The ‘new normal’: 3 ways to reframe your content marketing for right now

With lockdowns impacting buyers and sellers all over, there’s a number of things agents can be doing to better tailor their social media marketing to the marketplace.

With lockdowns hindering the regular activities of agents, having the ability to provide value online has never been more critical to success, according to Bespoke Media Group CEO and founder Nic Fren.

Highlighting that the current conditions mean many Australians are spending about one-third of their average waking hours on electronic media, Mr Fren is encouraging agents to use their own time spent in lockdown re-evaluating their marketing strategies.

“We all use [social media] for marketing and advertising purposes, but you need to ensure your strategy has an eclectic mix of content,” the CEO said.

“The three reasons I believe people go to social media is to be educated, entertained and informed… and understanding your audience is key to being a success.”

Instead of focusing on simply promoting one’s self and talking at the audience, Mr Fren advised “talking to them [like friends]”.

He laid out three simple ways agents and property managers can use social media and recalibrate their content marketing strategy to suit the “new normal”:

1. Find out current needs

As the market goes through changes, Mr Fren believes it’s worth asking, “Who is transacting now and what do they need to hear?”

For instance, with many cities going in and out of lockdown, prospective sellers often need assurance as much as they need the right information.

“After speaking with sellers on the weekend who are not yet in the market, they were less concerned with the latest RBA announcement, but wanted assurance from agents that they could bring their properties to market safely and confidently,” the CEO noted.

“Home owners are not selling properties everyday, so sometimes they don’t understand what virtual inspections are, and many haven’t gone that extra length to explain how they are conducting them.”

2. Be more personal

One way to connect with the audience is to show them exactly how the market is moving at the moment — not through pure data, but through the agent’s own experience, Mr Fren said.

“A day in the life of an agent” could be effective in addressing their concerns and re-establishing confidence in the market.

“Show examples of how you are showing properties… Tell us about the process,” the CEO has instructed.

“Owners are stressed, their finances are stressed and there’s a lot of uncertainty in the air at the moment… so, it’s our job to be the leaders and provide that assurance [through] these social channels.”

3. Keep it simple

Mr Fren is quick to stress that lighting and high-end cameras aren’t necessary to stand out in social media, “where you can make mistakes and it endears you”.

Instead of impressing the audience with mere visuals, he has encouraged connecting with them through content that is meaningful and relevant to them.

“The one thing that I find works extremely well for my business is asking people what they want to know about,” Mr Fren said.

“Instagram has a great feature where you can create polls or ask questions in your stories, and this is where the majority of my content comes from. My audience TELLS me what they want to hear, making my content fresh and relevant to them.”

Ultimately, for Mr Fren, the goal of today’s content marketing is to stay “fresh and connected”, even when lockdowns keep us apart.

This article first appeared in REB