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I’d never heard the concept of “6 feet apart” until a few weeks ago. It’s just not something that you think about. And “shelter in place” was probably another phrase that you’d never used before. 

Now, as we’re entering the first week of April, COVID-19 is affecting everybody’s daily lives. So, how do we have that balance of caring for our loved ones, doing our part to protect our communities, and focusing on our real estate businesses? 

It varies state-by-state and even county by county. It varies by agent. Some people want to continue advertising their services and others are more comfortable promoting themselves less right now. This episode is for everybody. Because it’s all about focusing on that human connection and using this time to build stronger relationships. 

So, how can you as an agent pivot your real estate marketing to reflect the current environment we’re in? 

For me, this answer actually comes pretty easily. It’s the backbone of what I believe great marketing should be. It starts and ends with providing value. Providing value through marketing opens the door to providing value in your services and value through continued relationships. 

The difference is that we might be providing value a little bit differently than before. I always say that real estate marketing is just a gateway. If we do a good job with our marketing, then we’re given the opportunity to start a conversation. Getting somebody to fill out your lead capture or subscribe to your newsletter isn’t the end goal. Getting a lead isn’t the end goal. The end goal is starting a meaningful conversation that, yes, we hope leads to a sale. 

The core of what’s important is the relationship. 

It might not only be more important than ever, but it might also be more meaningful than ever to strengthen those connections. So, I believe that Real Estate marketing right now should come from a place of service. 

Humanize and Personalize Your Communications 

The first thing I would do would be to “humanize and personalize your communications.” 

If you’ve been in real estate a bit, then you’ve probably heard time and time again how important it is to personally reach out to the people you know. It doesn’t have to be past customers or current prospects. It can be anybody you know. Now, is the time to do this. 

Yes, it makes sense from a business perspective. But from a human perspective, I think it’s the right thing to do. 

Take it one step further by making it even more personalized that you might have in the past. 

Cleaning Up Your Database

Before you get started it might be helpful to comb through your database. This can be typically a tedious task, but now you might have the time to do it! Start by segmenting your list. Who are past customers? Were they buyers or sellers? Who are sphere? Family? Customers in a certain neighborhood? 

Segmenting

If you’re not sure how to segment, think about what makes the most sense for mass communications later. We segment so that we can recognize a group of individuals and send messages that mean the most to that specific group. This is sometimes done inside CRMs with lists, tags, or labels. 

If you segment your list to be just buyers, how will you use that information later for marketing? 

It’s good to know how you helped them, but segmenting is for future marketing efforts. So, it makes sense to group people in ways to enable future communications. For example, if you have ten past customers in a certain neighborhood, you might want to send all ten information about that specific neighborhood. 

Notes

As you’re working on segmenting, go through and add notes to all of your contacts. 

What do you remember about them? Make notes about their family, lifestyle, and the things that mattered to them. What are some topics that you can relate to on a personal level? It doesn’t have to be super long, but a few things to jog your memory will be helpful when moving forward. 

It’s also going to get your mind thinking about those people that you care about. 

Remember, we want to focus on humanizing and personalizing your communications. Once you have a clean database, you’ll be better able to move forward. 

How to Communicate 

Next, how will you communicate with them? 

I think a good-old-fashioned phone call is no-barrier, much-appreciated place to start. With everyone getting more comfortable with video calls and meetings right now, it might be your time to really start incorporating video. 

Try sending a video message or facetiming with someone. If you’re not comfortable with video, I have a whole episode for you to check out. Tune in to Episode 4: Overcoming the Fear of Video for Agents. 

What matters less is the tech. What matters most is what you say. 

Right now, this isn’t about marketing. It’s about being there for people when they need you. It’s about caring for the people you know and the communities we serve. 

So, if you went through the exercise of writing notes about each person in your database, use that information now. We want to reach out to people and check in on how they’re doing but take it one step further. Personalize the questions you ask them. 

