Running out of real estate content ideas? Try this…

Crosstown Commercial Team  /   January 9, 2019

Running out of real estate content ideas? Try this…

Here’s how to use your truth as the No. 1 source of content for your real estate business.

Creating content consistently is essential for any real estate agent who is building a brand. Putting out massive amounts of content puts you in front of more people, and regularly producing valuable and insightful text, images and videos for consumers will ensure they remember you.

If you have any doubts, look to “the rule of seven” — the marketing belief that people need to see or hear something seven times before they remember it. In other words, if you are distributing only one piece of content a month, chances are people will forget all about you before your next piece comes out.

And that is where the fear comes in. I don’t know what to create. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to write. All these hold-ups scream insecurity. They are essentially saying: I don’t have anything valuable to share.

If you want to be taken seriously, if you want to be remembered, if you want to add value, it is time to get over that fear and start writing what you know and what you’ve experienced.

Creating content from your truth

I’m never afraid to tell people that I bought three houses from the ages of 19-21 and went bankrupt by my mid-20s. Or that I lost $250,000. Because that’s my truth.

Those failures gave me knowledge in the game of real estate that I could not have gotten anywhere else. Those failures now reside in my place of truth, a place that inspires every bit of my content.

Here is how you can create content from your place of truth:

Come from a place of authenticity

This will serve you in many ways. First, you won’t exhaust yourself trying to be someone you are not. Next, you will attract the right people. When you are being true to yourself, you will naturally attract people who are willing to work with you.

Speak from your experience

Even if you are just starting out, you have experiences in your life that make you unique. Draw from your failures just as much as your successes.

Share what you enjoy

Figure out what you like doing best, and share your thoughts, opinions and transactions on that side of the business. If you love listing appointments, highlight a listing appointment every week. If you love architecture, show that in your social media posts.

Producing content does not mean you need to create something new and elaborate. It means you need to document what you are already doing from a place of truth.

Prioritize

Your content is not something to do “when you have the time” — you and I both know the time will never come. If you are serious about building a brand, consistency is more important than perfection. Here’s how to give your content a place in your calendar:

Schedule time for content

Every day, schedule time for your content. Whether you are recording a podcast, writing a blog, going Live on Facebook or posting on Instagram, block out the time in your calendar.

Every Monday at 11 a.m., I sit down with my co-host and record our weekly show, The Real Word (published by Inman Weekly), where they discuss current real estate news and trends. That time is blocked off in my calendar every week, so I am not taking phone calls or meeting with clients.

The full podcast is put out the following day, and broken into clips, creating multiple pieces of content throughout the week.

Duplicate and commit

Every day of the week can have its own focus or theme. Mondays could be for a motivational post. Tuesdays are for highlighting a listing. Thursdays are when a blog post goes live.

When you create a schedule that can be replicated week after week, you won’t waste time thinking about what to post. Instead, you will use your time to produce content. From there, it’s all about committing to replicate this every single week.

Sitting on the content or waiting for a perfect moment to post is an enormous waste of time. In most cases, if you wait, it won’t get published. This doesn’t mean to rush through your content. Take your time, and edit when needed. Once you are finished, either post immediately or schedule it to go out automatically using a social media management system like Sprout Social.

Don’t do it for the leads

One thing you should always remember is that creating content should not be for the leads, especially when you first start out. But don’t let that deter you; I promise you that it’s not a waste of time.

Content gives you something so much greater: When you are consistently offering insight and valuable information, you will find yourself with a whole new network. You will start conversations. You will build relationships. And this business is all about the relationships.

Your content will allow you to build a network of people you can engage with, learn from and share with. This enables you to reach more people and strengthen your name and your brand. So when it is time for people to complete a transaction or make a referral, they know just who to turn to.

Now go create, so you can connect.

By Byron Lazine.

Byron Lazine is a real estate broker with William Raveis in Connecticut. He is also a co-host of the weekly Inman video column “The Real Word.”