When Houston realtor Julia Wang abandoned direct mail in favor of social media, she went out on a limb. Other agents were still stuffing mailboxes, meanwhile Wang was spending almost all of her marketing budget online.
Now in a bear market, she is seeing huge returns on this investment. “About 40 per cent of my new leads are generated through Instagram alone,” she says. “Our society as a whole has completely changed since COVID-19. Everything is online, and who is to say when or even if it will go back to how it was.”
Her advice? Adapt to survive – or better still, thrive.
Whether it’s behind the scenes in her Instagram stories, or in front of the camera in her YouTube docuseries Houston Hustle, Wang is known for sharing her trade secrets.
Here she outlines six proven strategies that have helped her rank as the number one Houston realtor on social media.
#1 Go digital
Networking parties belong to a bygone era. Now if you’re looking for a service, you search online. Without a robust online presence, I can’t see how you have a future in real estate or indeed any industry.
#2 Be honest
Share your successes, but also share your failures. A brand without flaws is neither believable nor relatable, especially during a downturn. Social media gives you the opportunity to voice your brand in a very unfiltered way. Use it.
#3 Be consistent
I try to post every day, or at least every other day. The algorithm rewards quantity, which is not to say you should compromise quality: you have to do both! Take it as seriously as you would your day job.
#4 Share the mic
Collaborations are a great way to grow your platform: co-host a webinar, go live on Instagram, be generous with your mentorship, and position yourself as a thought-leader in your field.
#5 Give it away
Whether it’s free advice or free stuff, followers love a give-away. It’s great for gaining likes and shares, but more importantly for increasing engagement. People like to have skin in the game!
#6 Stay the course
Right now the market isn’t great, but it will bounce back. That’s real estate! Play the long game and keep doing your thing: you can still sell yourself, even if you’re not selling as many homes.
For more advice on staying ahead of the content marketing curve, you can follow @juliawang_htx on Instagram.