F1 Marketing Formula: Accelerating Your Marketing Performance with Repetition, Saturation, and Familiarity

Marketing is a never-ending race; winning takes more than just one perfect lap. You’ve gotta keep hitting the track, lap after lap 🔂 – repeating the process because the RESULTS are in the REPETITION. Here's why repetition is vital in marketing:

• FREQUENCY: The more often people see and hear from you, the more likely they are to remember you. For example, the Rule of 7 suggests that a potential customer needs to encounter a marketing message at least seven times before taking action or making a purchase decision. One video, postcard, or email won’t suffice; but a bunch of ‘em will put you in front of the competition.

• SATURATION: "I see you everywhere!" That's the magic phrase of marketing because it signifies that you've captured the majority share of your target audience's attention. When your business taps into this "I see you everywhere!" effect, it generates word-of-mouth and establishes you as the clear front-runner in the marketplace. Settling for mere slivers of awareness means missing out on the concentrated impact and buzz that comes from reaching your entire audience.

• FAMILIARITY: "Frequency leads to awareness, awareness to familiarity, and familiarity to trust. And trust, almost without exception, leads to profit." (Seth Godin) With trust, you become unstoppable, but without it, you're unsellable. So instead of solely focusing on pursuing leads who are actively in the market, consider the bigger picture. Aim to build your business and brand with the entire market, not just those seeking an immediate transaction. By doing so, you position yourself as the pacesetter and front-runner when the time comes to buy, sell, invest, or refer.

With these elements in place—repetition, saturation, and familiarity—your marketing will become an irresistible force, driving you past your competitors and across the finish line.

Keyword Magic: Optimize Your Website SEO to Boost Your Google Business Profile Ranking Position

Google is always "Googling" you, gathering information from various online and offline sources. Your website, which is linked to your Google Business Profile, holds valuable data for them.

When you enter words and phrases, known as keywords, into Google's search bar, it's their mission and purpose to understand your query and present you with relevant results. That's why optimizing your website with the right keywords is a crucial step in boosting your Google Business Profile's ranking position.

And at the end of the day, “keywords” are merely words that can be categorized into distinct parts of speech, as follows:

• Nouns: The name of your business, its locations (e.g. counties, cities, neighborhoods, et al.), and what it offers or does. For instance, a ”real estate agent" or a “title company.”

• Verbs: Action terms like "buy," "sell," "list," "invest," "refer," "move," "relocate," and more—words that convey the dynamic actions associated with your business.

• Modifiers: Descriptive words like "best," "top," "#1," "luxury," and so on. For example, a consumer might Google: “Best REALTOR near me.”

By strategically incorporating these diverse parts of speech throughout your website, you can significantly enhance the ranking position of your Google Business Profile in crucial, high-intent customer searches.

The 3 “Endgames” of Social Media Marketing: Setting objectives, expectations, and measuring performance

Are you tired of putting effort into your social media marketing without knowing whether it's actually working? Lots of businesses and creators struggle with this challenge, wondering if a lack of engagement or leads means their efforts are totally in vain. But don't assume that a lack of direct messages from potential clients, for instance, indicates failure.

There are numerous ways to measure the success of your social media marketing beyond just lead generation. By focusing on the key areas below – the three “endgames” of social media – you’ll gain a better understanding of how your efforts are impacting your reputation, your community, and your bottom line.

1. CREDIBILITY - It's like "brand back-up." Your social presence can make-or-break the impression prospective customers have of you. Leads, referrals, and prospects are going to look you up and form a view of who you are, what you do, and how you do it. Don't let your social media unsell you.


2. COMMUNITY - It's likely your followers consist of past clients, friends/family, etc.—i.e., your database. Understanding that half to two-thirds of sales come from repeat or referral business, nurturing this audience becomes vital. So leverage social to foster meaningful conversations & deeper connections.


3. CUSTOMERS - Share valuable and relevant content on social media to attract prospective customers. Posting content that's tailored to the needs and interests of buyers and sellers can prompt them to engage with you and potentially inquire about your services. Remember: you get what your content attracts.

