Do you ever tick boxes for things, despite them not sitting quite right with you? But because it is a common step and a universally acknowledged and sensible thing to do, you just run with something anyhow.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. It seems like today, more than ever before, people have less and less free time and more things demanding time and attention.
Having a Facebook business page was a box that we ticked for some time. We had a page, it had our credentials on it, contact information, you know the rest.
We know that it is deemed to be a crucial, essential presence for a business.
We know that Facebook is a powerhouse and owns many apps that we love and use, such as Instagram.
We know that Facebook folk may find out that we removed our neat, friendly little business from its community and give us a big digital thumbs down (read: limit our reach on other apps!).
We know that it can be a phenomenal online space and community for businesses, groups and people to communicate from all corners of the globe to drum up business and projects.
We know that one day we may have more reasons to have a page, than not to, and may start one up again. This decision is reversible.
Facebook can do AMAZING things for people and businesses, we get it. Perhaps just not for us…
We even tried Facebook’s advertising, with several targeted campaigns. But – it did jack for us in terms of reach and numbers.
And really, although this lovely business of ours is growing and we find ourselves just loving new opportunities and where they are taking us, we just weren’t feeling Facebook as being key. It just isn’t key to our growth or an enjoyable facet of our work, if we are being honest.
We often gain new clients in person, through word of mouth, or by random chances. Tanya does plenty of work for clients in far-off places, such as the U.S.A. and India. These clients didn’t pop up on our Facebook Page.
Instead, we felt as thought our page was impeding on our family and friend’s feeds.
When people put their feet up and scroll through their feed for some mental down time and a switch-off from the real world, we didn’t feel like they wanted to see our latest listings, or musings about life as a hired writer.
Our clients and industry colleagues didn’t really need to spend time on our page – we have plenty of other means of communication. So really, getting a ‘like’ from my Mum, as kind as it was, felt like an indication that we didn’t have the reach we wanted, or needed really.
As copywriters, we sell a service, not a product. What we were showcasing on our page, specifically our organic content, really wasn’t being seen by anyone and wasn’t going to change anyone’s lives. Seriously.
We love our work, we are good at what we do, but we weren’t being rewarded by our time on Facebook and it didn’t feel like it was an avenue worth continuing.
We live in a world where people are shuffling around the streets like zombies with their heads down, finding imaginary anime characters (another post in itself!). We daresay that people really don’t want to trawl through the business page of someone who isn’t offering them a service relevant to them, when they can be spending time doing things they enjoy in their free time.
Ciao for now, Facebook.
There are plenty of articles floating around that weigh up the pros and cons of businesses breaking up with Facebook. Some of them had some really resonating points, but there was no particular literature that cemented the decision for us.
It just felt like a box we had ticked, but that our heart wasn’t in.
So we made a business decision to say goodbye to it!
Because when you run a business yourself you make these decisions and wear the consequences or rewards yourself. And it feels damn good to be authentic to our own thoughts and experiences.
So, we work in advertising.
We are professional marketing content writers.
We do use Facebook, in terms of having personal pages. It can provide a really wonderful space to make loved ones on different continents not seem so far away and, of course, to share messages, ideals and raise awareness.
But –
You won’t find The Property Writers creeping into your feed on Facebook (for now, at least!).
So see you elsewhere, folks! (Some not so subtle links below.)
This post is penned by a total film tragic, so straight up apologies for the quite obvious reference. That said, this quote and its use was flooding plenty of different creative industries after the 1996 film in which it was featured. We just thought it was time to bring it up again.
Yep, we are referring to Jerry Maguire’s spiel to Rod Tidwell. (See below, if you need a refresher. Note, all Copyright of clip remains with owners/proprietors of the original film.)
Don’t get us wrong, we aren’t in the habit of ranting at our clients, or bothering them whilst they are attempting to dress. And we pride ourselves on our really positive relationships with all of our clients.
When you communicate with a client purely via Emoji, that’s when you know you’ve built up a solid working relationship!
But what we love about this “help me help you” ethos is that in the marketing world it’s easy for pressures and strains to compete to get in the way of taking a deep breath and going back to basics.
Asking the really simple (seriously, very simple) questions of a client at the beginning of a brief, we have found anyway, have ensured that we are providing the best possible service (read: help) that we can.
Questions such as:
Who are you trying to reach with this?
Do you have any documentation that can give us a unique insight? (For example, vendor’s statements about what they love about their home, why they first built in the area, etc..)
When do you plan on publishing this and/or having your other material complete?
Can you describe your ideal “buyer”, who would read this copy and be enticed to pick up the phone and call you?
Can you cite an example of a listing/catch-phrase/campaign you’ve seen recently that has sparked your interest and what did you love about it?
We have found that when providing our service for the first time to a client, whether they are an agent from a boutique agency, or someone from a powerhouse agency, questions like these help so much.
All it takes is this initial ten-minute or so conversation and we are in the best possible situation to help and to produce something tailored, unique and exactly what is required by the client. As a result of them helping us. Win-win!
It can also save a stream of emails back and forth following a brief, which may be a hindrance on time, on both ends.