If you know they have kids, ask them how homeschooling is going. If they have family that lives abroad, ask how they’re doing. If they have elderly parents, ask them how they are. Go beyond just striking up a conversation with a casual acquaintance. There’s so much on everybody’s minds right now. I’m sure they’d appreciate that you not only care and remember them but that they also have an opportunity to just talk. That might be all we can do right now for some people, but a good listener is so much appreciated today and the days to come. 

What if you want to reach more people at one time? One of the best ways to do this is through social media and even email marketing. So, my next tip is to be that helpful source of information. 

Be a Helpful Source of Information 

This doesn’t mean I’m recommending you re-post everything on the news. When it comes to life and real estate, share or advertise what you think people would find value in. 

I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who are unsure about the real estate market. Share information that they would find valuable. One of the best ways to do this, would be a video. Give people that information that they might have been nervous about or even just curious about. 

Market Videos

One tip for market videos is to make them easy to understand. If you start going on about how pendings went up this percentage and the absorption rate is that, you will lose people. Put the information in context and ditch the real estate heavy vocabulary. We want people to know you’re the expert, but at the same time, we want them to be able to understand what you’re trying to say. What’s going on in your local market and what does that mean for buyers, sellers, and homeowners. 

If you’re actively able to sell real estate, fill people in on how your business practices might have changed to accommodate the times we’re in. 

What to Share

When it comes to content and want to share right now, I’d think about this - where do people have questions, and how can I help them? And the answer to that for you, might not be real estate related. We’re all adapting to daily life and figuring it out as we go. Feel free to share your journey and what you learn along the way. If you’ve nailed a morning routine, share it! If you are figuring out how to stay away from the snacks, please share it with me! Bottom line, if it’s valuable, then that’s the type of content people are seeking. 

If you’re having trouble coming up with content, I’d highly recommend you listen to Episode 11: Why Your Real Estate Marketing Isn’t All About You.  I think that whole episode will help you come from a place of service and get you in a state of mind of serving online now that we are social distancing. 

And being helpful doesn’t have to be completely serious. This leads me to my last tip, create some sunshine. 

Create Some Sunshine 

We all need reasons to smile right now. 

Don’t shy away from sharing and doing things that make you happy. If you’re having a fun baking night with your family, share it on social! If you’re re-learning how to do grade school math, share your struggles! Did you get in a morning workout, share your progress. 

Right now, people are looking for a bit of normalcy and to enjoy the little things in life. So, if you’re comfortable, keep sharing your life on social. That’s one of the best ways that we can connect with people. Just don’t forget to comment and engage on what other people are posting as well! 

During your database cleanup, I’d also use that time to friend and follow people on social media to keep the conversation going there. 

Sunshine doesn’t have to just come from funny memes. 

Video Calls & Meet-Ups 

We can absolutely come together digitally through video calls! 

There are many services like zoom, go to meeting, and even google hangouts that make this easy and affordable to do. 

A fun idea might be a block party video call. It doesn’t even have to be your neighborhood. 

Remember, when I had you segment your database? You could invite past customers in an area to your virtual block party. You might need to be prepared with some conversation starters. Maybe come up with some ice breakers ahead of time! I’m seeing more and more virtual cocktail hours online where people are coming together via video to chat. 

Start Conversations Online

You could do a virtual dinner cook-off on social and start it off by sharing a photo of your dinner and asking for entries. 

The other night my husband made this beautifully arranged charcuterie board, and I classed it up with a handful of ruffles potato chips on the top. Give a glimpse of what’s good going on in your life. Share what makes you happy or smile. 

Being apart physically doesn’t mean we have to be apart. That’s the key to this episode. What matters is creating direct connections with people and taking every day just one day at a time. 

I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t think anyone does. I’m not sure what next week, next month, or the end of this year will look like. As long as we keep focusing on not what matters but who matters, then we will be headed in the right direction. 

It doesn’t matter if we’re 6 feet apart of half a world away, meaningful relationships can be created with care from anywhere. 

And if you’re looking for things to keep you busy during the coming weeks, I highly recommend you dive into the freebies section of my site. There I have a lot of worksheets and guides to keep you busy and focused on your real estate marketing. 

Until next week, thank you for tuning into Ideas for Real Estate.

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