Easy Script to Set Customer Expectations for Google Reviews Before Officially Asking

In today's business landscape, customer reviews are mission-critical – they're effectively the proof that your services are worth hiring. And when it comes to online reviews, Google reviews are the kingpin.

Even if you hit it off with a prospect at an open house, they're still likely to Google you at the first opportunity. That's why setting the expectation upfront about the importance of customer reviews is crucial. It not only demonstrates your commitment to providing top-quality service, but by setting the expectation upfront, you effectively prime the customer to make good on their implied commitment when you formally ask for a review. Don't leave your business’s reputation to chance.

So set the stage for customer reviews ⭐️ from the get-go! Plant the seed of expectation with opening scripts like: 

“I’m honored you chose me as your agent and am committed to delivering top-quality service, worthy of a 5-star (Google) review!”

Ranking Higher in Google’s Local Search Results: How Local Justifications Can Help Your Google Business

Local justifications are clues that explain why Google displays one Google Business Profile over another in local search results. These clues appear as short text snippets located below the top-ranking Google Business Profiles in the map pack. Sidebar:  a map pack is a collection of the top three ranking Google Business Profiles that are displayed together on the first page of local search results, often accompanied by a square- or rectangular-shaped bit of map.

Local justifications include verbatim (or related) keyword matches from the search query, and are often taken from reviews, the business profile's website (i.e., your domain), or the "Services" section of the business profile. Reviews are the most common source for local justifications. Bearing that in mind, businesses should focus on getting customers to use target words and phrases when they post reviews.

How to Optimize Your Social Media Content for Meta's AI-based Recommendations

Meta has shared new insights into its evolving use of AI-based content recommendations, with more than 20% of the content displayed in people's Facebook feeds and 40% on Instagram recommended by its AI system.

The company is moving away from relying solely on social graphs to populate user feeds, as TikTok's algorithm focuses on individual posts rather than connections.

As AI-based content recommendations continue to increase, businesses and creators may (and probably will) experience a proportionate decrease in their ability to reach followers.

Here’s how to take Advantage of the shift:

1. Define your niche and create content that aligns with it to increase your chances of being recommended by Meta's AI system to the right audience. Otherwise, there's a risk that your content will get discovered by an unintended audience, leading to engagement that may not translate into meaningful results for your business.
   
   For instance, let's say you're a real estate agent who specializes in luxury homes. Instead of creating content that showcases your personal life or hobbies, which may not be related to your niche, it's algorithmically better to create luxury-focused content. This way, your content attracts the right audience – i.e., people who are interested in buying or selling luxury homes (in your local area) — and thereby increase the chances of being recommended by Meta's AI system to that specific audience.
   
   I'm not suggesting that you should never post personal content. I'm simply emphasizing the importance of being mindful of the algorithm's recommendations when deciding what content to share.

2. Stay on top of trends and relevant news within your industry or niche, and use them as opportunities to create content that aligns with the current conversation. This can help you 'trend-jack' popular topics and increase the visibility of your content to a wider audience.
   
   For instance, if there's a trending news article about mortgage rates increasing, you could create a green-screen Reel with the article displayed in the background, discussing how the rate increase might affect the local market.
   
   Or, for example, if there’s a popular influencer in your niche discussing the impact of rising mortgage rates, you could create a Remix video with their content and provide your own unique insights to engage both your and the influencer's audience.

3. Use metrics like views and time spent on each video to identify which types of content are resonating with your audience, and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
   
   The longer users spend on your content, the more the algorithms will see it as valuable and distribute it to a wider audience. The reverse is also true.
   
   For example, if you notice that videos showcasing the inside of luxurious homes receive more views and longer watch times than videos about the surrounding neighborhoods, you can adjust your content strategy to include more of the former and less of the latter. This will increase the likelihood of your content being recommended by Meta's AI system and reaching a larger audience.
   
   Additionally, be sure to make appearances in your videos to strengthen the connection between you and your audience. By showcasing yourself in the luxurious home videos, for instance, viewers will associate you with the high-end real estate market and increase the likelihood of them choosing you as their agent in the future.

