The Fear
I hear it all the time.
People get hung up on this one thing every single day.
But it is actually pretty simple.
To build a brand, content is essential. Putting out massive amounts of content puts you in front of more people. “The Rule of Seven” is the marketing belief that people need to see or hear something seven times before they remember it. So if you are only putting out one piece of content a month, chances are people will forget all about you before your next piece comes out.
If you are consistently producing valuable and insightful content for consumers, you will be remembered.
And that is where the fear comes in:
I don’t know what to create.
I don’t know what to say.
I don’t know what to write.
All these hold-ups scream insecurity. They are essentially saying: I don’t have anything valuable to share.
If you want to be taken seriously, if you want to be remembered, if you want to add value, it is time to get over that fear.
The Truth
I’m never afraid to tell people that I bought three houses from the ages of nineteen to twenty-one, and went bankrupt by my mid-20s.
Or that I lost $250,000.
Because THAT’S MY TRUTH.
And those failures give me knowledge in the game of real estate that I could not have gotten anywhere else.
Here is how you can create content from your place of truth:
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Come from a place of AUTHENTICITY. This will serve you in many ways. First, you won’t exhaust yourself trying to be someone you are not. Next, you will attract the right people. When you are being true to yourself, you will naturally attract people who are willing to work with you.
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Speak from YOUR experience. Even if you are just starting out, you have experiences in your life that make you unique. Draw from your failures just as much as your successes.
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Share what you enjoy. Figure out what you like doing the best and share your thoughts, opinions, and transactions on that side of the business. If you love listing appointments, highlight a listing appointment every week. If you love architecture, show that in your social media posts.
Producing content does not mean you need to create something new and elaborate. It means you need to document what you are already doing from a place of truth.
Prioritize
Your content is not something to do “when you have the time.”
Because you and I both know the time will never come.
If you are serious about building a brand, consistency is more important than perfection. Give your content a place in your calendar:
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Schedule time for content. Every day, schedule time for your content. Whether you are recording a podcast, writing a blog, going live on Facebook, or posting on Instagram, block out the time in your calendar. Every Monday at 11:00, I sit down with my co-host and record our weekly show, The Real Word, where we discuss current real estate news and trends. That time is blocked off in my calendar every week, so I am not taking phone calls or meeting with clients. The full podcast is put out the following day, and broken into clips, creating multiple pieces of content throughout the week.
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Duplicate and Commit. Every day of the week can have its own focus or theme. Mondays could be for a motivational post. Tuesdays are for highlighting a listing. Thursdays are when a blog post goes live. When you create a schedule that can be replicated week after week, you won’t waste time thinking about what to post. Instead, you will use your time to produce content. From there, it’s all about committing to replicate this every single week.
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Post. Sitting on the content, or waiting for a perfect moment to post, is an enormous waste of time. In most cases, if you wait, it won’t get published. This doesn’t mean to rush through your content. Take your time, and edit when needed. Once you are finished, either post immediately or schedule it to go out automatically using a social media management system like Sprout Social.
It’s NOT for the Leads
Let me be honest.
Your content isn’t going to bring you many leads, especially when you first start producing.
But don’t turn away.
I promise it is not a waste of time.
Because content gives you something SO MUCH GREATER.
When you are consistently offering insight and valuable information, you will find yourself with a whole new network.
You will start conversations.
You will BUILD RELATIONSHIPS.
And this business is all about the relationships. Your content will allow you to build a network of people you can engage with, learn from, and share with. This enables you to reach more people and strengthen your name and your brand. So when it is time for people to complete a transaction or make a referral, they know just who to turn to.
Now go create, so you can connect.