UNCOMMON

Uncommon Contact: Connecting with Clientele Through Social Media

Social media is one of the newest and most powerful tools in an agent or mortgage professional’s arsenal. With just a few keystrokes, you can stay top-of-mind with buyers, sellers, and borrowers near and far, past and present. The key is knowing how to use these mediums to your advantage, working smarter instead of harder to keep the thread of professional relationships intact. With that in mind, here are a few ways you can maximize the pull and power of social media by shifting just a few of your ideas and practices for the better.

Not everything has to be about business.

While your relationship with a client or fellow vendor began over the course of business, your relationship going forward doesn’t have to be limited. One of the great things about social media is that’s it’s social. Not every comment, post, or communication has to revolve around your business, its metrics, or turning a sale. In fact, you should do your best to branch out and curate a brand and online identity that’s about who you are and

the lifestyle you’re authentically interested in living. In that vein, consider interacting with clients in an organically-driven way, encouraging them during life’s milestones, reaching out with a local event, restaurant, or news item that’s relevant to their interests or neighborhood. The goal is to be a persistent presence in their lives without feeling like a talking head. Engage as you would like to be engaged with, as a human being with interests and needs and boundaries. Keep that personal thread in mind and your dynamic will shift from past business contact to present resource.

Expand your medium.

Many Realtors are comfortable on Facebook as an interactive meeting to connect with clients, but there are several other mediums where you can connect with clients both past and present, as well as future. Particularly when courting Millennial clientele, the fastest-growing segment of the buying market, a presence on Instagram and Snapchat are key to finding new faces, demonstrating hot properties, and creating an interactive brand as an agent. Not only does this help when you’re listing a property and seeking potential buyers, but it also serves as a perusable portfolio of your work and real estate prowess. You can also use these mediums to interact with clients on an outlet they might feel most comfortable in. Liking pictures, commenting, streaming Instagram Live home tours and Stories are all ways you can build engagement by simply spreading your social media presence around. Likewise, these photo and video driven mediums are popular for home design ideas, and before and after renovation pictures. When you expand from Facebook into these new platforms, you’ll already have plenty of visual content ready to be transferred and consumed by an expanded audience.

Don’t just react. Create your own content.

It’s easy enough to post a link to a new listing, or retweet a helpful article on real estate news. Creating your own organic content is a different story, but worth its weight in gold when it comes to luring engagement, ranking higher in search fields, and overall crafting an interactive presence for yourself and your business online—which is where more than 90% of homebuyers and sellers begin their process. Creating your own content can seem risky, or else like no one is listening in a digital world already crowded with information. However, original content is sure to boost personal engagement with your social media pages, guaranteed. Instead of recycling content, consider posting a video with a Q+A theme for first-time homebuyers, or perhaps posting a live tour of a new listing will perk up your clientele surfing at home.

No matter how you decide to expand your social media presence when it comes to interacting with clients, consistency is key. Find the ways that work best for you and stick to them, and you’ll watch your audience and business grow in tandem.

JASON HOAG

Interested in real estate from a young age, Jason Hoag took the prerequisites for the real estate exam back when he was a college undergraduate. After graduation, he spent five years in the wholesaling business. During that time, his passion for real estate led him to invest in and renovate properties. Six years ago, he decided to use his expertise to help buyers, sellers, and other investors reach their real estate goals, so he obtained his license and soon had a thriving career.

Jason now serves the Greater Cleveland area and surrounding suburbs. His clients rave about his work ethic, knowledge of the industry and the area, and hands-on customer service. He takes the time to get to know his customers and understand their goals, and then acts as an assertive negotiator on behalf of their needs. He does everything possible to take the stress out of the process, and when clients reach out with questions or concerns, he responds promptly. “Real estate is a great business. It’s wonderful to help people achieve the dream of buying or selling their home,” he says. As a result of the excellent service he provides, over forty percent of his business comes from repeat and referral customers. and he closes over $5 million a year in transactions.