As Meta's AI system continues to evolve, it's essential to stay up-to-date with the latest insights and trends to make the most of its recommendations. By following these tips, you can create content that resonates with your target audience and increases your chances of reaching a wider audience, ultimately driving meaningful results for your business. So, stay mindful of the algorithm's recommendations, keep up with the latest industry news, and use metrics to refine your content strategy to stay ahead of the game.

The Real Reason You're Not Using Video (and How to Fix It)

Still on the fence about using video – even though it's widely recognized as one of the most effective marketing mediums on the planet? If yes, then this is for you.

I remember when I was early in my speaking career, backstage at a major event with nerves spiking. The room was packed, and I turned to a more experienced speaker next to me and asked if he was feeling the same way. He calmly replied, “nope.” I was like, “How on earth isn’t this guy nervous!?” He went on and explained being nervous signals that you're focusing inwardly on yourself, worrying about how you'll look and be judged. But if you shift your focus outwardly to your message and your audience, the nerves will melt away.

The same principle applies to video. It's not about you – it's about your message and its impact on your audience. Whether you are or aren’t leveraging video, it begs the question, why?—is it for an ego-boost, to check a box, or to have an impact?

The Non-Negotiable Tasks for Achieving Business Success

Certain tasks are simply non-negotiable when it comes to achieving success in this business.

You know the drill:  work your leads, crank out the videos, answer the phone, keep in touch with your clients/contacts, post engaging content, ask for those all-important reviews, send out value-packed emails, and follow-up relentlessly – WASH🧼// RINSE🚿// REPEAT🔂

It’s a lot to do… But if success was a cakewalk, everyone would be eating cake at the top. Sadly, though, not everyone’s living the “sweet life” of a top producer.

Emerson put it best:  "Do the thing(s), and you shall have the power.” The question is, are you ready and willing to do thething(s)? If yes, then get after it!—do the work and reap the rewards, because the RESULTS are in the REPETITION.

5 Subtle Indicators of Marketing Success You May Be Overlooking

As a business owner, it's easy to get caught up in the quantitative metrics of marketing such as follower counts, views, and likes. However, these data points don't always accurately reflect the tangible effectiveness of your marketing and brand-building efforts.

Loads of local-based, people-to-people types of businesses—like real estate, for instance—don't always work out like a math equation. It's often a know, like and trust combination of factors.

In order to truly measure the success of your marketing, you need to consider qualitative markers as well. Here are some key qualitative markers to consider when evaluating your marketing efforts:

1. You're frequently asked about the market or business by personal contacts.

2. People recognize you and comment on seeing you everywhere.

3. Customers reference your content, including videos, blogs, and emails.

4. Your peers show increased curiosity about your business and marketing approach.

5. Long-lost contacts suddenly begin engaging with your social media posts.

It's important to remember that while quantitative metrics are important, they don't tell the whole story. To truly evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, you’ve got to consider both quantitative and qualitative metrics. So keep an eye out for the subtle indicators that signal what you’re doing is working!

Generating High-Quality (Real Estate) Leads on Facebook: The Art of Lead Forms and Niche-PDF Offers

It’s time to circle back to Facebook ads (i.e, Meta ads). Here lately, “niche” Facebook ads have been paying-out in terms of generating high-quality leads, attracting both buyers and sellers.

Before I delve into the details, though, it's important to note that the introduction of Apple's "App Tracking Transparency Framework" has somewhat changed the game. Now, users are required to opt-in to allow apps to track their data across apps and websites.

Following the implementation of said new framework, in-app campaign objectives and conversion events have emerged as top performers. This is because they don't rely on tracking data outside of the platform. In other words, these objectives and events are not impacted by the changes in data tracking policies, making them a more reliable choice for businesses looking to generate leads and conversions across Meta platforms.

So, for instance, “lead forms” are a go-to method for capturing users’ contact info without sending them off platform… and offering PDFs, such as guides or lists, is an effective incentive to entice prospective leads to submit their information.

