Hi Prosperna People. It’s me Dennis. I’m sure none of us would question that social media is an ABSOLUTE must for any real estate agent in the Philippines, right?
The question is, which one should you use and why?
One obvious answer is Facebook but a lot of people are MISSING the boat when it comes to the power of LinkedIn. In April of 2017, LinkedIn claims to have 500 million users. On top of that, LinkedIn is amazing at tracking people’s firmographics. Firmographics are a group of characteristics used to segment prospects based on the organizations that they work for.
What makes firmographics so important?
This makes it easier for you to search for your targeted prospects based on their location and work history, to name a few, that helps you easily identify if they can afford or qualify to purchase your level/cost of properties that you sell.
So, what’s the problem?
Based on what I’ve seen, either people aren’t using LinkedIn at all, or they’re not using it very well.
As y’all know, our goal is to help you REACH YOUR FULL POTENTIAL so here’s our take on…
How Filipino Real Estate Agents Should Use LinkedIn
There’s an old saying in sales that goes like this, “people buy from people they like”.
Now, you may not think you’re very likeable 🙂 but there’s ways to improve how likeable you appear.
Here’s how:
- Your name. If you’re a Filipino and targeting international buyers then don’t use your local nickname that your friends or your mom calls you on your LinkedIn profile. Lots of Filipinos have nicknames because it’s a cultural thing and that’s fine. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be proud to be Filipino but let’s face it. Human beings are discriminating. Not necessarily in a consciously bad way, but it’s because our brains are designed to categorize things and discrimination is nothing more than another method of categorization. You want people to see you as a well-rounded english speaking person. I don’t care what people say, english is still the most commonly used international language. Now, if you’re not targeting english-speaking people then fine. Put your name as it should appear in the language of the target audience that you’re going after.
- Headline. Be interesting first and a salesperson last. Social media, including LinkedIn, is just another form of “online dating” but in a business professional manner. People get scared of salespeople so if you want to be magnetic, use a headline that promotes the thought of connecting, conveying an interest/hobby and then as a “real estate agent”. Something like this: Intl. Business Connector | Traveler | Real Estate Agent. Inserting “real estate agent” or related key words are still important because that helps your profile be more searchable.
- The Right Profile Picture. Get a good picture. Don’t use your college graduation picture because that looks like you don’t have any experience. On the other end of the spectrum, don’t use a picture that makes you look “too corporate” or “too stuffy”. Again, to re-iterate, people buy from people they like. Yes, they want an expert but they also want to talk with and work with a “real” person that they can assimilate to and be comfortable with. Using a profile picture that’s “too corporate” makes you look like a s-c-a-a-a-a-a-r-r-y-y salesperson.
Let’s go back to the “online dating” scenario. When you first meet someone, you want to create rapport by finding some type of common ground/interests. This is no different when meeting potential prospects and business connections. People who jump out and say, “can I sell you something” are the same people that we don’t want to make eye contact with at the mall and who we avoid at all costs.
Next, it’s important to communicate your value proposition. Long lasting relationships start off with a good impression as well as a good understanding of, “what can you do for me”. Again, NOT to be confused with, “what can I sell you”.
So, what should you write? The outline goes something like this:
– Write about what you’re passionate about.
– Speak to your target audience by mentioning them.
– Write your value proposition by summarizing how you help your target audience.
Here’s the part that takes more commitment. I suggest that you start and become your own “mini media company”.
What’s a “mini media company”?
Basically, you become a writer or you hire someone to write content for you from a website like 199jobs.com. Then, write blogs that lead prospects through a digital conversation and sales process. You should speak your mind and write blogs about topics that fit each stage of that buying thought process.
For example, if you’re targeting OFW’s, you could write about what’s new in the Philippines, different vacation spots and places to eat (we know all Filipinos love food). These represent interesting topics of awareness that helps you build an initial connection and relationship with OFW’s by talking about common interests.
After you’ve built rapport through common interests, you’ve then earned the right to write about and introduce topics like the “ROI of Real Estate in the Philippines” or the idea of what it takes to successfully invest, buy property and/or retire back in the Philippines.
From there, you can introduce real estate projects or specific properties for sale but now it’s a more natural next step of the conversation and buying cycle. Plus there’s a better level of trust in place.
All of this can be done through the direct messaging feature inside LinkedIn after you’ve created that 1st Degree Connection.
This is an amazingly scalable sales method that can be VERY VERY efficient and highly targeted. Do this instead of, or while you’re wasting your time “manning” your booth at the mall. Hehehe…I’ll bet that you’d outsell yourself on LinkedIn versus at the mall, everyday of the week!
One key though is that if you’re gonna start writing blogs, you need to create a blog website and a landing page to send prospects to so that they can read the content that you wrote and so that you have a higher conversion rate.
By using LinkedIn’s powerful search tool, in-depth firmographics and along with #1, #2 and #3 that I taught you above, you’ll be able to consistently generate Philippine real estate leads using LinkedIn.
How does LinkedIn search work?
STEP 1: Click on the Search
STEP 2: Narrow your search by Location and identify prospects to connect with
STEP 3: Send an Invite to Connect and personalize your message
Follow these suggestions and you’ll start to see your 1st-degree connections grow, your pipeline gets bigger, your Philippine real estate leads increase, and your sales grow as you become a trusted advisor and authority with your target audience.
At Prosperna, we’re passionate about helping real estate agents, brokers and developers in the Philippines reach their full potential. Get more industry updates, tips and best practices by subscribing to our blog. Or, book a FREE DEMO with our sales productivity & online marketing platform built specifically for the real estate industry in the Philippines
Dennis Velasco
Technology Evangelist super passionate about helping the industries of eCommerce, SMEs and real estate in the Philippines reach new levels of success.
What hit me hard is “4.) Narrow Your Focus”. I guess this is my weakness. I have so many interest and I find it hard to concentrate my energy on that “One Thing” where I could really make a difference and delegate the rest to the right people. I’ve seen it many times how a company exploded in growth because they focused their energy on becoming the best in that niche that they are serving.
Hey Randall, yeah…”narrowing your focus” is a hard reality to face but the moment you honestly recognize that you have only “x” amount of time and “y” amount of money to invest, would you be better suited to go “wide” or “deep”. My experience says that you could create a more repeatable success model if you go “deep”. It’s easy to add more niches after you becomes successful at creating a scalable approach.
I am continuously looking online for ideas that can aid me. Thank you!