The 5 most effective tools to up your marketing game
- Real estate is a visually driven industry; incorporating video can improve your marketing strategy, create brand awareness and position you as a credible local expert.
- With the increasing adoption of live streaming video, real estate professionals can engage at scale and establish a social media or online presence with the click of a button or the start of a stream.
- Relationship marketing is key in this industry — it’s never been easier to connect with an audience and offer it behind-the-scenes access to who you are as a brand.
- Video is shared 1,200 percent more times than links and text combined, and it drives a 157 percent increase in organic traffic from search engines (Brightcove). A powerful marketing tool, video is one of, if not the most, engaging form of content used today.Our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text, and we remember visual content longer and more often. Accessibility to smartphones, Wi-Fi and apps with built-in social audiences provides individuals and corporations with the ability to market to massive amounts of digital eyeballs at little to no cost.The following tools can help you take advantage of the neuroscience of visuals and boost your brand awareness and exposure through streaming, video email and easy-to-create high-quality imagery.
Facebook Live
Facebook describes Facebook Live as a tool to “broadcast to the largest audience in the world with the camera in your pocket.” During Facebook’s F8 Conference, Chief Product Officer, Chris Cox, projected that over 70 percent of mobile traffic will be video by 2021.
With over 1.65 billion active users, it’s no wonder this social network is an ideal platform for one of the biggest trends of 2016: live streaming video.
An emerging powerhouse player within the Facebook ecosystem, live streaming is the great equalizer that empowers both the average individual and the largest corporation with the ability to reach relevant audiences on a monumental scale.
One tremendous benefit over pre-recorded video: real-time engagement with viewers. Live streaming is experiencing rapid adoption by marketers, businesses and consumers alike primarily due to the unique participatory quality of the interactions.
Facebook Live leverages the power of real-time communication and encourages an intimacy effect between streamer and participant creating deeper human connections. In a service-based industry like real estate, creating more meaningful relationships with your clients will guarantee future referrals.
The best reason to leverage Facebook Live to grow your real estate business is that, at least for now, streams are rewarded both in placement and promotion within the newsfeed algorithm. Simply put: there’s a pretty good chance that if you use Facebook Live, people will see your content. Facebook’s official blog states:
“Now that more and more people are watching Live videos, we are considering Live Videos as a new content type — different from normal videos — and learning how to rank them for people in News Feed.
“People spend more than three times more time watching a Facebook Live video on average compared to a video that’s no longer live. As a first step, we are making a small update to News Feed so that Facebook Live videos are more likely to appear higher in News Feed when those videos are actually live, compared to after they are no longer live.”
Facebook Live is available for both iOS and Android devices and can be accessed from personal profiles, business pages, groups and event pages. Applications for real estate marketing are limited only by your creativity.
Savvy real estate agents are sharing valuable market updates, insider “best of” neighborhood shows, open house streams for out-of-state relocations and behind-the-scenes looks into their company culture. With its multi-demographic appeal and smartphone accessibility, Streamageddon could be near.
Users have the distinct advantage of embracing this tool before the feed becomes oversaturated to gain more visibility and exposure.
Pro tips:
- Create a post the day before going Live to build anticipation and give followers enough time to tune in.
- Prepare for your stream, but don’t read from a script; the unedited and “real” feel is a big viewer attraction.
- Make sure your Wi-Fi connection is solid and create a compelling title for your stream with hashtags and emojis to attract more eyeballs.
- Acknowledge your viewers by name, and ask your audience questions to maximize engagement.
- Tell your viewers to subscribe to your Live Notifications so they can be notified every time you go Live.
- Broadcast for longer periods of time to attract more viewers. Facebook recommends 10 minutes, but you can stay live for up to 90 minutes. (If streaming for over 10 minutes, consider a quick recap intro midway through to help the late joiners catch up the broadcast topic.)
- Do it consistently, and provide valuable content — don’t be afraid to be your authentic self.
Blab
A unique, group live-streaming platform, Blab combines live broadcasting with group discussions (imagine Google Hangouts marries Periscope).
According to Blab’s CEO, the average time spent on this platform is 64 minutes, which is about 56 minutes longer than the average human attention span. Blab’s thesis: it’s easier for people to talk to other people than to a camera.
Group participation and the dramatic appeal of not knowing what will happen next during a live broadcast is what appeals to users and keeps viewers tuned in.
The advantage this platform has over some others is that it allows for real-time engagement, interactive host rotation and easy social shareability. Blab is becoming the live version of a blog or webcast, and users love the participation and immediate feedback.
After logging into the desktop or app version with your Twitter or Facebook account, you can begin to discover topics and start your very own broadcast within seconds.
Blab’s most unique feature is the ability for up to four people to co-host a live broadcast simultaneously and rotate the guests in and out of the “seats.” You can record your Blab and even if you lose your signal, the Blab continues until you can join again.
Best of all, there is no third-party software or app required to record a Blab, and you can stop and start recording at any time. Once recorded, your Blab will be delivered to you in audio and video format allowing for easy repurposing to other social platforms.
Because you receive the audio file, consider using the Blab as a supplemental podcast, and if you blog, consider turning your blog content into a live discussion.
The best way to begin Blabbing is to “lurk” in some live Blabs, participate by commenting or asking questions, share out Blabs and then practice going live with another person.
Blab can be an excellent conduit to connect with and learn from industry influencers. If you are a top real estate producer, live streaming can provide free exposure at scale and help your recruiting efforts by building your credibility.
With the potential to host market updates and client and influencer interviews, Blab might be a worthwhile platform to integrate into your current online marketing strategy. Remember, any platform will help you to reach a new audience of potential customers as you share relevant content that is valuable and helpful to their needs.
Pro tips:
- Marketing an upcoming Blab is important. Create an image for your Blab, and post to social media or email to your database with hyperlinks to the Blab. To notify your network, you can tweet a link or share to Facebook when you start your Blab.
- Don’t forget to tell viewers what to do. Ask them to “tell a little bird” to tweet out the link and ask for follows and props or “feels,” which are like hearts for Periscope or likes for Facebook.
- Engage with viewers (which can be a bit challenging sometimes to talk and respond to questions at the same time) by taking a few seconds to make sure you are responding to questions, so your viewers don’t feel ignored.
- Remember to hit the record button if you want to save your show so you can repurpose your content later.
- Just like other social platforms, you can grow your network by following fellow Blabbers.
- For some advanced users, think about the possibilities of “dual streaming” or using Facebook Live or Periscope while you’re Blabbing.
BombBomb
With video converting 72 percent better than any other form of content, 2016 is the time to jumpstart your conversion rates by integrating video marketing into your arsenal. Sending video messages to your clients is a surefire way to set yourself apart from the competition, and it has never been easier or more affordable.
Video is powerful because it allows the recipient to visualize and experience your body language, facial expressions and tone of voice.
Body language is key to communication and impossible to experience over a text message or an email. It’s always easier to engage and convert leads into closed deals with a face-to-face connection, and BombBomb helps make this possible.
