In 1985 when Nike released the first pair of Air Jordans, Michael Jordan’s signature shoe, Jordan was fined $5,000 every time he stepped on the court wearing them. The infamous red and black colors were not only very different than the more common white Converse, they were also in violation of the NBA’s uniform requirements at that time.
The controversy caused such demand for the shoe that Nike happily paid Jordan’s fines and even worked with the NBA to produce a court-friendly version of the shoe – all before the shoes were ever released to the public.
The move paid off and both Nike and Jordan eventually watched the money roll in.
To this day, those same Air Jordans and the those that came during the years after are still in style, being retroed by Nike, and often sell for multiples of their original price.
What do Air Jordans have to do with Title Insurance?
I’m not suggesting you commit a RESPA violation for the sake of publicity. But what I am suggesting is that you think of your marketing a little differently like Nike did with the Air Jordans.
In marketing, he who is both “different” and “authentic” wins. Just because you’ve always attended a certain event or done things a specific way, doesn’t mean that you should continue to do so.
In other words, be the exception, not the rule.
The “Congratulations” Facebook Post:
For example, one common mistake I see real estate attorneys and title agents make all the time is when they post a photo of a family that recently closed with comments such as:
“Congrats Jones family on the purchase of your new house!”
…or “Another successful closing in the books. Congratulations Ray and Sue Jones!”
Why this isn’t as effective as it could be:
First, you are only reaching the people that have already liked your business page. In other words, they already know about your business.
Second, your current followers don’t know the Jones’ so they are not likely to engage with the post. This is why maybe only 25 of your 100 followers actually see the post and you are lucky to get 5 or 6 likes.
What if we did this differently?
What if we turned this type of post on its side and approached it from a different angle?
Instead of you posting “Congratulations” on your own business wall, what if your customers posted on their wall to their contacts but tagged you in it?
That’s right. This small modification totally changes everything…
Emotional posts like the birth of a child, wedding photos, and lucky for you, the purchase of a new home, often stay visible in social media for days.
“Emotional posts … often stay visible in social media for days.”
The reason for this is that the more likes and shares a post gets, the longer and more frequently it shows up on social media. This is the viral coefficient by definition.
So how does it work?
When a customer posts on their own wall but tags you, your brand will instantly be exposed to their friends and family. Since home buying is an emotional experience, the post will likely get more likes, comments, and shares.
This results in the post showing up on your customers’ friends social feeds for several hours or even days as long as it is getting engagement. And since your business is tagged in it, you’ll get more clicks to your Facebook page, an increase in website visits, and a surge in page likes.
Over time as people keep seeing your brand tagged in photos with their friends, you’ll be the first Title Agent on the minds of many Consumers, Realtors and Lenders in your market.
…And if all of this by itself isn’t enough, with this type of post there is far less risk with non-public personal information, or NPI. You don’t need to worry about having clients sign release forms because you don’t disclose any names; the customer discloses themselves!***
*** Disclaimer: We are not attorneys. Do not take this as legal advice. Please consult with your lawyer.
It is free and authentic advertising of the best kind: other people singing your praises.
…And authenticity is what brings people to the closing table and sells your services.
This is effective marketing in today’s economy.
How great is that?
Here’s exactly how to make this happen:
1) First, get some flyers
Make some flyers with your social media URLs on them. Hire a professional, use Canva.com, or if you are an ALTA member use a pre-built flyer from alta.org/business-operations/marketing/alta-prints.
2) Train your closers and staff
Next, train your closers to offer to take a photo of the client with the client’s camera phone at the closing table to “capture the memory.”
“…offer to take a photo of the client with the client’s camera phone at the closing table”
3) Congratulations and tag
Now give the client back their phone with your flyer. Tell them if they post the photo to social media you’d love for them to tag you. Also explain that it will keep them connected with you should they ever have future needs on a refinance or sale.
That’s it! You just effectively marketed your brand for the cost of a flyer and some staff training.
Things to consider:
Keep in mind every customer isn’t going to tag you. But a handful will, and a handful is all you need.
Also, be consistent. The only way that this works is if your entire team is consistent with it.
Bonus Tips:
Share this strategy with your Realtor and Lender partners. You could even ask the buyer to tag all of you to “stay connected.” How’s that for helping your business partners?
