SOI part II – reaching out to your real estate SOI

So, you know how to build a great sphere of influence. Now it's time to talk about getting leads through SOI marketing - Here's some info to get you started.

In part one of our exploration of your sphere of influence, we helped you determine who belongs in your sphere and how to organize the list.

Now that you’ve got it to a manageable size, it’s time to figure out how you’ll use SOI marketing to reach out – and keep reaching out – to these important people in your life and your business.

Skip the email

Email is fine for members of your SOI who’ve opted in to receiving a newsletter, as long as the content is of value to them.

In other words, they’re not going to read a newsletter filled with tips for sellers if they’re new homeowners.

Segment newsletter recipients in your CRM according to their status (buying, selling, homeowner) and tag them as being covered when it comes to “touches.”

Since the chances are pretty good that the rest of them won’t read a general email from you, or yours will be swamped by the rest of the emails they receive, you’ll need to come up with another way of reaching out with SOI marketing.

Yeah, it sucks because email is free. But don’t kid yourself; it probably won’t be read. If it’s not read, you haven’t “touched” them and that person goes un-nurtured.

Rely heavily on social media

Social media engagement costs you nothing but your time, so becoming more active on it should be a priority when you start thinking about SOI marketing.

Your best bet is Facebook, so concentrate your efforts there. Blog like a maniac (or localize and use those amazing blog posts we push out to you every week) and repost to Facebook.

Additional Facebook post ideas include:

Interesting local news stories
Links to general local information (where to ski, where to hike, restaurants with “Kids Eat Free” nights, etc.)
Seasonal information (best holiday light displays, where to dine out on Thanksgiving or Easter, spring cleaning tips)
Run contests. We share ideas and tips on this, here.

Most important: Engage with people. It’s not enough to put out content – reply to those who respond to it. Then, take the time to visit the pages of folks in your SOI and engage with their content.

But remember, not everyone in your SOI is active on social media, so you’ll need to include additional vehicles for nurturing in your SOI marketing campaign.

Use your words in SOI marketing

Pick up the phone. Come on – these are warm calls so don’t be shy. The warmth of the call, however, depends on the degree of closeness of your relationship with the person.

Call to check in if it’s a former client. Call to issue an invite to coffee or a cocktail if it’s a friend.

If you really don’t want to call, text. Find something online the person would find funny, interesting or valuable and text a link, saying something like “I saw this online and it reminded me of you,” or “I thought you’d find this interesting.”

Commit to a weekly face-to-face

Schedule an in-person meet with those in your SOI with the largest networks. Invite a different one each week or once a month for coffee, lunch or cocktails after work.

Not only does this refresh their memory that you’re in real estate, but it helps build and cement your relationship.

Hold an annual shindig

Throwing an annual client event isn’t just for the rich agent. Many agents we’ve spoken with have met great success with budget events. The key is to keep the guest list lower than you would if you had deep pockets.

So, what if you throw a client event and nobody shows up?

“I’ve never had this happen EVER to a SINGLE client,” says coach Travis Robertson on his website. He, by the way, shows you how to avoid this in his “10 Steps to a Successful Client Appreciation Party.”

If your aim is to throw an event this summer, we put you on the fast track here.

According to the NAR, the most successful real estate agents in the industry get 64 percent of their business from their sphere of influence. They don’t get this business by ignoring these people, but by actively engaging with their real estate SOI throughout the year.