Agents, Don't Do It All Yourself Lean on Your Affiliate Service Providers for Content

By Burke Smith, Chief Communications Officer at HSA Home Warranty

By now, we all know that being visible and active on social media is a must for any real estate business. It helps create leads, keep in touch with past clients and increase your sphere of influence. I know what you’re thinking. I hear things like, “I don’t have time to post on Facebook every day!” or “What am I supposed to blog about?” from hundreds of agents each year, across the country.

There’s a very simple solution to this problem: lean on your affiliate service providers for content!

Now that I’m on the other side of the fence in the real estate industry, I have gained a unique perspective on the affiliate/broker relationship. As someone who is personally responsible for hundreds of closed transactions, I can honestly say I could not have done it without the help of my affiliate partners.

Most social media seminars will advise you to post on Facebook three times per day, blog once per week, sent out a few tweets and fill out your LinkedIn profile. Never mind leaving enough time to show homes or go on listing appointments—you know, the things we actually get paid for! So, how can you do it all? It’s quite simple:

- Call a meeting with all of your key affiliate representatives: home warranty, mortgage, title, escrow, etc. In this meeting, make it clear you are all part of the same team, and when you succeed, they will, too.
- Assign weekly content tasks to each of your affiliates, so you receive at least one relevant piece of information each week to add to your social media accounts and blog.
- Write your own content to share with the group. By using articles from multiple sources, your content will be well-rounded and provide interesting variety for your followers.
- Always end each article with a clear call to action for the reader to do something after reading your post.

Remember: don’t post this content blindly. By adding your two cents, your followers will trust your opinions, and see you as an authority in the field. You are the hyper-local expert that they are following and they want your insight no matter what the subject matter.

Lean on your affiliates for content and you will never run out of things to talk about. Find out more about HSA Home Warranty at www.onlinehsa.com.
Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2014. All rights reserved.