WISCONSIN EDITION
5
Fresh New Approaches to Content Marketing
Is Finding a
NICHE MARKET
Right for You?
COVER STORY
MY CRYSTAL BALL: You CAN Predict You’ll Be Successful Selling Real Estate
MILLENNIAL BUYERS:
Where They Are & What to Know
WISCONSIN EDITION
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ELLYSE LOWE
CONTENTS 4) 5 FRESH NEW APPROACHES TO CONTENT MARKETING 13) MY CRYSTAL BALL: YOU CAN PREDICT YOU’LL BE SUCCESSFUL SELLING REAL ESTATE
18) MILLENNIAL BUYERS: WHERE THEY ARE & WHAT TO KNOW 22) IS FINDING A NICHE MARKET RIGHT FOR YOU?
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5 Fresh New Approaches to Content Marketing A couple of weeks ago we were conducting a workshop when we were asked two excellent questions about content marketing:
• People don’t want to hear from a roofing company every day. So how do you produce fresh and interesting content for social media that goes beyond your core services and yet ties back to your business?
• Can you extend your social media presence and content to include personal things (like your hobbies) and how does that affect your overall business image?
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The workshop attendee who asked the first question was right. Almost no one wants to hear from any company every day… especially if all the content is about products and services…and yes, even if they’re giving helpful tips and information. Does that mean you should stop producing excellent daily content related to your business? No, of course not! Content is created for two reasons. First, to provide knowledge, expertise and even entertainment to your ideal customers in order to achieve top of mind awareness as an authority in your industry. And second, to produce SEO-rich results that keep you at the top of search engines. You must strike a
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balance between the two, and try to include content that draws people in by being super interesting and entertaining….and yes, sometimes personal. To help answer those content questions above, here are five different types of content (beyond the traditional stuff) that can give your brand a fresh, unique and balanced approach:
1. PHILANTHROPIC Your community efforts say a lot about who you are, and people will make an extra effort to do business with you as a result of this connection. We’ve consulted business owners who are very hesitant to promote these efforts because they don’t want it to seem as though they are exploiting the charities and organizations—and most especially because they don’t do it for the promotional aspects. They do it to give back. I ask you to keep this in mind. Nonprofit and charitable organizations very often have small marketing budgets. Not only do they rely on outside marketing forces to promote their initiatives, they would likely be forced to close their doors without that support. That means that when someone with a strong brand and presence promotes them, it’s a highly trusted and personal connection, and you can’t buy that kind of support. In other words, they not only need you to promote them, they want you to promote them. But your instincts are correct. It’s not about you. So just make sure your entire content focuses on the organization you’re helping, what they do for the community and how Top Agent Magazine
others can join in the cause. Then it becomes a huge win for all.
2. HOBBIES You bungee jumped from four of the tallest bridges in the U.S. In your spare time, you go fly fishing. You love playing chef and use only locally grown, organic foods. Your friends are always begging you to go to Vegas with your card shark talents. You’ve done mission work in Africa and would like to start your own group. You almost played professional baseball. You have an insane talent for gardening design or bass guitar. Your family works at a soup kitchen once a month. Ok…you get the picture. And two more words. Reality TV. People are interesting…and people are interested in interesting people. We remember others based on these unique traits. And most of all, people love the story behind the face. Don’t be afraid to share your hobbies. Quite often, it’s the first thing that will personally connect you to a prospect.
3. CREATIVE CONNECTION This one is perhaps our favorite. While we can’t imagine seeing something come across our news feed from a landscaping company every day, imagine this for a moment. What are we always told to remember in this hectic world? Stop and smell the roses, right? So what if…a landscaping company posted a beautiful flower each day, just to remind you to ‘stop and smell the roses’. And at the bottom of that photo (small print), you included
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the type of flower and type of environment needed to make it flourish (moist soil, full sun, etc.). And then, of course, watermarked it with your logo….and a title like, “Sam’s Daily Reminder: It’s Time to Stop & Smell the Roses”. You could even include some great, thought-provoking quotes. It has the personal connection (Sam), the business connection (flowers & logo watermark) and a cool creative connector (pause the meetings and paperwork to take a moment and appreciate life by noticing this beautiful flower). This is a great idea for staying ‘top of mind’ and connecting business with the kind of creative messaging people wouldn’t mind seeing every day.
4. EXPERIENCES This one is similar to hobbies from the personal aspect, but instead of something that identifies us like our hobbies, our experiences are random happenings that can have great interest and meaning to our audience. Whether you have a unique experience buying a new car or a fateful conversation with a stranger in the airport, if you feel it ties into a life lesson or business lesson you’d like to share, by all means do. The lesson is to keep your radar up 24/7. Any experiences you have which relate to your
ideal customer are an opportunity to connect beyond the business world. And when we do that, we become a part of the family.