We’ve even heard of agents taking it to the next level by doing things such as: buying a “red carpet”, or a backdrop with their logo and fun props such as a large branded key, a “selfie station”, or top hats to pose with for the photos.
The more fun you make it, the more likely people are going to share it.
That, my friends, is what we call “The Best Darn Facebook Post Period.”
Be like Nike. Be like Mike. Be different.
More Highly Effective Tips for Crafting Engaging Facebook Posts
Now, we’d like to give you some quick tips for consistently crafting effective Facebook posts. These are just some ideas you can use to keep your audience engaged.
Make Your Audience Feel Like Family (almost no one does this!)
Everyone wants to feel like they are a part of something. They want to feel included and like they are part of the family. That includes not just their immediate friends and family but also the places where they do business. Therefore, if you make them feel like they are “one of you,” they will be more likely to refer your agency to their inner circle of friends and family.
You can start by taking behind-the-scenes photos of your team and your business. But just taking pictures isn’t enough. People are going to want to put names with those faces. But you can’t stop there. You will then need to add some personal and professional background verbiage to those pictures. This will help your audience connect with you and your team on a more personal level. It will make your audience feel like they are a part of your agency family.
That’s just the beginning. Once people get to know your agency family, they will want to keep up with them because you are now just like their other friends and family.
You must pre-think everything and set it up properly from the beginning. Just like you would if you were writing a book. Take each person and create a “character.” However, you don’t want to just make stuff up. You need to approach each person’s “story,” so it will be interesting and hook people to it. This is what will keep people coming back to your Facebook posts to find out “what happens next” with their favorite people.
This sounds more complicated than it is. Each person can take something from their personal and business lives and create a new post each week using that information. Don’t forget to word it so it will hook the reader and keep them coming back for more. Just like a reality TV show. Use colorful words and storytelling, and embellish your post without lying.
Create High-Value Videos
If you provide people with high-quality content they would normally have to pay for, most people will be appreciative of that and want to reciprocate. You are essentially following the law of reciprocity. This is the human tendency to feel obligated to do something in return when someone does something nice for you first. This could easily result in your content going viral and landing you loads of new business while building your brand’s reputation at the same time.
Your videos could be informational, educational, step-by-step how-tos, or something else. You could also make some videos showcasing something in your local area. For example, uncovering some little-known secrets about your town. You could do a guided video tour as you explain those little-known secrets. This could be of huge interest to the people who live there. Make videos of both types and watch your traffic and your reputation grow.
Share Industry Tips and Tricks
People love to be “in the know.” So, sharing insider tips and tricks will help build trust in your brand. It will give your business the reputation of being transparent in a world where most things aren’t.
You could do this by posting about why things are done a certain way. People who are not in the title industry won’t know or understand how or why things are done a specific way. And they will appreciate knowing and being able to put the pieces together in their minds.
Of course, there are plenty of other tips and tricks you could share as well. A great way to find topics for this type of post is to browse the forums and read the questions, comments, and frustrations people are posting about. You can then address those issues and link that comment back to your Facebook post (if allowed).
Facebook Advertising
Facebook advertising is extremely effective if you do it right. Here are the steps to getting started with Facebook ads. However, you will want to learn each step in more detail so you get a great return on your investment.
- Create a Facebook Ads Manager account.
- Go to your dashboard and start a campaign.
- Select a campaign objective (there are currently 11 to choose from).
- Select and set your budget and desired schedule.
- Choose a target audience.
- Create your Facebook ad.
- Track your analytics.
- Set up your reporting system.
Before you start your Facebook ad campaigns, you will need to do some research to identify your target audience’s likes, dislikes, wants, needs, goals, pain points, and all other demographic data you might need to create a targeted ad.
It takes time to learn the intricacies of writing an effective Facebook ad that will perform the way you want it to. If you don’t have time to do that, consider having a professional do it for you. A professional will already know everything needed to create effective Facebook ads. Using a professional will almost always bring you higher returns and better results.
Don’t Have Time to Craft the Perfect Facebook Marketing Campaign?
We’ve got you covered! TitleTap has highly trained Facebook advertising specialists who use our proprietary marketing strategies to skyrocket your ad response and your ROI. Contact TitleTap today and let us take this behemoth marketing task off your plate. You won’t regret it! Guaranteed!