SMA Episode 1
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Deb: [00:00:00] Welcome to Social Marketing Advice, the podcast that helps real estate professionals, mortgage lenders, and small business owners succeed in the world of social media marketing. Join me as we dive into the latest news and updates on the top social platforms. We'll share expert advice on how to attract more business.

And even provide a dose of motivation to help keep you inspired throughout the way. Now, get ready to take your marketing efforts to the next level because it's time to dominate on social media. Let's dig in. Hey everybody, it's Debra here. Hope you are having a great week. Now we are in the last week of April.

April 25th to be exact, and for my first episode ever, I wanted to just. Dive just gently into the topic of content, and when I say content, I mean social media content. Now there are so many different things and avenues that I can go down to talk about content, but the key things that I wanted to talk about are just a few things about building goals.

[00:01:00] You know, what your followers are, looking for, the types of content that you can consider producing. So whether you are brand new to social media or you know, you've been doing this. For years and years, maybe even doing other people's social media. You're a marketing manager or something similar. This is gonna be a great new resource for you to cop on here every so often and get a quick dose of what's going on in marketing.

Now I'm gonna be sharing all kinds of things like tips and tricks and tools that I have hands-on experience used. I really want to just share the knowledge that I'm learning while I'm learning. So let's go ahead and dive into this. First topic, social media content. Now, we all know that the ultimate goal of social media is to attract attention and engagement, right?

But the, I think the bigger key is to develop a community and that fan base, not just on one platform, but as across as many platforms as possible. If you have never listened to Gary v. Gary Vanderchuck, he is a big, um, [00:02:00] icon of mine. I just really love how raw and focused. And developed he is because he really has some great, uh, thought processes and hands-on experience on building some of the best content and strategies for top dollar companies and even small businesses as well.

So one thing I heard from him, I think a couple weeks ago that really resonated with me, and this is quote from Gary. Saying people watch the content, not the thing that interrupts you from the content. Now, let me repeat that. People watch the content, not the thing that interrupts you from the content. So what's interesting about what Gary says, Is that people really do, I think they're getting tired of the over curated, over edited, over analyzed pieces.

Not saying that's bad, but I think that there's a time and a place for pieces like that. For example, a car commercial, right? That's gotta be really fine. Line crisp, clear, high dollar. Super maximum impact in a very short amount of time. [00:03:00] So it really depends, a, on what industry you're in, and B, kind of what your focus and audience is.

But at the end of the day, for day-to-day quick message content, you know, you really need to start thinking about what brings your audience value, not. A what you wanna put out there cuz you think it's right or B, because someone told you so. You know, I think at the end of the day, your followers want to see you for who you are.

Uh, whether it's the good, the bad, the ugly, you know, they want to see and understand what makes you, you, why they should consider using you for X service. Um, and what. Separates you against others who are in the same industry as you, your direct competition. Now, I really believe that in today's society there are five different types of content.

It used to just be, you know, the written word, photo and video. But now things are carting, starting to fluctuate a little bit more. Um, I believe there's five types of content, photo, video, gifts, which is more like animation. Short form animation, [00:04:00] uh, direct writing, and then audio. I think a lot of people forget about audio and how powerful it is.

I was actually sitting down trying to determine should I, you know, record a video every month when I release my email newsletter, or should I actually do an, an audio podcast because A, I feel like a podcast allows me to get more relevant information out in an amount of time. B, I feel like podcast. Are a little bit more long, long formed content and I'm a longformed kind of gal, so I could go on and on about things for a long time.

So I feel, feel like the audio medium was a better medium for me at this moment for what I'm trying to do now. I don't mind jumping behind the camera, um, and doing that, but I feel like recording just. To audio also takes off a little bit of that pressure. Um, and since I'm just now getting out there, starting to do this, uh, for myself instead of for my clients, I really wanted to make sure that I come with value.

I'm not trying to sell [00:05:00] you anything. I'm not trying to, you know, gain partnerships or anything like that, which that would be great, but you know, that is, In the future, but my ultimate goal for this podcast is gonna be to provide value. When I learn something new, you're gonna learn it too. So I hope you subscribe to, uh, keep up with Me as the show goes on.

As I had talked about, there were those five types of content, photo, video, gif, writing, and audio. Now, at the end of the day, you need to find what works for you. If you're not comfortable behind video, don't. Fret about that. Maybe you'll try video a year from now or a couple months from now, but jump on something right now that works for you and you're comfortable with.