5. INFLUENCERS “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future”. You’ve probably heard that saying, and the same is true whether you are a teenager or a business owner. Maybe you’ve learned a lot of your business knowledge from Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Warren Buffet…or you like to quote Benjamin Franklin. Perhaps you have some mentors you’d like to recognize and tell why they’re important to you. Sharing the people and things that influence us is what makes us human. No matter how successful your business, you didn’t get there alone. People and circumstances shaped you along the way. Recognizing others for their contribution in our lives, large or small, is important in staying connected and grounded. We hope these five types of content help you to put a fresh spin on what you share with your audience, whether personal or professional. We believe you must have the combination of both to build an incredible brand.
Tonya Eberhart is the Branding Agent to Business Stars and founder of BrandFace®, LLC. Michael Carr is America’s Top Selling Real Estate Auctioneer & BrandFace® partner. Together, they focus on personal branding and marketing designed to help real estate professionals become the face of their business & a star in their market. BrandFace® for Real Estate Professionals is a book, professional speaking series and an exclusive workshop for agents, and is currently active in 18 U.S. states, Canada and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.BrandFaceRealEstate.com. 6
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Broker Ellyse Lowe works solo covering a vast geographic area, including the Rhinelander and Northwoods markets—an impressive 70 percent of her business comes from repeat and referral clients. Ellyse Lowe’s real estate career began with a twist of fate … and a love story. Her journey began when she met her husband at college in Michigan. Once they got engaged, she knew she’d be moving back to her husband’s hometown in northern Wisconsin, and that’s when she decided to dip her toes into the real estate world as a personal assistant during her college summers. “I started coming to northern Wisconsin with my husband long before we were engaged,” she explains. Ellyse soon discovered her passion for the profession. “I really liked being a personal assistant but knew there was more for me in the industry,” she says. “So I decided to go full time, and in the meanwhile I continued to get my masters’ in psychology. But I just loved real estate so much that I applied the masters in psychology to my real estate profession instead.” 8Copyright Top Agent Magazine
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Since getting her first license in 2016 and becoming a broker in 2022, Ellyse has been a solo REALTOR®, covering a vast geographic area, including the Rhinelander and Northwoods markets. With an impressive 70 percent of her business coming from repeat and referral clients, her approach to understanding her clients’ needs – reinforced by her background in psychology – sets her apart. “My clients know I have a good understanding of the market as a whole and
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what their needs are,” she explains. “A lot of the time they’ll say they want a certain type of home, but it really isn’t what they want at all. They trust me that I’ll take good care of them and understand their needs.” Every property Ellyse lists comes with topnotch marketing, including drone photos, 3D walkthroughs, virtual staging, and individual property websites, ensuring each property gets the attention it deserves. “I
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“My clients know I have a good understanding of the market as a whole and what their needs are,” she explains. “A lot of the time they’ll say they want a certain type of home, but it really isn’t what they want at all. They trust me that I’ll take good care of them and understand their needs.” keep that consistent through all of my listings,” she notes. “That way, even if it’s not a high-dollar listing, it looks like it is.” She also leverages direct mail to past clients to help bolster her repeat and referral business, along with an active social media presence. Her dedication to staying current and ahead Copyright Top Agent Magazine 10
of the competition has led her to undergo a brand transformation, including a new logo and lifestyle photos, emphasizing her tech-savviness. Ellyse and her husband are deeply engaged in community involvement, volunteering/ Top Agent Magazine
donating to the lake association, local chamber, snowmobile clubs, and even the fire department. One notable event they’re involved with is a snowmobile ride that raises funds for a brain tumor association, which has generated more than $100,000 over the past few years. Ellyse plans to continue expanding her personal marketing efforts, explore team expansion, and maintain her impressive track record of success. Having received her PSA (Pricing Strategy Advisor)
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certification, awards from Coldwell Banker and reached the Diamond level, she aspires to reach even greater heights, aiming for the prestigious President’s Circle this year. Outside of work, Ellyse loves to embrace the natural beauty of her area, enjoying boating, golfing, and snowmobiling. “One of the fun things that my clients like to do is take a selfie with my marketing signs on the golf course and post it to my social media,” she laughs. “That’s a lot of fun!”
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For more about Ellyse Lowe, call 715-493-1336, email loweellyse@gmail.com, or visit her website or Facebook https://ellyselowe.sites.cbmoxi.com
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My Crystal Ball:
You CAN Predict You’ll Be Successful Selling Real Estate ►Carla Cross, CRB, MA
You can predict if you’ll be successful in real estate. It’s not what you think, either. Top Agent Magazine
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Grab the best business start-up plan you can find and start the plan. Find someone to coach you to the plan. What New Agents Expect From my survey of hundreds of agents under three months in the business, I found that more than 1/2 of them expected a sale the first month of the business. What does that mean? When do they have to start looking for leads? That first week in the business! Yet, how many new agents start lead generating even in the first month? How long have you been in the business? When did you start lead generating on purpose? Or, have you started? That’s why my book, Up and Running in 30 Days, now in its 6th edition, has you lead generating in week one. It’s your assurance plan you will get a sale fast and will stay in the business.