Navigating PDF Creation: In-House or Outsourced?

If you're looking to generate leads and capture contact information, offering PDFs such as guides, checklists, and whitepapers can be an effective strategy. Here are some options available for creating high-quality PDFs to help you entice potential leads.

• Create it yourself: If you have the necessary skills and software, you can create a PDF on your own. There are loads of free and paid tools available online that can help you create professional-looking PDFs, such as Canva, Google Docs, and Adobe Acrobat.

• Hire a freelancer: There are lots of freelancer market sites whereby you can hire a pro to produce a PDF, such as Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer. Look for freelancers who have experience in designing and creating PDFs, and make sure to check their portfolio and reviews before hiring them.

• Use a design agency: If you have a larger budget, you can hire a design agency to create your PDF. They will work with you to understand your business goals and create a customized PDF that meets your needs. Look for agencies that specialize in designing marketing materials, like brochures, flyers, and PDFs.

PDFs That Will Help You Capture More Leads

PDFs are a solid marketing offer to generate leads. Here are 11 different PDF concepts to consider building-out.

1. Coordinating your move: Tips for buying and selling simultaneously

2. Renting out your home and buying a new one: How to buy without selling

3. Understanding new construction: From subdivisions to custom builds

4. Affordability in real estate: How to buy on a budget

5. Selling your home: A comprehensive guide to do it yourself

6. Home improvement ideas that increase your property value

7. Preparing your home for sale: A complete guide

8. Downsizing: Tips and considerations for a stress-free move

9. Homebuyer's checklist: What to look for when buying a home

10. Home-selling made easy: Preparing your home for a successful sale

11. First-time owner: How to transition from renting to buying your first home

Steps to Run “Lead-Form” Meta Ads

If you’re ready to create a Meta lead-form ad that uses a PDF download to generate leads, simply follow these steps and start attracting potential customers straightaway.

1. Log in to your Meta Ads Manager account and click on the "Create" button to start a new campaign.

2. Choose the ad objective that aligns with your campaign goals. In this case, you’ll wanna choose "Lead Generation" since you'll be giving away a PDF in exchange for contact information.

3. Specify your target audience, set your budget and schedule, and your Placements (i.e., the places your ad will/won’t show)

4. Scroll down to the "Ad Setup" section and choose "Lead Form" as your ad format.

5. Click on "Create New Form" to start building your lead form. Choose a form type and customize the form fields based on the information you want to collect from your leads.

6. Add a custom disclaimer and privacy policy if necessary, and include an enticing headline and description that highlights the benefits of the PDF you're giving away.

7. In the "Thank You Screen" section, choose "Download" as your CTA and upload the PDF you want to give away. You can also customize the thank-you message and include a link to your website or other resources.

8. Review your ad preview and make any necessary changes before submitting your ad for review.

9. Once your ad is approved, it will start running on Meta and you'll start receiving leads from users who fill out your lead form and download your PDF.

AI-Suggested Content and the Rise of “Anti-Social Networks” - Why LinkedIn is a Worthwhile Alternative!

… And then there was LinkedIn??

Top social media platforms are upping the ante with AI-suggested content, prioritizing it over posts from users' connections or friends. By the end of the year, Mark Zuckerberg stated that 30% of the content on Meta feeds, including Facebook and Instagram, will be AI-suggested content. Consequently, as a creator/business, your capacity to reach your followers organically will be diminished by almost one-third.

And if your posts aren’t being seen with the same frequency and regularity as before, then the risk of being, quote-unquote, “forgotten by your followers,” who may include past/current clients, leads, sphere-of-influence contacts, and so on, escalates.

TikTok, for instance, is more of an “anti-social network” as users are primarily exposed to content produced by strangers, rather than a platform for seeing and interacting with posts from people within your personal and professional networks. Now other social sites are moving in the same direction.

LinkedIn’s algorithm, however, (still) places more emphasis on prioritizing/distributing content that fosters engagement within your community (i.e., your connections) and relevance within specific industries or interests. So, if you’re aiming to strengthen your existing connections and establish your brand within your area, LinkedIn is worth a look.

