Age: 62 years young and still going strong
Years in real estate: 15 years
Job title: Realtor
Location: Miami, Florida
Hours per week spent on social media: Five hours per week
Social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest, LinkedIn — and recently trying to use Instagram more
Target demographic: Local, regional and price point
Average number of posts per day: Two, sometimes many more if I have extra time
Which social channels do you work more?
Facebook and Twitter … I go through phases.
How many friends, likes and so on do you have?
I have 4,289 on Facebook, 607 on Twitter and more than 500 connections on LinkedIn.
Does that number matter to you?
No. What matters is my interaction with friends old and new
Do you ever give it a break?
Absolutely. I go through periods when I am so busy with listing and selling that I just don’t have the energy to post.
Does social help your business, and how?
It keeps me in front of people every day … top-of-mind awareness. I truly believe you must give as much as you can to help others. So if someone has a cause that I can lend my support to, I do.
I am a huge animal lover and am always rescuing lost or abandoned dogs. I have met several clients because of my love for rescuing dogs.
What’s your goal for your favorite social channel?
I would say to keep increasing my interaction with my friends and followers with consistent information when it comes to real estate so my posts are shared and my phone is always ringing.
What’s your strategy to achieve it?
Never thought of how I post as strategy, but I believe I limit my posts to real estate [topics] that I think are relevant. I don’t post every listing I have or talk about the market every day or how great I am … truthfully, no one really cares about me. It’s all about the post and how it might help them. I am truly a giver, and I find the more I give to others, the more I receive.
Is it worth it, why?
So far, yes. I receive calls and messages weekly, sometimes daily, from parties looking for information about real estate. Many clients from out of state contact me because they saw my posts. It’s also very easy to post and reach a wider audience.
What’s your craziest social media-related story?
Rather keep this one to myself.
What actions do you take that have gotten the most results?
Photos and videos, and when I take the time and write from my heart about something important to me.
Is this more about “social” or about business?
Both. I don’t think at this point I would know how to separate social or business in my posts. One of my duties as a Realtor is to be social. Being a Realtor is my profession and it is a part of who I am in my everyday life. Every day I have new and past clients. I feel truly blessed.
How do you monitor the channels? Do you use software or apps to manage your account, and which ones?
No, I don’t have a scheduling software app. I have tried many forms and currently I am thrilled to have the help of MeineMedia.com, who posts by hand to all my social media channels. We talk almost every day about something I want to post about.
How many hours per day are you on social?
I’m on social media about 45 minutes a day, on average. I try to split it up morning and evening.
Do you check it daily?
Yes.
Multiple times per day?
Yes, we check all platforms for replays and comments, and even more if I am expecting higher traffic.
Do you ever think of retiring?
Retiring from work? Never. Social media … if it’s what the public is demanding, then I want to be a part of it.
Do you consider yourself an influencer?
Absolutely. I have a coach for my real estate business, and we just reviewed the findings of a Heritage Profile. I exhibit strong tendencies to influence people and win their trust quickly.
Are you social in real life?
Yes. I am extremely outgoing and social. Love to work and have fun, all at the same time if possible.
What did you do with your time before?
Do you mean before social media? I spent time with people face to face. I still think this is the most important way of communication. Social media just puts my face in front of more people on a daily basis.
How do you leverage your prominence or influence on social?
By being me. Some people will like what I post and have to say, and others won’t. I have learned (finally in life) that not everyone is going to like me.
Do you have someone helping you?
Yes. Michael from MeineMedia. He is my sounding board. I run everything by him. I know I am in great hands with him and his team.
Whom do you follow, why?
OMG, I follow lots of people and groups. Katie Lance is one of my favorites for social media, but I have a long list. I follow people and groups for a variety of reasons: The conversations are intelligent, witty, entertaining — or they are delivering breaking news.
Where do you find the content that you put out?
Everywhere. Always reading and researching. Always, always, always.
What has been your all-time hit share?
Whenever I rescue a dog and ask for help, that gets lots of shares, and any luxury (multimillion-dollar) homes with great photos, I can count on lots of shares. A well-priced home in a great neighborhood also gets lots of shares.
Who do you think is doing social media well in real estate?
Not sure if this is the answer you are looking for, but I believe that I am doing well in social media. My last broker gives classes all the time at our board, and when he talks about social media, he always uses me for his example of someone doing the right posts.
Are you a social media all-star who’d like to participate in our profile series? Email amber@inman.com.
