1. Release a regular
informational report.
Collect all pertinent real estate and mortgage information and put out a
monthly newsletter as a blog on your website and PDF, which you can share via
social media and with all your referral partners and client database. The information isn’t hard to find, and
everyone will appreciate an accurate summary of market conditions. The key to this is to have it in the same
format and be consistent with it – release it on the same day of the month and
do it monthly without fail. After a few
months, your audience will anticipate and even look forward to your report, and
share it.
2. Host a raffle or giveaway.
A great way to
increase your social media audience or add people to your email list is by
raffling something off. It can be one
fun item, like a new iPod, or a bunch of smaller things, like bottles of wine
or even coupons for a free massage or meal at a local restaurant. Set it up so you need 100 new Likes or sign
ups or whatever before you actually do the drawing, and make it easy for people
to share the offer via social media. Take
photos of the winner receiving the item and let everyone know to stay tuned for
the next giveaway, because people LOVE winning free stuff!
3. Set up your
own hashtag.
Did you know that anyone can register a hashtag for
free? (As long as it’s not taken.) What’s the benefit to that? You’ll be able to monitor all social media
messages with that hashtag and have it link back to your own personal hashtag
registration page or website. You can
set up a hashtag for your own business or company but also try creating them
for trending topics related to mortgage or real estate. For instance, imagine if you were the first
one to register #ShortSale before the real estate bust, or #JumboLoan,
etc.
4. Interview someone.
The great part of producing content for marketing is
that you’re not limited to talking about yourself. In fact, the less you talk about yourself,
the better! Instead, discuss your clients,
community, and the interesting people around you. The best way to do that is by interviewing
other professionals, impactful business people, and community leaders. EVERYONE feels honored to be interviewed so
think of 5 dynamic people and send a nice email requesting an interview. Send them a few sample questions so they’re
not unprepared and do your homework, first.
You can write it up or even video the interview with their
permission. From there, use the content
on your blog, website, social media channels, email marketing, and
YouTube. You’ll be shocked how many
doors this opens!
5. Throw a client
appreciation party.
Once or twice a year, get a group rate on a bowling
alley, baseball game, wine tasting bus, etc. and throw a client appreciation
event. It’s a fantastic excuse to call
up everyone in your database and reconnect with the sole purpose of showing
your appreciation. Take lots of photos
and make sure the day is all about them!
To help with the cost, you can team up with a referral partner or two
and combine your client appreciation events.
6. Offer to speak.
Organizations always need speakers, yet speaking in
public scares the heck out of people.
However, it’s one of the most effective ways to connect with a larger
audience on a personal level. So put
together a nice power point presentation about mortgages, real estate, and
market trends and contact local organizations with an offer to speak at their
meetings. Rotary clubs, Kiwanis,
Chambers of Commerce, Realtor meetings, etc. all need speakers on a regular
basis and would love to have you! Video
the presentation and host it on YouTube so you can share the link with your
audience and email it out for future speaking engagements.
7. Contact internet radio
shows.
Local and national radio shows sometimes need guests
to discuss real estate and mortgage matters, but Internet radio shows ALWAYS
need content! It’s a great format to
start building an audience and you get to chat about your specialty and what
you love doing. You can search on Internet
radio platforms like BlogTalkRadio.com for business, financial, or real estate
radio shows or even search by region to find one in your area. Once the show has been recorded you can share
the link on your website, via social media, and with your audience, increasing
your credibility and reach.
8. Write up neighborhood
histories.
People love nostalgia, so research and create fun
historical profiles for the neighborhoods you work and live in. This works especially well if you’re planning
on doing business in a specific “farm” area, like a group of high-end neighborhoods. Document how the neighborhood came to be, old
photos, notable happenings, famous residents, and the comings and goings of
favorite establishments like restaurants, theaters, etc. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ve
established yourself as a local expert and fill up the search engines!
9. Publish a book
or eBook.
You have droves of competitors, but how many of them
are published authors? Put together
content about your industry (or you can pay for someone to write it for you,)
with your personal spin and publish it via Amazon.com. It will instantly separate you from your
competition, build mountains of trust and credibility with your audience, and
open the door for media coverage and speaking engagements, as you’re now an
industry expert and authority on your subject matter. Give a copy of your book to leads and
potential clients and referral partners.
If you don’t want to incur the cost of a print book, you can start out
with an eBook for little or nothing and offer it that way.
10. Host networking
mixers.
Once a week, every two weeks, or once a month, host a
regular networking mixer. Throw it at
the same bar or restaurant every time (they’ll love to have the extra business
and should give you discounts for beer or food.) Tuesday or Thursday evenings right after work
usually are most convenient for people and it’s clear it’s a work event. Reach out for all your referral partners and
invite plenty of new people from the business community. Collect business cards or have them sign in
at the door so you can keep in touch and build your email list. Each week, feature one person, who gets to
speak for 5 minutes or pass out promotional materials if they wish. Get local charities involved and collect tips
for donations. Encourage others to invite
people in their professional circles, and pretty soon you’re social and
professional circle will be thriving and you’ll have tons of new contacts,
leads, and referral partners.