Expecting ‘Dumb Luck’ to Carry You to Success Inevitably, there is a new agent who has an Aunt Martha in his back pocket. That is, Aunt Martha wants to buy a home, and has told nephew Tommy she’ll wait until he gets his license to purchase from him. Ca-ching. Dumb luck. Tommy concludes that’s how the business goes. You just wait for someone to find you and 14
sell them a home. We know that’s not the norm, though. Unfortunately, Tommy’s going to wait a long time for that next transaction! The ‘dumb luck’ approach to the business results in low results. Since the ‘dumb luck’ agent isn’t doing a business start-up plan, we have no way of predicting results, because we can’t measure businessproducing activities. We can only measure other ‘dumb luck’ agent incomes. That’s way too late to actively coach–or to terminate with purpose.
Your Manager Could be a ‘Dumb Luck’ Manager– Pardon the Expression… Dumb luck managers just look at results; sales and listings sold. So, they are not aware that agents may be failing for months. If new agents expect to make a sale in month one, how many months do you think it takes for them to get dis enheartened? 2-3? Not long. So, once new agents are mentally and emotionally out of the business, they will resist any help from managers. They’ve decided they can’t make it in the business. They’ll stay awhile, though, for ‘dumb luck’ transactions.
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Are You Lead Generating on Purpose? Are you working a specific, prioritized lead generating plan? Is it made up of prioritized lead generating activities? Does it have ratios of activities to results, so the new agent knows whether he is on track to his goals? Here are my activity ratios from Up and Running that will result in 8-12 transactions the first year in the business: • 20 contacts to get one buyer or seller lead • 8 times of putting people in the car to sell someone a home • 3 listing appointments to gain one marketable listing
• 80% of listings sell • 80% of transactions close What are the ratios in your office? Do you know? Do you know the work it takes to consistently generate the income you want to generate? Or, are you counting on ‘dumb luck’?
Best Advice to Create your Assurance Plan Grab the best business start-up plan you can find and start the plan. Find someone to coach you to the plan. Analyze your numbers frequently. You’ll stay on track AND assure your success.
https://carla-cross.com In the real estate business for over 3 decades, Carla Cross is an international speaker, trainer, and coach for real estate. She specializes in career development, business planning, leadership, and instructor development.
She’s won numerous sales and leadership awards in each area, including being named as a National Realtor Educator of the Year. A popular international speaker, Carla has spoken on leadership and training topics for 16 years at national Realtor conventions. Author of eight books on real estate sales, her wildly popular book, Up and Running in 30 Days, is used by hundreds of thousands of new agents internationally to start their careers right. Top Agent Magazine
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Laughs!
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Millennial Buyers: Where They Are & What to Know Homebuyers and sellers come from all walks of life. If you’ve been an agent for long, you’ve likely worked alongside a wide variety of folks—from first-timer homeowners and down-sizers, to second home searchers and those finally hunting for their dream home. While there is hardly a shortage of diversity in the housing market, there 18
is one generation that is making big strides in homeownership these days: Millennials. Millennials can be loosely defined as those between the ages of twenty-two to thirtyseven. As you can see, this constitutes a wide swathe of the population. If you’re an agent who stands to learn a bit more about
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a demographic whose influence and homeownership goals are rapidly evolving, tune in below for a few pointers that can help you expand a segment of your clientele in the process.
Where do Millennials prefer to buy? Many Millennials came of age during or immediately following the Great Recession, and as such, many of them relocated or returned to mid-size cities and smaller communities where the cost of living was most affordable. Of course, there are countless Millennials that call the U.S.’s major cities home—especially those in the
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tech industry. The good news is that you can court Millennial clientele no matter where you service area is located. That said, community amenities are of great importance to this generation. They value public transportation, green space, and entertainment—from coffee shops and topnotch restaurants to farmer’s markets and boutiques. Emphasizing those attributes will be key in selling to Millennials and locating neighborhoods they’re most interested in.
What sort of communication do Millennials prefer? Most Millennials are digital natives, or close to. That means they grew up learning
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how to navigate digital spaces, and prefer to communicate through mediums like email, text, and social media. This isn’t to say that Millennials aren’t good communicators, but they’re often on the go, and have learned to research and shop online. To accommodate this, it’s best to build a presence across the most popular listing portals and social media platforms. Although, it’s not enough to establish a site and wait for the calls to come in. Responsiveness is a key factor for Millennials, who expect speedy response times. Make sure you’re checking your inbox frequently, responding accordingly, and engaging with your audience online. This will let Millennials know
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that you’re savvy, available, and understand the value of their preferred method of communication.
