An easy way to improve your online reputation and make a quick hit to your prospects’ first impression of you is to make a LinkedIn profile that stands out…
But most real estate professionals mistake LinkedIn as a “job hunting” site. They don’t realize it’s the world’s largest professional networking platform in history.
And did you know LinkedIn can be a source of leads and referrals? This only works if you’ve got the right information, messages, and strategy for “selling without selling” on this powerful platform.
In this blog, we’ll go over the “do’s” and “dont’s” of using LinkedIn for Real Estate.
If you don’t have a LinkedIn yet, get started today by setting up your profile: https://www.linkedin.com/
Your LinkedIn Profile
Your profile must present in a way that it builds trust. Even if it’s not the first impression, it’s highly probable people will use it to verify their initial perception of you. Ask yourself when reviewing your profile "Does this profile build confidence or give people a reason to question my competence?"
4 Key Elements to a Client-Focused Profile
1. Your profile picture (It’s the first thing people see).
Use a professional quality photo for your profile picture. If you don’t already have a nice headshot, consider using photography service.
TIP: The ideal image size is 400 x 400 pixels.
2. Your professional headline needs to grab their attention like the title of a book or movie.
Make your Headline stand out. Use the following formula to help you create an attention grabbing headline:
Who do you help? Example, “Austin’s luxury home sellers"
How do you help them? Example “Get top dollar for their home."
What’s unique about how you help them? “Innovative marketing strategies and exclusive networks."
Sample: “Luxury Listing Expert uses online marketing & insider network to get premium priced offers.”
3. Your summary should be like the inside flap of a book - engaging them so they can’t stop reading.
Don’t bore people with your profile Summary. Tell a story or start by asking a question and answering it.
For example, you could tell the story of why you got into real estate and what you love about helping your clients. Or you could ask a question like, “Doesn’t it seem like a real estate professionals are the same?” And then answer how you’re different.
A great formula you can use for your profile’s Summary is answering the questions below in a concise, interesting, and readable way:
What I do
Expectations (for my clients)
On a Personal Level
My Goal (for my clients)
My Advice (to my clients)
Ready to Talk
4. Share your problem-solving expertise by adding videos and articles in your LinkedIn profile.
Pro Tip: Checkout your LinkedIn Social Selling Index to find out where to focus on your profile by going to https://www.linkedin.com/sales/ssi
Posting on LinkedIn
Posting on LinkedIn will increase the number of profile views you get. The algorithm for LinkedIn takes your content and shares it with anyone who it thinks will benefit. This not only increases your profile views, but brands you as an expert!
Be sure to use 5-6 hashtags when posting (see image below). Hashtags make your content more discoverable and LinkedIn’s algorithm will work to put your posts in front of more people.
Messaging on LinkedIn
You can invite people to connect on LinkedIn and then stay in touch to build online relationships that can turn into clients or word of mouth referrers.
Start by inviting people to connect with an Invitation Message, follow up with a Welcome Message and then stay in touch.
Invitations. Invite people that are in your 2nd degree network to connect (connected to your 1st level connections). Always customize the message, don’t use the default message.
Welcome. Once your invitation is accepted, send a message welcoming them and invite them to engage with you. Don’t sell, just engage. Ask questions about them and let them know a little about you.
Keep in Touch. Stay in touch by connecting on topics you see them engaging with or that they told you they were interested in during your Welcome message.
Daily LinkedIn Routine
Now, it’s time to put all of this information to practice in your own real estate business. We’ve provided you a “Daily LinkedIn Routine” checklist you can add to your daily schedule and start effectively using LinkedIn (and get more leads and referrals asap).
