lists about the best places for commercial real estate investment or the top 10 things to look for during property inspection and the like.
14 014
15 015
CHAPTER 5
•
Case Studies are another form of appealing content.
Their link to reality help enhance trustworthiness and enhance
blog posts of other writers to display your knowledge and get an opportunity to network with them.
client comfort. You can use a case study to show how you handle high-profile listings and to what effect.
As is the case with guest blogging, commenting on blog posts also gives you access to the audience of the host website. To be-
E-books are valuable because of the information they
gin with, create a list of the most authoritative commercial real es-
contain and can be used as an incentive to get favorable action
tate websites of your area. Draft personalized mails to the website
from clients. You could for instance, offer a free PDF download
hosts, asking for the opportunity to make a guest post. Remember
e-book on the ten biggest mistakes to avoid when purchasing
to attach some samples and provide important information about
commercial real-estate when they sign up for your newsletter or fill
what you do.
•
a form with email and other details. Once the host expresses interest, you can go ahead and create Memes are the trend to follow right now. They can be
content for them. Before writing, visit the host to see the general
used to convey information in a light hearted and interesting way.
tone of posts and guidelines, if any. The quality of your post will
They are also highly shareable and increase your visibility.
determine whether or not you get future guest blogging opportu-
•
nities from the host. Guest blogging Contributing as a guest writer is another way to strengthen your online presence. Foremost, it builds credibility. The fact that you have made a high-quality post on another well-reputed blog or website is proof that the host endorses you for your skills and expertise in the commercial real-estate industry. Further, it gives you access to the already loyal readers of the host, who can become your clients as well. By adding a link to your blog in the writer bio at the end of each blog post, you can attract the qualified audience to your own blog as well. Alternatively, you can make valuable comments on the
016