The Science Behind Instagram's Algorithm: How to Beat the Feed and Get Noticed

As Instagram continues to explode in popularity, the sheer volume of content being shared on the platform is making it more and more difficult for creators and businesses to reach their desired audience. That said, there are ways to cut through the noise… 

On average, an Instagram user spends around 6-7 minutes per session on the app. Since Instagram's algorithm is continuously updating, the posts that appear in a user's feed can change frequently — very frequently! In fact, even a minor delay in opening the app can significantly impact the content displayed in your feed.  For instance, if you planned to open your app at 10:00 AM but got distracted and opened it a minute later, the content in your feed would likely differ from what it would've been had you opened it at the intended time.

What’s more, according to a recent study by Sport Social, around 64% of marketers pre-schedule their social media posts, with most opting to post at the hour, quarter-hour, or half-hour marks. This means that there’s often a higher volume of content competing for feed position during these times.

So… To stand out from the crowd, consider posting at less conventional times, like 10:07, for example. Additionally, many post-scheduling apps limit posting times to 5-minute intervals, making the "in-between" times somewhat of an open road for your content to get noticed.

Posting during peak times on Instagram is like trying to drive through a city during rush hour traffic - you're stuck in a gridlock with everyone else.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, while it's important to post during non-peak times to avoid competing with other posts, it's equally crucial to post when the bulk of your followers are active. Instagram's algorithm tests new posts by showing them to a small sample audience, and the initial performance of your posts determines whether they'll be distributed to a larger audience. Since your followers are the most likely to interact with your content, posting during their active hours will give your posts the best chance to perform well and reach a wider audience.

If you're not sure when your followers are most active, check out this blog post on how to find those insights:  https://www.jasonpantana.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-instagram-posting-when-and-how-to-reach-your-followers

My advice:  experiment with different times to see what works best for your content and audience. Happy posting!

The Science of Logic & Emotion in Marketing: Why It Matters and How to Use Both

It's important to remember that your Sales and Marketing must appeal to both the EMOTIONS and the LOGIC of your customers. No exceptions! Research has shown that customers make decisions based on a combination of both.

Having said that, studies have found that emotional campaigns outperform rational campaigns by almost 2 to 1 and that emotional factors also play a significant role in driving customer loyalty and recommendations. However, it's also important to note that customers who make purchases based solely on emotions are far more likely to be disappointed later on. So… It's essential to strike a balance between emotional appeals and logical factors in your messaging.

And the idea isn’t to use logic and emotion as separate tools. Like once you satisfy some made-up, minimum requirement of logic, it’s all emotions from there on out. Nope, to the contrary, the objective is to seamlessly integrate both throughout your efforts in a natural and authentic way.

Using only logic in your messaging, for instance, can come across as cold and unfeeling, while relying solely on emotions can be seen as manipulative and lacking substance. For example, a market update video that focuses solely on presenting facts and stats is less likely to prompt action compared to one that incorporates a bit of emotion.

Remember, it's never just one or the other - it's gotta be both!

How Meta's Broadcast Channels Will Change Content Distribution for Creators and Businesses

Meta’s rollout of Broadcast Channels across its suite of apps is underway, starting with Instagram and WhatsApp. A broadcast channel is essentially a one-to-many messaging system that enables creators and businesses to send messages to a large number of followers or subscribers at once.

To me, this sounds reminiscent of RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication), which bloggers use to distribute new content automatically to their subscribers, who can enroll to receive push notifications whenever a new post is published, rather than having to visit the blog directly. With Broadcast Channels, creators and businesses will presumably have more control over content distribution, as they can push updates and messages to their followers directly, rather than relying solely on their followers to scroll through feeds to discover content.

On the other hand… Unlike RSS feeds, Broadcast Channels allow for one-to-many messaging with private one-to-one communication, thereby enabling subscribers to reply and engage with creators or businesses.

