Coldwell Banker sent their VIP marketers into local offices to provide hands-on marketing training when they launched a new global marketing and IDX platform to compete with emerging real estate search platforms.
Rachael implemented Coldwell Banker International’s roadmap and toolkit to create content marketing initiatives to increase the brand’s online clout and improve organic search results.
The early days of social media were a lot like taming the wild west. We learned by doing, organic was still fun, and our audiences really did see our non-sponsored posts. We were developing strategy and frameworks on the fly. I was fortunate to be coached by the Coldwell Banker International brand and take advantage of their global perspective and data-driven insights.
During my tenure, our channel developed a fun, interactive, and easily recognizable personality as we responded to each comment and shared fun pictures and encouraged photo contest within our engaged community of followers.
In the two years I contracted with this brokerage team, they grew revenue, increased unit sales, and became a powerhouse for recruiting top talent. This season represented a valuable stage of growth and personal development for me as I gained new skills and learned to tweak things behind the scenes to gain maximum impact and ultimately gain more market share. Today, the brand continues to expand and mature, and I know I was lucky to learn and work with the best in the business.
Coldwell Banker has always been a leader in marketing and online technology, and I was fortunate to consult with their organization during this exciting time.
As an independent marketing consultant working as Rachael Hall Creative, I benefitted from the in-depth digital marketing coaching services provided by the Coldwell Banker International marketing team.
During these hands-on training sessions, the marketing coach explained the meaning and importance of building online clout. According to a study published by an independent research firm, Coldwell Banker was named #1 in online clout (as compared with their contemporaries) in 2014-2015.
#1 What is online clout and how does it impact SEO?
Online Clout is the compellation of one’s entire digital footprint. The digital marketing coach explained that the Coldwell Banker Brand had created and published more high-quality web pages, websites, videos, social media posts, Twitter feeds, handles, and meta-tagged data than any of its competitors. In essence, Coldwell Banker had created a brand the algorithms loved.
Although Coldwell Banker’s primary goal is to serve the right property to the right prospect – from a broader perspective, increasing brand awareness and building multiple touchpoints creates a wider potential for leads to enter at the top of the sales funnel.
#2 Online clout helps develop a wider sales funnel.
Building a brand that people recognize and can trust is vitally important to local offices and agents. The corporate office recognizes the importance of teaching local agents to drill down to a hyperlocal level, establish deep community roots, and engage followers with entertaining and informative local content.
#3 Build an online brand that reflects the talents of real-life agents.
My strategy was to increase top of mind awareness by highlighting the agents community involvement and demonstrating their deep business acumen within the regions they each served. I created content showcasing our agents serving on boards, volunteering, giving back, and training their clients in important real estate topics. I highlighted the impact of these activities in online formats including social posts, videos, polls, and contests. I helped our teams host real-life pop-up events inspired by spontaneous social feeds – just to test the response of our local community. It worked beautifully and the agency office became known as a hub for community gatherings and important thought leadership.
#4 Establish credibility and maintain top-of-mind awareness.
Working with a talented and eager real estate team, we inundated the local Coldwell Banker social media channels with content that created brand authority and made the team seem larger than life. I worked to give the impression that this team of agents led the industry and were at work in every niche and cranny of the greater community.
#5 Use Measurable Data to Influence Perception.
Numbers don’t lie. To promote the volume of business this agency did on a weekly, monthly, and annual basis, I promoted successful transactions with an almost obnoxious frequency. The message was clear – if you want to sell your property – this team gets it done.
#6 Good content increases online clout.
Using this approach, I scheduled photo shoots in front of popular attractions and restaurants on a weekly basis. I partnered our agents with community leaders and conducted interviews with local business leaders, government officials, mortgage lenders and title companies. We used this content to create videos, blogs, and shareable social feeds.
I partnered with local businesses for gift baskets, free service packages, and other giveaways to promote local businesses. We promoted the first responders, the educators, and the nonprofits.
I was fortunate to work with such a successful and entrepreneurial Coldwell Banker Brokerage Team. Their innovation, creativity, and openness to new ideas allowed me the freedom to produce a lot of different content, experiment with social feedback, and get an idea of what engages. Most importantly I could see the correlation between social media and attracting new clients and referral business.
#7 Position the agent as an influencer.
Even though being on camera wasn’t their favorite or most comfortable place to be, our agents lived by the mantra “fake it till you make it.” In a charming, but no doubt aggressive way, this team of brokers and agents came to dominate the regional social media market.
As a result, their organic social following grew from 300 to 3000 in 90 days. We gained some YouTube traction when we ran into the Governor of Texas eating at one of our favorite BBQ joints. Using my (almost dead) cell phone I grabbed some shaky footage. The video is obviously low budget and a novice attempt at video production, but it put this agency on the path to creating engaging videos and content.
If there was a way to shamelessly promote the agents, their charity work, community involvement or success, I was behind the scenes making it happen. Today, the brand has expanded and matured and continues to dominate the regional market under the strategic direction of a powerful mother-daughter duo. It was a pleasure serving and growing with this dynamic leadership team.
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