So for me, it's gonna be audio maybe for you, you love to write, you know, start writing blogs and informing people deeply on what matters to you. Um, you really, at the end of the day, just have to find the mediums that work for you and then, Scale that content based on what you prefer. So it all really depends on your goals, on which channels you want to use, but you really need to a focus.

But [00:06:00] B, create plan for what platforms you want to promote your stuff on and how you're gonna promote those. And the frequency you're gonna promote that content. So, something else I just wanna drop in there is, I think a lot of people, you know, obviously relate to posting content on the key social media platforms, but what about on the platforms that might not be as in your face every day considering more?

I like to call them more community-based platforms. So for example, you know, Reddit is a killer one that gets grape traction. Cora, you know, private face. Book groups, LinkedIn groups, and even an app like Nextdoor. So all of those are more like community based building groups. There's a lot of conversation and back and forth dialogue that happens.

Now, you know, if you're worried about having to be available to respond to people's questions and you're not gonna be able to jump into an app real quick and get back to somebody, then this is probably not the route for you. However, let me tell you the power of building [00:07:00] conversation. In a community like, you know, a Reddit forum is because a lot of people that go to these forums are looking for a specific answer.

Um, and typically the person that can give them the answer, they will probably initiate some business with you. So you're also dealing with a lot of, you know, Not necessarily high net worth individuals, but people who really want to clear the noise and get other people's opinions, because you could Google anything at the end of the day and get 10,000 different answers to what you're looking for.

But if you actually go into a forum that's, Specifically dedicated to what you're looking for, and people in that forum are either in the industry or have some kind of technical knowledge in what you're looking for. That is a very powerful place to be. So start creating an audience and following in more of these community-based platforms.

Maybe even go out and start your own private Facebook. Book group for your neighborhood. If you're a real estate agent, um, you know, I know that there is so much power behind [00:08:00] community, but again, at the end of the day, you need to figure out what works for you, what you're comfortable with. And if you wanna jump on a lot of this, but you just don't have the time, you wanna really focus on sales, then hire someone like me to do it for you.

So I think there's kind of two best worlds, but at the end of the day, you have to do something. Um, doing nothing will get you nowhere. You know, and it sounds so simple, but it is inevitably true. Now when I'm working and networking with small business owners, whether it's a real estate agent, a team, a mortgage lender, you know, a, a restaurant owner, all of those different industries come down to building a plan for content.

Now I really structure things. Simply, I'm very old school when it comes to planning. I actually like to physically print out a blank calendar for the month. I actually print out three months at a time because you really need to think ahead when it comes to marketing and social media, not behind. So typically I'll just print out a blank calendar for the next.

Three months and I [00:09:00] literally start handwriting on this calendar. My plan for each of my clients. You know, if you wanna do a, you know, Tuesday transformation where it's like a picture before and after of a listing, that's a powerful thing to do. Maybe you don't wanna do that every week, cuz people might get tired of it.

Maybe instead you wanna do it two times a month. Um, and only in your. Instagram stories, and then another Friday you wanna do a testimonial, you know, every other Friday. So you really have to develop a plan of A, what kind of content you wanna show, and B, the frequency of that. People really do also gravitate towards series of things.

For example, you know, like a, a YouTube series on the top five cities in the area that people are gravitating towards and why, you know, those. Series are things that people expect to come back to, to watch the next one. So when you can kind of give people a glimpse of something you wanna share and then say, Hey, but you gotta come back and get a little bit more for the next part, [00:10:00] that holds their attention and starts to retain them as a follower for you.

So developing. Series and topics and you know, five tips to do this and eight ways to do that. And you know, three reasons to move here. Those are the kinds of content pieces. Not only are they SEO powerful for search engine optimization, so when people are searching for those keywords, your stuff will ideally pop up in the long term.

But secondly, people, it's short and sweet and simple and they can get more if they like it, right? So I think. Series kind of content is very, very powerful, but you really have to build out a plan of what kind of content you're gonna do, the frequency of it, and you have to make it routine and fit it around your schedule.

Now, when I'm working with clients, especially real estate agents specifically, they are busy. They need to be out there hustling. Selling, you know, working with buyers and sellers, et cetera, and so they don't need to be taking the time to think about a lot of the minuscule things that someone like me in marketing would need to do.

