Last Thursday, BHS proudly launched our online speaker series: BHS Masters. The ongoing series will be held every Tuesday and Thursday, and will feature a rotation of speakers from the BHS team, along with special guests and topic experts. Those who tune in to the webinar can expect to learn about a wide-range of topics including market trends, legal updates, health and wellness, marketing tips and more.
Downtown manager Stephen Klym kicked off the series with the first session, Rethinking Social Media Today, featuring broker and social media consultant Justin Pak. The informative session covered the impact of social media today and how to choose the medium that works best for you.
Here are some important takeaways in case you missed it.
What’s happening on social media right now?
Instagram Live is surging
Facebook is reporting a burst of user activity, but sluggish ad sales
Emphasis on health and wellness
Hashtags like #stayhome #staysafe #stayhealthy are seeing high traffic
Instagram has introduced the “Stay Home” feature for stories
Is it appropriate to be on social media during this crisis?
The short answer is yes. You have people’s undivided attention and now is the time to build out your social presence with network growth and content. Stay connected with your existing network and continue to promote yourself and your brand.
How are agents using social media right now?
Outdoor shots
Why this works:
- Great quality photo
- Provides value in the caption
- Real estate related in one of her neighborhoods of business
The 3 E’s
Educate
Entertain
Evoke emotion
Dana Buckley, 43 North Moore | @dana.buckley
Blending Lifestyle and Business
Why this works:
- Personal touch: Helps build audience connection
- Shows she continues to service her clientele despite the environment
- Reshares and tags co-exclusive broker
Monika Ingram, 445 Park | @monika_ingram_nyc
Video Content
Why this WORKS:
- Clean, smooth video
- Has tangible value right now
- Fits into an overall theme and campaign with a grand scheme
- Leverages personal contacts: The Visionary Collective
Check out the app Ripl to help create social videos.
Kristin Hurd, 130 Fifth | @kristin.hurd.nyc
How can I make good use of this time for my social media?
Do a social media “health check”: - Make sure your profiles are set up, picture is up-to-date, username is ideal - Rework your bio, manicure any existing content, check how active your followers are
Focus on building content: - Brainstorming themes – working from home, market response reporting, market activity - Build hashtag banks
Nurture and grow your network: - Check in with your followers, visit people’s profiles, leave comments and likes - Leverage your email contact lists - Make sure you have a link to your social in your auto signatures on your phone and compute
I have little-to-no presence on social media. What can I do now to pick up some momentum?
Pick a platform (or two) that suits your interests, business needs and network.
Craft a strategy or plan by asking yourself these questions: - What do I intend on sharing? - What existing resources can I use that are already at my disposal - images (personal & listings), information from e-blasts, news, market data - Where is my network and how can I reach the people within it?
Set realistic and achievable goals during this time
Differences between Linkedin, Facebook and Instagram
Linkedin is more business-oriented and will serve as your hub for online networking. Here you will showcase your achievements, highlight your experience and leverage endorsements. The content on Linkedin will be less visual and more article-based. You can share market updates and predictions, snippets from informative e-blasts, push traffic to your social accounts and invite people to connect. While Linkedin takes some time to set up, it requires the least amount of maintenance.
Facebook Facebook has more of a community focus where users go to share relatable content. It is where 43% of Americans get their news from. On your Facebook account you can share news about your neighborhood, schools, personal and/or family-related content. Feel free to use your Facebook account to share posts about listings, but be careful to avoid hard sales pitches - you’re not just selling on Facebook, you’re sharing.
Instagram Instagram is all about visual content. The platform is a great place to share quality videos such as virtual tours of listings, or existing professional photography from buildings and listings. You’ll want to focus on creating a killer bio and post stories that will eventually cater to the overall aesthetic of your profile. If Instagram is right for you, be sure to set up a business account in order to utilize all the insightful activity monitoring tools.
What steps is BHS taking to increase our digital presence?
You can request social media advertisements for your listings by emailing social@bhsusa.com. The campaign will run across all major platforms and you will receive stats to see how the campaign performed
Request social graphics for your social media accounts from your marketing team by emailing marketing@bhsusa.com
BHS x Shine: Shine is a fully automated digital marketing tool that empowers any agent to launch high performing digital campaigns that will send high quality leads to your property detail pages and increase traffic to your listings. Keep a look-out for more information in the weeks to come
Tune in today, March 31st at 12:15pm for the next session, The Economic Impact of COVID-19, where 445 Park Avenue manager Neil Laurine will host a discussion with Chief Economist Greg Heym about the impact of the virus on the economy and the real estate market.