As a real estate professional focused on generating leads for your business, you might be looking at social media exclusively as a means of interacting with potential clients. Having a polished Instagram brand and building interest and relationships through Facebook groups and ads are crucial elements of a well-oiled social media machine, but one platform provides a powerful toolkit that can position you as a thought leader and industry expert among your peers: LinkedIn.

With the total number of monthly active users standing 310 million tall, this popular B2B platform provides endless opportunities for creating a robust referral network by giving you instant access to real estate peers on an international scale. It can even help you land a few clients in the process. Ready to enhance your own profile? Learn how to maximize your LinkedIn for real estate from two agents with shining profiles.

First Things First: The Basics

Tailor your headline. Your headline can be much more than a job title. Instead, think of the keywords most relevant to your expertise and include those in 120 characters or less. Doing so will make it easier for professionals in your field to come across your profile.

Tell a story. Show off your creative chops by using the summary section to create an engaging story about your career. This is your elevator pitch, so keep it brief and include relevant keywords. It is also a space where you can showcase your best work by adding high-quality media including images, videos, and links.

To start crafting your perfect summary, take a moment to think about where you’ve been, where you’re at, and where you’re going, and sprinkle your summary with the most compelling information from all three buckets.

Deep clean your previous experiences. There’s no need to keep every previous job on your profile. Narrow it down to the experiences that showcase an expertise or skills relevant to your current industry. In each description, talk about your greatest achievements in the position and your areas of focus.

Personalize your URL. LinkedIn gives you the option to take full control of your URL. You can change it by going to the upper right-hand corner of your profile and clicking the “Edit public profile & URL” section. While it is recommended that you use your name as your URL, if your name is common, consider using keywords such as the area you service to distinguish yourself.

• 

• 

Use hashtags. Similar to platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, hashtags on LinkedIn serve as a means of categorizing content. For maximum impact, leverage hashtags in status updates, posts, and comments. You can also include them in your headline and summary, but they will not show up as clickable. Start creating your own personal book of relevant hashtags by taking a main industry keyword (e.g., “#realestate”), and plugging it into the LinkedIn search bar. Once you click enter, you will be given the option to follow the hashtag. Click the three gray dots on the right-hand corner of the follow button, then click ‘Discover new hashtags.’ This will give you a hashtag bank to dig into. When creating your strategy, keep in mind localized hashtags, as well as hashtags that fit your brand’s niche.

Leverage Stories. Earlier this year, LinkedIn announced its very own Stories capabilities. Similar to the other main social media platforms, this allows users to share 24-hour updates, and add text overlays and questions to the story. As a LinkedIn member, you can post stories exclusively from the mobile app (make sure you have the latest version), both by capturing images with your camera or uploading saved content. While it remains to be seen how professionals will leverage this feature in the future, you can dip your toes in by providing industry updates, sharing news about your personal brand, or going behind-the-scenes in your day-to-day activities.

Related Reading: Storify Your Success: 10 Tips For Building a Winning Brand With Instagram Stories

How Top KW Agents Are Succeeding With LinkedIn

Sammi Ramirez
San Diego
1,455 LinkedIn followers
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammi-ramirez/

After spending some time connecting with members of a female empowerment group on LinkedIn, Sammi Ramirez was drawn to one particular business coach. Through constant interaction in the group, this woman became a friend, and later, a client in the San Diego market. These one-on-one connections, along with a vibrant video presence, are staple behaviors in the 15-year real estate veteran (and recently crowned Realtor)’s LinkedIn presence. Affectionately known to clients as ‘San Diego Sammi,’ here is how Ramirez exudes a powerful presence on the platform.

Provide original content. One way in which Ramirez provides value to her audience right off the bat is by sharing original content that she is passionate about. For her, this comes in the form of videos where she introduces viewers to hidden gems and local landmarks throughout San Diego County. “When I upload a video on LinkedIn, it gets a lot of love,” she says.

“I would encourage everyone to amplify their video content.” Ramirez’s videos feature aerial shots of her riding jet skis, showing off La Jolla’s sea lions and cruising the San Diego coast in a yellow motorcycle sidecar. But, the work doesn’t end once you hit the ‘Post’ button. LinkedIn is a two-way street, so make sure to respond to any comments and questions your content is generating. In addition to original content, Ramirez amplifies the voices of her own sphere by sharing their real estate content.

Get 1:1 time with your network. It might be tempting to simply send out invitations to connect and focus on the quantity in your network, but Ramirez urges a more personal approach. As major lifestyle changes started taking over at the beginning of the year, Ramirez used this time to connect with her 2.5K-wide network, messaging people one by one to express interest in learning about their business and ask how she can help them. While the size of one’s network is the most noticeable metric on a profile, Ramirez shares that she likes to measure success based on how strong her connections are and how often she connects with them.

Amarilys Sanchez
Miami
1,812 LinkedIn followers
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amarilys-sanchez/

While real estate is a relatively new venture for Sanchez, her background in marketing has had her at the forefront of LinkedIn for about eight years – “Back when it was just a placeholder for résumés,” she reminisces. Here is how Sanchez stands out among her peers.

The dynamic trio. “The first thing that people are looking at when they see your profile is your title, company, and headshot. To that extent, it is important to identify your brokerage right off the bat. You want to say you’re an agent with Keller Williams, and you want to make sure you attach yourself to the Keller Williams company page,” Sanchez says.

Since your headshot is the most prominent element of the profile, it is imperative that it is professional, well-lit, and features a nice background. Sanchez’s own professional headshot is framed in front of a vibrant yellow background, drawing the eye in. Garner more interest by making the image visible to everyone. (This can be done in the upper right corner of your profile by clicking “Edit public profile & URL.”) She went a step further by including a bright red background photo on her profile, a nod to her association with Keller Williams. “When I’m leaving a comment on a LinkedIn post, my profile jumps out because of the bright colors,” she says.

(Easily) build an engaged audience. According to Sanchez, “The ONLY way to make your presence known on LinkedIn is to be engaged.” The great news is, being engaged and getting that bright headshot noticed time and time again is not a difficult feat. If you don’t have a strong library of original content like Ramirez, Sanchez suggests sharing industry and business news articles as-is, adding an additional perspective not originally in the piece within your caption, or sharing valuable content from fellow professionals. When you are not posting, drop your thoughts on peers’ posts with a simple comment. Or, beef up your profile by heading to the ‘Recommendations’ section and clicking ‘Ask for a recommendation,’ to further leverage your network.

Have you employed any of these strategies within your own LinkedIn presence? Has something else worked for you? Let us know in the comment section below.