Moreover, given the fact that users tend to send more DMs than post content on platforms like Instagram (per a recent tweet from Adam Mosseri), and the expected integration of Broadcast Channels within messaging features of these apps, it's safe to assume that this new feature is poised for success.

Leveraging the Domino Effect: How to Use Other Listings to Attract More Listing Opportunities

When one property goes on the market, others often follow suit – a domino effect of “For Sale” signs that can trigger a sense of urgency among homeowners.

And the effect can extend beyond just nearby neighbors noticing yard-signs; it can be amplified through various channels, such as social media, postcards, emails, and other means, reaching a wider audience and potentially attracting more listings. That’s the game! Simply seeing other properties for sale can serve as a catalyst for hesitant homeowners, nudging them to take the leap and list their own homes.

In today's highly competitive real estate market, listing inventory is extraordinarily scarce. As a result, it's critical to promote your listings in a way that sparks interest and generates buzz, thereby leveraging each listing to attract even more opportunities.

Here are 4 channels you can use to market your listings that’ll attract more listing opportunities:

1. VIDEO:
   Video is a powerful tool for real estate agents to showcase their listings and their skills in showing and selling properties. To position yourself as a listing agent, consider creating a variety of videos, such as selfie-style property tours, short clips highlighting distinctive features, and/or pro-quality listing films. Share your videos across various online platforms, including your website, social media channels, and paid media, to reach both potential buyers and sellers. Videos can be a great way to make your listings stand out in a crowded market and generate interest in your services as a listing agent.

2. POSTAGE:
Direct mail is another effective channel for promoting your listings and attracting more opportunities. Consider using a mix of postcards, flyers, door hangers, and/or pamphlets to target neighbors and other potential sellers through multiple touch points. Depending on your budget, you may want to promote your listing with every change of status - active, pending, closed - to increase visibility and generate buzz. Mix up your postage and time your touch points strategically to garner the consideration of prospective sellers in your target market. Direct mail can be a great way to make a memorable connection with potential clients and demonstrate your expertise in the hyperlocal area.

3. SOCIAL:
Social media is a crucial channel for real estate agents to reach potential buyers and sellers. However, it's important to stand out in a sea of "coming-soon," "just-listed," "under-contract," and "just-sold" posts. To make your social media efforts more effective, liven up your posts with case-study commentary in the caption text, run ads targeting locals, share in relevant Facebook Groups, and even post in Facebook Marketplace to increase your exposure to actively-searching buyers and prospective sellers. The game is to up your exposure to potential clients and showcase yourself as a busy and successful listing agent.

4. EMAIL:
Email marketing is a powerful tool for real estate agents to stay top-of-mind with potential clients and promote their listings. However, it's important to provide value to your existing contact list rather than just "blasting" them with listing updates. To make your email marketing efforts more effective, send value-packed emails to your database and sprinkle in your listings to showcase yourself as an active, working listing agent. This could include market updates, local news, home-buying and selling tips, and more. The goal is to build trust and credibility with your contacts and stay top-of-mind when they're ready to buy or sell.

The Power of Video in Real Estate Marketing: 3 Types of Videos to Build Your Brand

Video is the undisputed champion of content for social media marketing. The reason is simple: business is all about relationships. Video can help you build trust, convey your personality, and showcase “who you are” to your audience.

I like to call it "Murphy's Law for Social Media Marketing" – if something can be in video format, it will be. Social media users crave more video content, but not everyone takes advantage of this opportunity to create what's been demanded. Social platforms, for instance, frequently ask users what they'd like to see more of, and time-and-again, they say:  “VIDEO!”

So there’s a strategic advantage to be gained… By prioritizing video content, you can simultaneously set yourself apart from the competition as well as foster stronger relationships with your audience.

Here are three types of videos that can help you build your brand and connect with your audience:

1. TALKING🗣HEADS:  Share your expertise and insights with videos that report market news, give timely tips, or offer professional advice. These videos will help establish you as a thought leader and build trust with potential clients.

