Facebook isn’t the social media giant it once was. Yes, it still has the most active users of any social media site, but it is losing users (especially in the younger generation) fast. Since the land industry thrives off of social media marketing, we wanted to see what different sites had to offer land agents.

In part one, we covered social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter. In this week, we’re going to look into LinkedIn and Youtube.

LinkedIn

Keep It Professional

On platforms like Instagram and Twitter, there’s room to be a little goofy. The #farmhumor thread is hilarious! LinkedIn is more formal, so your profile should reflect that. If you have a professional headshot, LinkedIn is the perfect place to show it off.

If you are looking for inspiration, check out these ALCs LinkedIn pages:

Chris Miller, ALC

Lou Jewel, ALC

Kyle Hansen, ALC

Bill Eshenbaugh, ALC

These ALCs write and share content about the land industry. This shows potential clients that you are tuned in to the latest industry news. Bill Eshenbaugh's in-depth articles have helped him become a leader in the land industry.

Get Referrals

LinkedIn is the best social media platform to give and receive referrals.

“Your greatest opportunity here may be to get referrals from other professionals,” says Tim Hadley, ALC, member of the 2018 RLI Future Leaders Committee in his recent guest post for RLI.  “If a busy residential agent stumbles across a land listing, they may try to figure it out on the fly. However, if you are top of mind as the land expert in your area, it would behoove her to send it to you and collect a referral fee from the expert.”

Keep Your Information Up-To-Date

LinkedIn is one of the first places people search to find professionals, so make sure your information is current.

“LinkedIn, especially, is made for business-to-business relations and is the most business-centric social platform online right now,” says Nobu Hata, Director of Member Engagement for the National Association of REALTORS®, in his guest post for RLI. “Complete your profile with a current pic, and don’t forget your contact information and website!”

YouTube

Create playlists

Playlists make your page easy to navigate, especially if you have a lot of content.

One example of a great playlist is the Get the Most Out of Your RLI Membership playlist on the REALTORS® Land Institute’s YouTube page. You can watch the tutorial in five-minute videos, or if you want, you can watch all at once.

Good voiceovers

Nothing ruins a great video like a terrible voiceover. If your voiceover is shaky, keeps cutting in and out, or is muffled, you’ll lose viewers before the video hits the five second mark. You don’t have to have a voice like Morgan Freeman or Robert Redford to do a great voiceover! Here are some tips to make your voiceover ever better:

• Make sure to use the best recording equipment you can get your hands on
• Try to find a local studio or set up an empty room to act as one for your recording to eliminate echo and bad feedback in the recording – this will save you a lot of time editing down the road.
• Soothe the vocal chords beforehand with tea or water.
• Speak as if someone on the other side of the room can hear you. Speaking clearly and loudly (without sounding like you are yelling at the listener!) will get the best results.
• Talking fast in a natural reaction to stress or just wanting to get something over with on the forth take (or the fifth or the sixth…). Try timing yourself when you practice to see if you are zooming through your voiceover.

Keep It Brief

Ever see an interesting video, but decide against watching it because it’s twenty-two minutes? When making content for your YouTube channel, focus on making videos ten minutes or, preferably, less.

“Remember that people only watch short videos unless there is a super compelling reason sit still for five minutes,” says Haldey. “A 45-second video with subtitles is better than a rambling five-minute video. Most videos are played on mute so make sure to add subtitles to grab attention.

Social media marketing is always evolving. Just when you feel comfortable on a certain platform, a new one pops up. We hope this two-part series gave you an inside look at different social media sites. If you haven’t read it yet, make sure to check out part one where we dive into using Instagram and Twitter to improve your social media presence as a land agent.

About the Author: Laura Barker is the Membership and Communications Specialist for the REALTORS® Land Institute. She graduated from Clark University in May 2017 and has been with RLI since October 2017.