Technology in Real Estate, Part Two: "Pay to Play" – Marketing on Social Media

Today’s guests have noticed a discrepancy in what REALTORS® are doing in person, versus their presence online. There hasn’t been a strong emphasis on online marketing. Mor Zucker and Jamie Slough from Denver bring their outside knowledge and background into their real estate business, specifically by using social media to bring them business and keep them top-of-mind with their clients. Social media is at the forefront of their business and they adapt the other aspects of their business to that as well.

One of the important aspects of how they use social media is in their intention — they post when it makes sense and try to be authentic in their posts. If you’re wanting to make social media part of your routine, it may be helpful to use a page manager so you don’t get distracted by the social media apps. You can also create a business page for your Facebook, and you can do this by going to business.facebook.com. The material on this avenue is all based on making it a business account rather than a personal page. They also make it a task to create an update on social media about new announcements or happenings in their business.

With the rise in technology, clients themselves now have access to all the listings on MLS as well as other off-market listings. The role of the 'REALTOR®or agent is expanded to being the voice of the industry as well as a transaction manager. The competition is high online, and you can’t necessarily depend on what you’ve been doing in the past to be effective now. You have to at least have a presence online, or it could end up being a huge detriment to your business; social media is where the people are. Agents need to focus on getting their social media up and running so they can stay in touch with the clients they already have.

Jamie and Mor have had a lot of success and positive feedback about their social media presence. One of the big things they focus on is making the post interesting, and include a lot of lifestyle items in their posts. They also discuss the importance of investing in your social media; you have to pay to play. As an agent, before you decide that social media doesn’t work for you, make sure you are investing the same amount of money into social media advertising as you are any print advertising.

They do share some of their business posts on their personal pages, but it’s very strategic. You don’t want to clog your personal newsfeed with your business posts. Mor also has a lifestyle blog (The Denver Ear), and the crossover here is very intentional as well. One recommendation she has for this is to write what you know about; your expertise will show through. On the lifestyle blog, the only advertisements they use are exclusively for their real estate business. The blog is linked on their real estate website as well, so it works as a two-way street. They defer to their clients for ideas and recommendations for the lifestyle blog. This helps to keep previous clients engaged and involved.

This idea of the lifestyle blog can be translated to other outlets in the same way — maybe you have a video blog or a podcast; the crossover can be shared with any marketing outlet. In their social media journey, Jamie and Mor learned that you can’t do everything well, so it’s better to choose one or two avenues that you excel in and push really hard at, and don’t try to do everything.

The call-to-action varies, based on the goal of the post or the ad campaign. But in everything they do, the overall goal is to direct people to their website. From their post, they lead people to their website where you might be prompted for further information. Directing traffic back to the website helps them track statistics and evaluate results. As an agent, your website needs to add value to your clients. Always think about the consumer and why they should come back to your website.

Facebook ads are a big way to advertise. When you go through the business page (business.facebook.com), you have more control, and it also tracks and provides analytics of your marketing. They also do A-B testing; by changing different variables, they can test what combination will maximize their return. Some other tips Jamie and Mor have for Facebook ads: 1. People are visual creatures. Make sure your ad is mostly visual — a photo with a bit of written content is more effective. 2. Make sure you are intentional about what it is you’re trying to achieve with your ad. Jamie and Mor have been experimenting with using video on their ads. When doing video on social media, always think of your viewer. People also like when other people are in your videos and your clients can relate.

Don’t let the fact that you think you can’t do something prevent you from exploring and experimenting with different technology. Many video apps are user-friendly, and you won’t know what works for you until you give them a try. One new thing Jamie and Mor are trying is Facebook Pixels. This essentially grabs data from your website on the people that transition from Facebook to the place you’re converted them to, and holds that data so later you can determine how to retarget those people. It’s quite simple — it’s just copying and pasting one line of code. You need to update your ad based on that pixel.

Before you spend any money marketing online, make sure you are ready to respond to your clients and viewers. Systems need to be set up for the appropriate follow-up. You have to be ready to follow up with any inquiries you might get online. It’s important to respond promptly, so it’s a good idea to make this part of your daily schedule. It is valuable to advertise your listings to other agents as well.

Final thoughts for today’s episode: Everyone has an ability that they are excellent in. As an agent, take what you’re excellent in and showcase that online. As soon as people see what you’re doing, you’re going to get more business. Everyone has access to the tools Jamie and Mor are using, but it’s about changing your mindset to make them work for you.

Jamie Slough and Mor Zucker, two accomplished Broker Associates with Kentwood Real Estate Cherry Creek, have established themselves among the upper echelon of the nation’s real estate professionals who specialize in the marketing of luxury properties.

The duo’s comprehensive marketing and technology backgrounds, coupled with their affiliation with the world’s foremost luxury property networks, have enabled the top producing brokers to secure distinctive listings while others fall short.

Slough and Zucker have won multiple awards for their work including the 'Best Overall Marketing Package Agent' Award (2017), the 'booj Award' (2016), and are multiple-time award nominees for categories such as, 'Most Innovative Marketing Technique'  & 'Outstanding Social Media Savvy'.

Mor Zucker is also the Founder of the website, The Denver Ear, a news and media outlet that focuses on local events, restaurants, and family activities in Denver. The Denver Ear currently has over 150,000 unique readers per month.