One of the most common questions I get asked is, “What, exactly, should I be sharing on my social media accounts?” Relevant content is key! A little common sense will go a long way here, but it all starts with branding. We want to consider first, what does our brand look like? To answer that, we must first determine who it is we want as our customers.

In light of the new Facebook algorithms, we should focus on quantity over quality.

One of the questions I get asked most often is whether an agent or other small business owner should have a business Facebook page or just use their personal page for all their promotions. It’s a loaded question with some complexities in the answer, but the bottom line is you should FOR SURE have a business Page. 

Well, its that time of year again. Preparing yourself to face the music. Whether that tune is a lovely lullaby or a jarring jumble of notes will depend on how well you did this year. However, for the health of your business, your best option regardless will be to take a good solid look at your year so that next will be (even) better.

The end of the year is a perfect time to look at your systems, make plans for the next year, and check on your finances. The new year will be a fresh start, so why not clear off your slate and start ready and raring to go? When preparing for the new year with an end-of-year check-up, you should (at a minimum) look at the following items:

You wouldn’t believe how many agents I know that, unless someone really did some digging, they would have never know this person was in real estate. Blows my mind every time. It seems obvious, but I think a lot of agents just don’t think to take the time to shout it from every rooftop they can find. If you want people to use your services, you first have to let them know what you are selling! At a minimum:

You wake up in the morning, check your phone, and are accosted by 127 unread emails. This is in addition to the 2,963 emails already in your inbox. Both numbers keep growing. It's like Groundhog Day. Every. Single. Day. 

You can't keep up with it and stopped trying about a year ago. You know half of the emails are junk and probably 90% of it could just be deleted at this point, but the very thought of tackling it overwhelms you and you just shut down. 

If you are like most of my clients, your day is consumed by emails, phone calls, meetings, putting out fires, and, well, just trying to get through the day without anything blowing up. Marketing is always on your mind, but it is done in bursts - on the weekend, at midnight, in the carpool line, pretty much any time you can just squeeze it in. You know that you would like to spend at least an hour a day concentrating on building your brand and in return, your business, but that just isn't always possible. Life is hard, and owning your own business is life is hard times 2.