So whether you’re a copywriter reading this, or a business owner/agent/agency who currently outsources to writers such as us, it’s a good little tagline to embed in your brain for the day.
help me help you
Simple right? But effective! Have any other tips for that first efficient, effective copywriting briefing? We would love to hear them.
We’re entering an age where digital marketing has become one of the most powerful tools in the sales toolkit…and yet where are the real estate agents?In our business, we make it a point to follow as many Australian real estate agencies and businesses on Twitter as we can, and the number of times we’ve searched for a name only to find that the agent doesn’t have an account astounds us.We know it’s a busy industry, and taking the time to develop a social media presence can feel overwhelming, but if you don’t, you’re missing out on more than the opportunity to share an Instagrammedbrunch.You’re missing out on sales.
There’s a concept you should understand, taken from social psychology, which is known as propinquity.It refers to way that physical or psychological nearness between two people leads to a closer relationship. The co-worker you see every day, your neighbours, the other parents around the school gate; by making contact regularly, and passing the time of day, you develop close, meaningful bonds even if you aren’t natural soulmates.
With the growth in social media, researchers have found that physical proximity isn’t the only way to develop those bonds.Virtual propinquity also exists.
And what on earth does that have to do with you?Well.Marketing and sales are all about building relationships with people.Especially for real estate agents, who are already working against the perceptions that they are untrustworthy , building trust is a critical part of landing the listing, and it’s part of the sales process that starts well before the vendor decides to sell.
Most of a customer’s decision making process happens before he or she even speaks to you.Whether they pick up the phone and ring your office instead of your competitors depends entirely on what they already know about your service and about you.That’s why referrals are so powerful.
But as the Age of the Internet grinds steadily across the horizon, the marketing landscape is changing. More and more, vendors do their research online. They’re not deciding that you’re the right agent for them based on their neighbour’s opinion anymore, they’re basing it on what they know of you online.That, combined with the need to influence their decisions before they speak to you, represents an enormous opportunity.By mapping out contact points – places where your prospective vendor is likely to go online and where you can interact with them – and then creating those interactions, you create a virtual propinquity effect.
That only works if the interactions are positive, of course: we don’t like everybody we see every day, after all!But if you’re willing to create high quality branded content (you don’t have to write it yourself!) and get that content placed in places where a contact point is likely, then your prospects will start to know who you are even before they know they’re looking for an agent. And that means they’ll walk through your door first.
How and where to place that content and optimise your social media presence is a whole post on its own, so we’ll follow this one up with more details on content marketing strategy next week.Until then, happy selling!
A spike in online review sites such as RateMyAgent and ProductReview has consumers turning to the internet for guidance, and agents are worried. Your newsletter mailing campaign might be glossy, and your signage slick, but consumers are less likely than ever before to judge an agent by its cover. With the most recent Roy Morgan poll showing that real estate agents are amongst the least trusted professions in the country (even Federal MPs rated higher!) the power of online review sites is even greater.
Across all industries, buyers are completing more and more research before contacting a supplier.In fact, 57% of the purchase process is complete before you even hear from a potential vendor; they’ve done that part of the process by researching you, your competitors, their property value and expectations, and their findings will mean the difference between a phone call to you or to your arch-rival across the street.What you say and do after they’ve made contact is hugely influential, but it’s not the main part of the sales task.
So if the majority of the purchasing process happens before you make contact, and consumers are increasingly placing their trust in online review sites, you need a new approach.The good news is with a smart strategy in place, you can get out ahead of the pack and influence online spaces to drive more business to your door.
1. Be across your reviews.Knowledge is power, and although you don’t want to leap in and respond to every scathing comment (more on that below), you do need to know what’s being said about you. Google Alerts is a great tool to get notifications – set it up to email you if your name is mentioned, for example – but it can be spotty.In the end there’s no substitute for time; bookmark the major players in the review space and check them at least twice a week.
2. Be responsive.If there is a specific complaint online, respond to it politely.That applies whether the disgruntled consumer is posting on ProductReview or Facebook; either way, you have an audience that is wider than that consumer, and if it appears that you’re ignoring the issue, it doesn’t reflect well.Conversely, a quick and appropriate response is often even better for your reputation than if there had been no bad review in the first place; it shows that your reviews are genuine and that you are sincere.
3. Be brief and dignified.The above certainly doesn’t mean that online is the place to air your own views at length!Please, please don’t be one of those owners who posts a multi-paragraph rant in response to a customer complaint and finds themselves the centre of more attention than you’d wish.
4. Encourage satisfied customers to post reviews.To be clear, we’re not encouraging you to solicit fake reviews or pay people to submit things they don’t believe.But if your vendor has told you how thrilled they are with your services, why not ask them to post that opinion online?It is a truism in customer service that disgruntled consumers are more likely to be vocal than satisfied ones; a simple request is often all it takes to right that balance.
All of this takes time, and if time is short, consider outsourcing the tasks as part of your overall social media strategy.We at the Property Writers will monitor your online reviews and bring anything that needs personalised attention straight to you, all as part of the package! Contact us for quotes.