2. LOCAL📍SPOTLIGHTS:  Show-off your town with business-owner interviews, visits to notable landmarks, and/or footage of local events. By highlighting what makes your community special, you can connect with locals and position yourself as a trusted advisor to those considering the area.

3. PROPERTY🏡TOURS:  When it comes to property tours, it's not just about showcasing the homes themselves. It's also important for consumers to see you in action, doing what you do best - showing/selling real estate!

There’s simply no better marketing medium than video!—it’s an incredibly powerful marketing tool that allows you to connect with your audience on a deeper level. Use it to showcase your expertise, personality, and to establish yourself as the agent-of-choice!

The Comeback of Home Valuation Ads: a Step-by-Step Guide to Generating High-Quality Seller Leads

If you're a real estate professional who’s been in the industry for a few years, you probably remember the trend of using your own home valuation landing page to generate seller leads. Basically, your own version of a “Zestimate.” While the method was effective in the beginning, it became a tad worn out over time.

But everything comes full circle — what goes around comes around, so to speak. Once again. Home valuation ad campaigns are crushing as a means to generate listing leads.

With the current (and fluctuating) state of the housing market, many homeowners are questioning the value of their homes, so they're turning to Google and searching for answers. Herein lies a unique opportunity to capture seller leads by creating home valuation landing pages and running ads to drive traffic to those pages.

FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO GENERATE HOME VALUATION SELLER LEADS:

1. Set-up or Selerct a Home Valuation Lead Generation Service: You can either set up your own landing page using whatever your website provider offers (e.g. Ylopo, BoomTown, Chime, Real Geeks, Real Estate Web Masters, et al.) or choose a specialized service to host and publish a customized home valuation landing page, such as Home Value Leads, Prime Seller Leads, or other similar services.

2. Customize Your Landing Page: Once you’ve chosen a service provider, customize your landing page to ensure it reflects your branding and messaging. For instance, make sure the landing page is mobile-responsive and visually appealing, with a clear and concise headline that aligns with the offer—i.e. prospective sellers looking for a home valuation.
   
   What’s more, make sure the page is “beefy” in that you’ve added-in relevant and informative content:  e.g. text, videos, images, keywords, and more. Finally, make sure to include a compelling call-to-action (CTA) that encourages visitors to fully submit their information.

3. Drive Traffic to Your Landing Page: Use a mix of online and offline marketing channels to reach potential leads. For example, you can run targeted ads on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, create Google Ads campaigns with relevant keywords and ad copy, or even use QR-coded direct mail campaigns to targeted neighborhoods. Once again, ensure that your ad campaigns have a clear and compelling message that resonates with your target audience and drives them to your landing page.

4. Follow-Up with the Seller Leads: Once a lead has submitted their information on your landing page, it's essential to follow up with them in a timely manner. Ideally, you should call, text, video-message, and/or email as quickly as possible to capitalize on the recency of their form completion, and thus, work to build a relationship by answering whatever questions they may have. Use a CRM system (e.g. Follow Up Boss, et al.) to organize and track your leads, and set reminders to follow up with them at regular intervals.

5. Book Listing Appointments: The ultimate goal of generating home valuation leads is to book pre-listing or listing appointments. Be both persistent and patient with your leads, and try to build a relationship based on trust and value. Perhaps consider offering some additional resources, such as free home seller guides, market reports, or personalized consultations to further nurture your leads and increase your chances of conversion.

And by the way… The best part about these campaigns right now is that the leads generated through these ads have an unusually high rate of conversion. What I’m saying is that agents and teams have been very effective at getting appointments and actually taking listings because of them. So not only are you generating leads at a low cost per lead, but you're also getting high-quality leads that are more likely to convert.

Home valuation ads may be an "oldie," but they are certainly a "goodie" in today's market. If you want to grow your business and stay ahead of the curve, it's important to adapt to changing market conditions and utilize new (and/or “renewed”) methods of lead generation.

From Novice to Expert: Embracing the “I Don't Know” Moments in Real Estate

What do you sell?

If you’re familiar with my content, you’ve heard me ask that question over-and-again. Most agents say they sell houses or themselves, but those answers won’t do. Customers hire you, ultimately, on the basis of your expertise—that is, their perception of your ability to get the job done satisfactorily.