Are Millennials ready to buy? It’s a common misconception that Millennials are uninterested in the rite of passage of purchasing a home. While Millennials maybe waiting a bit longer than their parents did to buy a home, there are good reasons to explain this phenomenon. For starters, Millennials entered the job market during the downturn, which means they are more conservative when making big purchases, and have to play catch-up to reach a sound
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financial position. Likewise, student loan debt has proved a major financial inhabitation for Millennials. Instead of socking away a few hundred a month to save for a home, they’re forking over that cash to pay down their educational loans. How does a Realtor compete with this reality? For starters, a bit of understanding goes a long way. Work with your mortgage partners to find financing possibilities that cater to this younger demographic. Recognize that Millennials—like most buyers—have some trepidations when buying a home. Also consider fielding Millennial clientele with the long view in mind. You might be Top Agent Magazine
courting them for months or more until they’re ready to take the plunge, but they’re also famous for their reviews. When a job is done well, Millennials shout it from the rooftops—or at least share it a dozen time from their phone. As time passes, Millennials will continue to dominate the marketplace when it comes to buying and selling homes. A little self-education on this powerful demographic can go a long way. If you know your clients and your audience, you’ll be in a far better position to serve their interests and make a customer for life.
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Is Finding A Niche Market Right for You?
A lot of Realtors® take the ‘jack of all trades’ approach to their businesses, and some are extremely successful with doing it all and doing it well. But taking that approach can also make it hard to stand out if there are a lot of agents in your area taking the same approach. If you’re looking for a way to stand out from the rest, finding a niche market might be the way to go. Although it might sound limiting at first, with the right branding and marketing, your specialty and expertise may help you lock up a market after you become well known for being the ‘go to’ Realtor® in a certain demographic. Having a niche helps you target your marketing, making it more effective, until eventually people are seeking you out as you build your reputation as the foremost expert in your particular niche. 22
Despite the benefits of taking on a specialty, it’s still something that only a small percentage of Realtors® do, which means you have a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor in your area by being ahead of what is sure to be a looming real estate trend. You want to claim your stake on the niche that best fits not only your passions, but something that fills a void in your market. If this all sounds good to you, the next step is finding your niche! Here are a few things you need to consider:
There are two approaches to having a specialty, one that is truly your all-consuming passion or a sort of revolving niche, one that changes with the market Top Agent Magazine
In addition to creating a thriving business, finding a niche may even unlock a hidden passion. Does your area have a large historic home inventory? Are you passionate about helping first time home buyers realize their dreams? Having a personal connection to what you specialize in is always a great way to start out. If you’re passionate about something, you’re almost guaranteed to have the work ethic it takes to have success in a niche market. Once you hone in on a niche, make sure the market data backs up your focus. Another approach is changing with the market. If you’re truly an expert in a few areas of the business, it might be good to have sort of a revolving niche. In a down market you might specialize in short sales and foreclosures. When things pick up, you may take your innovative approaches and start applying them to luxury homes. Whether you take the consistent niche approach or the flexible one, it’s really all about figuring out what best suits you and your market.
Fill a void in your market Maybe you don’t have an instant passion for one particular niche. In that case, there are several areas you can consider. A lot of it will start with really researching and analyzing your market and having a good eye for what future trends will be. Is there a certain demographic that is surging in your area? Cater your business to serve them. Maybe you are fluent in Spanish and your area is seeing a rise in a Latino population, who are emigrating from other countries. Or perhaps, you live in an area that has a larger retirement population. There Top Agent Magazine
are numerous demographics that truly need expert real estate advice. Be the one to fill it. You can also focus on a particular neighborhood or gated community. Helping people navigate the ins and outs of a particular HOA can be a lifesaver.
Are you already serving a niche? Of course, sometimes you may already have a niche and are unaware of it. Maybe you are already dealing with a lot of first-time homebuyers. Look over your sales records and see what might already be there, then make it official. Figure out why you’re drawn to that area and then nail down the reasons you’ve excelled with that niche and use it to create a marketing plan and branding.
Find ways to really sell your expertise Once you figure out your niche, get the training, designations, and certifications that will enhance your expertise. Another way to let it be known that you are the ‘go to’ Realtor® in your particular niche is to become a resource online. Create a website with informative blogs and marketing information. Make a mark on social media where you can link back to your site, so potential clients can actually interact with you. There is a lot to consider when you’re thinking of going the niche market way with your business, but if you consider everything carefully and focus in on something you can be passionate about, the rewards could be a major win for you and for your clients. 23
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