Right? I need to build an email [00:11:00] newsletter out for them every month. I need to make sure at least X amount of posts are going out across all of their platforms and stories are being done, and YouTube shorts and all of this. Stuff. So imagine if you had someone like me behind the scenes, you know, that has your back at the end of the day, making sure that your name and note worthiness is still getting out there while you're out there doing your thing.

I think peace of mind is worth a lot nowadays. Um, and. Sometimes if you're not the best at the marketing angle, you know, it might be better to outsource that piece of what you're doing. Or if you're a killer at marketing yourself, then do it yourself and rock it out. I mean, whatever works best for you.

But at the end of the day, you need to sit down, put together a plan, whether you create the content yourself or hire someone to create the content and ideas for you. It is up to you at the end of the day, but you've got to do something. So I always tell everybody, you know, start small and don't overwhelm yourself instead of doing a weekly.

Small business spotlight, change it to once a month so that you have more time to prepare for it. You can create a higher [00:12:00] quality piece and just remember, you can always add more to your calendar. It doesn't have to be, you know, everything on every platform all the time immediately, right? You can start small and always add pieces to it as you go.

Now, I've always been a big believer that content should have kind of a happy balance of being educational and fun, but at the end of the day, you just need to remember that your future customer might not be in the market now. Right? If you're a realtor, people who you, you want to follow you, they might not be in the market right now to buy yourself.

So what other content and things can you provide them and value can, can you provide them that will retain their interest? You know, if they're not in the market to buy or sell, they're probably not gonna be wanting to look at homes or hearing about the market update or anything like that. Maybe you need to consider doing some credit repair.

You know, things you need to hit and figure out what the pain points are of your audience and really hit on those hard because at the end of the day, you [00:13:00] need to have a little bit of. Something for everyone and finding that balance is difficult. It can take people years to develop a, you know, a nice balanced dance per se for their content and what they're putting out there.

So just consider finding the balance that works best for you. Now, some of you that may be listening may not. Have subscribed to my email newsletter, I am going to be putting together a pretty killer in-depth email newsletter that will go out every month. I don't wanna inundate people, I don't wanna annoy people, and I also want to be able to provide value for you.

So I'm not fishing for the good information to share with you every week. So every month I'm gonna be sending out an email newsletter. It's gonna be packed with tips and tools and recent news releases about specific platforms like Facebook. Book and Instagram and LinkedIn. Things that you need to know and at least be aware of.

Um, I'll even be providing, you know, some motivational tips and some ideas and concepts for content to hopefully get you in front of more people and at least [00:14:00] start thinking outside that box. Too many people are in the box of, you know, I have to do things this way. It has to look this way. And truthfully, at the end of the day, the goal is to get it out there.

I think a lot of people spend too much time on creating the perfect piece when you know the amount of time that it took them to create one piece of content they could have created. 200 pieces of content and gotten it out to, you know, triple the amount of, uh, audience. So I think there's a lot to think of when it comes to social media marketing, but at the end of the day, I hope that I always revert back to bringing you value, bringing you knowledge, and sharing with you the things that I'm learning, you know, in the grind every single day Before I give you today's action plan, which I know you've been waiting patiently for, and I wanted to just remind you of a couple important points that we talked about today.

First is gonna be you have to define your target audience. Take some time to really think about who your audience is, including their age, their location, their interests, and their pain points. And by understanding your target audience, [00:15:00] you'll then be able to create content that resonates with them and addresses their needs.

Another thing I want you to remember is that you need to set clear goals. What do you hope to achieve by doing more content? Is it increasing engagement, getting more followers, getting more leads? Either way, having a clear understanding of your goals will help you stay focused and measure your success.

Last but not least is to create a consistent schedule. You know better than anybody. That consistency is key, whether it's about business, life, friendships, relationships, anything. So when it comes to social media content, it's no different. You need to decide how often you wanna post and stick to a schedule that allows you to cons.

Consistently create and share new content based on your availability. And now it's time for today's action plan. Now, the first step towards scaling your social media is developing a killer content plan. So I want you to start out short and simple. Click the link in my description of this EPIs. Code and go ahead and print out the [00:16:00] calendar I've provided and spend a little bit of time coming up with the upcoming month's worth of content.

You will be amazed at how much progress you can make with just a little planning and effort. Feel free to drop me any questions if you get stuck or you need ideas, but I wanna see what you can put together and how you can deploy it in the upcoming month. Stay tuned for the next episode. This is just the beginning, trust me.

So I hope you enjoyed today's spot and uh, look forward to chatting with you on the next one.