You know today’s marketplace demands high levels of creativity, persistence, and passion to help buyers/sellers succeed. They know it too!—and so they’ll look/listen to the “knowledge broker.”

With that said, you may hesitate to share your insights or opinions (on video, or elsewhere) due to the fear of being wrong. But consider that true experts are often those who faced and embraced the most “I don't know” moments. Through perseverance, seeking answers, and learning from mistakes, they became leading authorities.

Novices just do nothing:  nondescript, neutral, nonproductive. It’s like Zig Ziglar said: "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great."

Why Your Meta Ads Campaigns Aren't Showing Up on Instagram (And How to Fix It)

Meta ads, previously known as Facebook ads, have been and still are a marketing no-brainer. However, Zuckerberg's recent disclosure that AI-suggested content will make up 30% of Facebook and Instagram feeds by year-end has, IMO, escalated their importance. Because… Essentially, access to your followers' feeds will be reduced by a third, making it more necessary to pay to promote your content.

On platforms like YouTube, by comparison, users customarily search for content. But on Facebook and Instagram, content discovery happens predominately in users' feeds. It’s “scroll” vs. “search,” so to speak. So… Consequently, if 30% of what users see is AI-suggested, your ability to reach followers—who are likely past clients and SOI contacts, for instance—will be greatly diminished. This, in turn, could make your content far less effective at keeping you top-of-mind with these important individuals.

So, what can you do? The simple answer is “pay-to-play.” For example, you could start boosting your content on Facebook and Instagram, but there’s no guarantee your followers—arguably your most critical audience to reach—will see those ads.

Alternatively, you could run Meta ad campaigns whereby you retarget your followers directly. However, the trouble is that even if you retarget your Instagram followers, for instance, the ads you pay for are still unlikely to be distributed on Instagram—which is, I’m guessing, the platform you’re most excited about in terms of building your brand.

And here’s why… It's because Meta ads are programmed to get advertisers the lowest cost per result—which is usually NOT on Instagram. And that’ll be the case no matter what campaign objective you may specify:  e.g. engagement, traffic/clicks, reach, or something else.

Generally speaking, it’ll be significantly “cheaper” for Meta to place your ads on platforms like Facebook and Audience Network, which is a collection of random websites/apps where Meta is allowed to distribute ads, similar to the Google Display Network.

Fortunately, there’s a workaround for this issue. By changing the placement settings in your ad campaign, you can force your ad to run on Instagram. Here are the essential steps on how to do it:

1. Log in to your Meta Ads Manager and select the option to create a new ad campaign.

2. Choose your campaign objective, such as engagement, traffic, or messages.

3. Set up your Ad Set level by defining your conversion location, audience targeting, budget, and schedule.

4. When you get to the Placements section, select the "Edit Placements" option.

5. Choose "Manual Placements" and then select ONLY "Instagram" to include it as a placement for your ad campaign.

6. Review your ad campaign settings and then click "Publish" to launch your campaign.

It's important to note that running your ads on Instagram may cost you more than other placements, but if it's the platform you’re looking to build, it’s worth it. Follow the steps above to ensure that your ads are reaching your Instagram followers (and beyond) and getting the required exposure to build your brand.

Unleashing the Power of Text Messages for Real Estate Marketing

You know that effective marketing is all about sparking conversations that ultimately lead to appointments. And so… it’s only logical (🖖) to utilize communication channels that naturally incite dialogue. Like text messages! Text messages garner unparalleled read and response rates!

Whether following up with leads, reaching out to personal contacts, or sending market info to prospects, texting has become a ubiquitous and effective channel to connect with customers.

Notwithstanding… When texts go unanswered, the lack of response can be louder than words. If that’s you, try adding a question mark at the end of a text message. A recent EZ Texting reported that texts with a “?” at the end garner an increased response rate of 171%.

P.S. It's important to be mindful of any/all regulations that impact SMS marketing. Just throwing that out there :D