Tag: top coach

How to generate real estate leads and strike gold on Instagram

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Let’s play a quick round of “Guess Who?” — marketing tech edition.

Google is jealous that 40% of Gen Z use me [along with TikTok] as their top search engine.

I’m the No. 1 social media platform for people to connect with brands [like realty firms/Realtors!].

It’s been predicted that 35% of my users will make a purchase on my platform in 2023.

Amazon might need to move over, because 47% of American shoppers make purchases via my app.

What social media network am I?

In short, because we as real estate agents and brokers have products [homes/land/properties] and services [us!] to offer, Instagram is a powerful place to be. I dare say marketing ourselves on Instagram has felt like a gold rush of clients and closings for many of us over the last decade.

Is it too late to join or get active and generate leads for your real estate sales business? Instagram is still the most downloaded app in the world and the fourth-most popular network. That means there is still time to get it while the getting is good!

But here’s the thing: Being on Instagram and getting likes is NOT the same as growing your business on Instagram.

When I teach this class live, this is often the pain point with which people come into the class: “I’m doing all the things on Instagram like having color-coordinated posts and reels. I have a nice logo. I am posting at what some have said are the ‘best’ times and anything else various social media [*note: often non-real estate] gurus tell me. But I don’t have any deals from it.”

If that frustrated statement describes you, I want you to move away from the cutesy aesthetics of “doing it for the ’Gram,” because being “matchy matchy” is not bad but does not necessarily equate to leads. Instead, focus on what the agents I coach who are making $10 million-plus from solely Instagram lead generation know are the key components of every single post:

Image [referring to having an engaging/inspiring visual such as a video/reel, photo or infographic/text].

Story [this is tea time where you can be a storyteller].

Tags [geo — never the exact location for safety, hash, user: collab with and shout out others].

CTA [this is the call-to-action that motivates people to move from being a spectator to a participant].

For the sake of this article not turning into another doctoral dissertation [I am sure you do not have time to read a novel, ha!], let’s cover a couple of points from item No. 4, the call to action.

To begin, a call to action simply gives people direction so they can move from spectator to participant. I like to explain it as “Simon Says” for social media. If you have ever played or watched “Simon Says,” then you may remember that no one was to make a move until a phrase was given that included “Simon Says.” In this age of speed swiping and doomscrolling, many of us will not leave our feed of endless posts and videos to go to someone’s page, profile or website, which is where we more easily capture leads, if we are not given a “Simon Says” phrase, aka a call to action.

Here are some popular calls to actions, as generated from the popular AI tool ChatGPT (which, by the way, you can use to craft your own CTAs). Just be mindful of the law, including fair housing:

• Double-tap if you agree.
• Tag a friend who needs to see this!
• Click the link in our bio to learn more!

But let’s get specific to real estate. For example, in your stories you can share a fun fact or cool program via a photo or video and then use the free poll feature or Add Yours stickers to ask viewers if they have heard of it or not.

See my example where 85% of 185 responses tapped “had no clue.” That’s approximately 157 leads within 24 hours of posting one story! Can you imagine if you did this at least weekly? This becomes an excellent way to generate leads from those that said they “had no clue.”

As a twofer, you also get to stay top of mind with others who have responded [built in follow-up to the remaining 15%]. Boom!

I challenge you to feature at least one helpful real estate/housing-related program a week with a CTA. It could be something that your office is offering. It could be a program by a lender. It could be a cool option by a community organization in your area for homebuyers, homesellers, renters or landlords. You may want to feature local programs, but remember that there are also state and national programs that would be beneficial to your audience and will simultaneously position you in their minds as their trusted real estate professional. Double boom!

Interested in more on How to Strike Instagram Gold? Check out the complimentary webinar of the same name I am doing, hosted by The Residential Real Estate Council (formerly Council of Residential Specialists) on June 21, or watch the replay afterward. You’ve got this!

Dr. Lee Davenport is a real estate educator and former RE/MAX managing broker and agent. She is recognized as one of the top real estate coaches in the U.S. by multiple real estate organizations. Her doctoral research examined the lead-generation strategies of top agents.

How to be proactive, not reactive, in business and leadership

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By Shawn Preuss

We often think of leadership as a role, leading a group of people. We also see leading as having the ability to direct, guide, advise and mentor. Leaders are the “expert” in their industry or profession.

While this is a part of leadership, I would like to offer another perspective. I see leading as a proactive practice that brings balance to the reactivity of business and life. Proactive means being out in front, looking ahead, planning and communicating. When we are proactive, we are naturally leading, whether with ourselves or with others.

We are in a world of constant change, which puts us in reactivity rather than proactivity. If we are not careful, we could end up living our lives as a reaction to everyone and everything around us, including our business! Getting off the hamster wheel of reactivity is challenging, and it can be done, even in real estate. The question remains: How?

This is where self-leadership comes in. I define self-leadership as a proactive way of being that brings alignment between your outer-world actions and your inner-world essence. Why is this important in sales?

Sales can position us to be constantly reacting to fluctuations in the market, to meet our clients’ needs, to drive new business. All this reaction is necessary. We do need to be agile enough to react and shift. However, when we tip the scale from balance to a steady diet of reactivity, we end up confused, overwhelmed, frustrated, discontent, avoidant, resistant or even angry. This is when we most need self-leadership.

These proactive practices will help you reduce reactivity. The more you practice, increasing your self-clarity, the more you’ll be able to effectively lead others.

Silence

Communication at our fingertips has increased the noise in our lives. We feel the urge to fill the space. Silence allows us to listen deeply. Allow yourself to turn off the radio in the car as you’re driving and sit in silence. The more you increase silence in your life, the more you support yourself in hearing what your heart may be telling you is important.

Curiosity mindset

As adults, we forget the childlike magic of wondering. Our desire for knowledge supersedes our desire for wonder and exploration. Curiosity opens the space for exploration and creativity. Curiosity brings a balance to “what we know” with “what we can discover and create.” Now, take that curiosity mindset inward and step into observation of self.

Observer

We are typically focused outward to our environment, people, places and things we can see. This is our outer landscape. We have an inner landscape, our essence, the thing that drives our outer-world behavior. Becoming your own observer is all about shifting the focus from your outer landscape to your inner landscape. We are observing the many sides of self that show up through our behavior and language as a response to the world around us. The more we shift our focus from other to us, the more power we possess to create change based on what’s important to us. Observation with a curious mindset will lead us to questions.

Question

Have you ever asked yourself a question when you’re trying to remember something … what was the name of the actor who … and then three days later the answer pops into your brain? This is the power of self-inquiry. Your brain never stops working until it finds the answer! What is frustrating me about this? What am I expecting here? What’s important for me in this situation? Getting clear on where you’re coming from and owning that is a powerful practice of self-leadership.

Reflect and change

All the above practices will lead you to self-discovery. Reflecting on your discovery and what you’ve learned about yourself helps you to make choices in alignment with who you are rather than reacting solely to your outer landscape. Sustainable change comes from one’s own self-discovery and desire to live more authentically, rather than reactively.

These proactive practices of self-leadership are easily transferable to leading others through effective communication, resulting in deeper, more collaborative relationships.

Shawn Preuss is a Master Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation. She is an executive coach specializing in leadership and team development. She developed and taught the Life Coaching Certification Program and Workplace Coaching Certificate Program for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Preuss has been coaching individuals, teams and leaders worldwide for 17 years.