How do you get noticed online? To gain a following, you must offer something unique by first understanding your audience – and it doesn’t hurt to be funny.
WASHINGTON – People do business with those they know, like and trust. But getting to that level with potential customers is difficult in a virtual world. There’s a lot of noise on the internet, so how do you break through it and stay top of mind?
Kevin Tengan, vice president of marketing at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Verani Realty in Londonderry, N.H., described a strategy called “marketing to brand” during his session, “Dominate Digital Marketing,” at the virtual 2020 Realtors® Conference & Expo. The strategy focuses on establishing and communicating what sets you apart from the competition and sharing an authentic message with the people you’re trying to reach online.
“What are the problems you’re trying to solve for your clients, and what are your results?” Tengan said. “Are you connecting with consumers or just selling services?”
Core steps of “marketing to brand.”
1. Be relevant. “Understand your audience, and create content that they can relate to,” Tengan said.
Keep in mind that not everyone is ready to buy or sell now, and some might be months or years away from making that decision. Don’t focus all your content on immediate information for people who are currently in the market. Meet people where they are and give them what they need for the moment they’re in – and do it consistently.
“You need to deliver the kind of content they’re seeking not one time, not two times, but over and over again,” Tengan added.
He noted that when people conduct research online, they often run into the same content from the same sources. Those sources have been able to top search results consistently because they’ve remained relevant, he said. Pros share stories about the communities they serve, as well as interview community stakeholders and leverage their audiences for greater exposure.
“Inform people about what’s going on in their marketplace,” he said. “Position yourself as the information hub.”
2. Add value. This doesn’t just mean educating clients, though that’s a noble goal. It also means entertaining them, Tengan said.
For example, maybe you want to share a recipe you love. Instead of posting the ingredients on social media, “why not record yourself making the dish?” he added. Not only will this give useful information to your followers, but the video will grab their attention and give them a peek at your personality.
“Don’t share for the sake of sharing,” Tengan said. “make sure each piece of content has a purpose and adds value.”
3. Be you. You may have heard advice that you should focus less on yourself and more on clients in your marketing. But it’s OK to talk about yourself and your passions: “People want to know who you are when you’re not in the office,” Tengan said, and video is the best platform to reveal yourself to your clients.
“Video hits on the visual and the audio. We hear your voice, we see your body language, and we feel like we’re getting to know you.” Plus, you can build trust with a larger audience by sharing polished, professional video clips online. You can also use video to fuel other types of content.
“You can repurpose your video for every other media type,” Tengan said. “You could pull freeze frames and use them as photos or transcribe the video for a blog post.”
He advises using hashtags that are unique to you when sharing videos. That way, people can search the hashtag and find all your videos in one place. You can also hashtag your community or groups you’re interested in so people who are also searching for those terms can find you.