Scale Your Local Discovery

Local discovery is how businesses and local public figures are able to find you and how you are able to find them online. When starting out on social media, Realtors tend to add other Realtors, which is not a good move. What is more important is to connect with those who are a part of the community you are working within; for example, local businesses, restaurants, and local public figures.

To find these people, search your city or zip code on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and other social media platforms and start adding those who are in upper-level positions at the various establishments in your area (for example, the Head Chef of the restaurant down the street or the manager of the town’s corner bakery). Why add these people? Because they are the ones doing the most community outreach for their business.

It’s important to get to know those who are in charge of local businesses’ social media platforms because this knowledge will help you connect with and contact the right people. This could be a vice president or a marketing coordinator. Each company has someone who is designated to be in control of their social media presence -- this is the person you want to be in contact with.

Once people start accepting your follow or friend requests, direct message them and say “Hello!” Take time to briefly introduce yourself and offer your services, and let them know that you support what it is they are doing. Establishing a relationship on social media could lead to email correspondence or even a phone call.

Engaging with supporters brings you one step closer to meeting them in-person. Once you are connected, keep the conversation going! Offer support by consistently engaging with them on social media -- saying “Happy Birthday!” or “Congrats!” (if they have recently won an award) shows that you are dedicated to maintaining your relationship with them.

This process of connecting and engaging is repetitive, therefore it is integral for you to establish a way of monitoring what message you are sending, how the message varies from business to business (or person to person), who you are speaking with, and who has replied to you. Find a pattern for reaching out to people. Create a message that works and customize it every time you engage with someone new. Making new connections is a repetitive process, but it is important to establish a method that works for you and your business.

While you are doing this, make sure you are utilizing all of your social media platforms -- from Facebook to LinkedIn to email. Be sure to be active on each one of these platforms, posting content often to keep your supporters engaged and interested. The first place possible supporters are going to look is at your Facebook page, your Instagram page, and all of your other social media profiles. They want to see what type of content you are posting, how often you post, and how you interact with your followers. In other words, they want to get to know you online before they meet you in person.

Local discovery is about staying active on your social media platforms, having different communication methods flowing, and establishing a pattern for engagement and sticking to it. Consistency is key to creating and maintaining connections.