“I love the freedom of the job and building relationships with my clients and other agents. That’s really a cool thing,” he says. To give back to the community, Jason participates in Keller Williams’ Red Day, as well as several other fundraising events. Each year, his family puts on a local light display in Strongsville to raise money for charity. “I help set that up and help my father with all the lights,” he says. “It’s a fun event.” In his free time, Jason loves spending time with his wife and three sons. He also finds a thrill in action sports like skiing, snowboarding, dirt biking, scuba diving, and jet skiing.

For the future, Jason plans to continue growing his business and even start a small team of like-minded agents devoted to providing the highest level of service. “I want to help more people to achieve what I’ve achieved,” he says. With his dedication to his clients and his community, he’s sure to make those dreams a reality.

To stay in touch with past clients, Jason prefers a personal touch picking up the phone to call them, ask how they are doing, and find out how things are going with their property, and in their lives.

When it comes time to market listings, Jason takes advantage of Keller Williams’ technology platform, which is one of largest and most advanced in the industry. He posts the listing on all the major real estate websites and conducts a thorough campaign on social media. His average list price is $180,000

To find out more about Jason Hoag, please, call (216) 287-8500, email jhoag@kw.com, or visit www.kw.com/kw/agent/jason-hoag

SHELLY HOLZ

Top Agent Shelly Holz – Lead of Holz Real Estate Group at Keller Williams Premier Realty in Woodbury, Minnesota – can claim nearly two decades of experience helping her many grateful buyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals. Consummately professional, tirelessly dedicated, and possessing a true concern for the wellbeing of her clients, Shelly has built a thriving business in the Twin Cities market on a solid foundation of honesty, integrity and vast industry knowledge.

Shelly began her successful foray into real estate back in 2003, following a long stint in corporate America. “I knew the corporate world wasn’t the right path for me,” recalls Shelly, “and I wanted to do something different and that I wanted to have an impact in people’s lives. I live by the motto go big or stay home, so I quit my corporate job cold turkey, and dove into real estate head-first.” Shelly found success as a Realtor almost immediately, and since then her business has continued to grow by 20% every year, and impressive statistic by any measure.

Shelly has also put together a sturdy, incredibly competent team of other agents and support staff, all of whom share her client-first business ethos and stellar work ethic. “My vision for the Holz Real Estate Group is akin to a Navy Seal team,” says Shelly. “I hire people who are highly skilled and proficient in all areas of real estate, because I feel that in this business, being a generalist means providing only average service.”

Currently, the lion’s share of Shelly’s business is based upon repeat clients and referrals, a sure sign of the excellent customer service she and her team provide. “I believe it’s because we’re dedicated not just to getting results,” says Shelly, when asked how she has managed to achieve such impressive levels of trust and loyalty, “but also making sure that it’s a first class sales experience, while also making certain it’s a stress-free process for our clients.” Another factor that has played a large part in Shelly’s success story would be her exceptional, thoughtful and comprehensive marketing strategies that translate into fast sales for top dollar, not to mention happy clients. Shelly - whose team closes on a home every three days on the average – is proud of the proactive approach she takes to ensure each property is seen in its best light and by as many potential buyers as possible. “Whether it’s signage at the property, social media, networking, or anything else, we do it all right out of the gate and we leave no stone unturned.”

When she’s not working, Shelly enjoys nothing more than spending time with her family, including her two young daughters “We like to spend a lot of time outdoors; boating, hiking, and just generally supporting our kids in their activities and really helping them along the right path to achieve their potential.”

Looking to the future, Shelly’s plans for The Holz Real Estate Group is to continue its annual 20% growth, while maintaining the unparalleled level of customer service that has become synonymous with its name. “I’ve always been focused on our passion for service and our passion for growth,” says Shelly. “I’ve always believed that if you want something, go for it. If you believe it will happen, then it will happen. So, I’m always focused on what I want for myself, for my team, and for my clients.”

For more information about the Holz Group, call 651-436-5958 or email info@HolzGroup.com