Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Snapchat. Pinterest. Blogs. In the age of social media, it is hard to know what platforms we need to be on for business exposure and where to invest our time to gain business. When we own a business and want to generate leads, the goal of social media is not to pollute the internet with information – it is to get business!
Where do we put our time? It can be overwhelming when we already feel stressed about running a business, and working to get exposure.
Google. If you are not able to do anything else, you need to be on Google as a social media platform. What platforms are there for us on Google – that are FREE? Google My Business and You Tube. We are going to focus on Google My Business – because recent articles from real estate industry experts share Google My Business will be the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT platform for our industry over any other platform. Did you know that?
From an article that came out in April 2019, from Inman: https://www.inman.com/2019/04/29/google-is-about-to-revolutionize-the-way-consumers-find-real-estate-agents/
This article was geared towards real estate agents, and can definitely be applied to the Home Staging Industry – as we are part of the RE industry.
“Google allows businesses to load their profile with contact information (address, website, phone number, etc), photos, Tweet-like content posts, FAQs, and more. Profiles appear as pins on Google Maps and gather consumer reviews because online reviews are now the number one source for inspiring consumer trust. Google has quietly become the most trusted review source on the internet.
On top of direct searches, Google My Business has enormous ramifications on broader consumer searches. When I search for ‘best pizza near me,’ Google knows I don’t want Papa John’s. I want Pizza Paradiso or Two Sisters or Paisano’s. That’s why Google introduced the humbly-named Google Three-Pack, and thus we come to that aggregation I mentioned at the beginning.
Using algorithmic magic — including review frequency and rating, geography, popularity, content frequency, and a bunch of factors we’re not privy to — Google computes and presents the three most relevant businesses to me in a map-based search with listings underneath, effectively creating a local marketplace. “
Agents should be less concerned about their websites, Facebook, Twitter, and all the other social accoutrement that encompasses the status quo of an online presence. Throw out the playbook, burn it, recycle it if that’s your thing — Google My Business will soon be the single most important piece of content for the real estate agent’s digital footprint.
It will also take a huge bite out of word-of-mouth referrals.
To create a profile, you can do this on your phone or one your computer. You need a gmail account – and if you do not have a google account – GET OUT OF THE DARK AGES – and get one if for the only reason to GET BUSINESS EXPOSURE on the #1 Search Engine platform for businesses – Google.
You have the ability to set up a profile, add images, services, and the key is POST TO THIS CONSISTENTLY. You can add 1 photo or a video per post. And then it is ALL ABOUT THE HASHTAGS. The hashtags you use translate into meta tags and keywords the public uses to find you for business. It is LESS about what you post and MORE about the hashtags.
Set up your profile now – you build it with photos, descriptions- like a website – and then you can post from your computer or cell phone. The key is consistency and hashtags. You can do a CALL TO ACTION as well – send them to your website or to your phone -for immediate response. DO IT – START POSTING. AND WATCH THE CALLS AND REQUESTS COME IN!
Article by: Jennie Norris – IAHSP Chairwoman, Marketing Guru, and Business Success Fanatic
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