Building Your Personal Brand on Social Media with Kristen Long
Our guest on this episode of the Start with a Win podcast is Kristen Long, RE/MAX agent and social media extraordinaire out of Champaign, Illinois. Kristen talks with Adam about generating business using social media as well as how an unconscious decision led to a beneficial brand alignment for her.
On this episode of the Start with a Win podcast, Kristen Long talks with us about her experience generating business using social media and how effectively building her personal brand on social media allowed her to become an independent agent in 2017. After working with a few teams in the Champaign, Illinois, area, Kristen realized that she was generating about 85% of her business herself and she decided to lean into her marketing background to get herself out there.
The most effective method she has found is through social media, specifically Instagram. In 2018, 25% of Kristen’s business came from Instagram interactions, and it is likely that many people who like and engage with her content now will reach out to her when they have a real estate agent need down the road. While many people spend a lot of money to boost their posts, advertise, and buy followers, Kristen emphasizes that you can reach thousands of people at no cost to you if you have the right type of content.
Another unconventional way that Kristen generates business is by aligning herself with Target. It is her happy place, so it is very common for her to be posting about going to Target or something she bought at Target or someone she saw at Target, so when people who are familiar with her go to Target or pass a Target or think about Target, they automatically think about Kristen. This immediate connection sometimes turns into a referral when people think about Kristen and realize that they have a friend looking to buy or sell a house and recommend that they reach out to her.
Overall, Kristen sees the value in being present on multiple social media platforms, but she recommends that people focus on the one or two platforms that they are most comfortable with. When you are comfortable, you can show your authentic self and not come across and pushy or sales-y, but rather just provide value to your followers. Kristen says that the key to generating business on social media is to build relationships by being authentic and responsive. She also urges everyone to run their own social media accounts rather than paying someone else to manage them because you need to be the one interacting with people and listening to what they want and need, and they expect and deserve to hear from the real you.
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