EP205 Valentina Borbone: How to market yourself in a changed digital world

This‌ ‌episode‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌Elevate‌ ‌podcast‌ ‌is‌ ‌brought‌ ‌to‌ ‌you‌ ‌by‌ ‌‌Connect‌ ‌Now‌  #

Intro‌ ‌to Valentina #

Valentina Borbone is a digital marketing educator and CEO of the Banter Group. She is also an advisor to The International Social Media Association, and would be familiar to many for her work with agencies, including her role as a coach at Digital Live.

In this episode: #

• Where agents should be focusing their digital attention right now
• How the iOS14 changes and recent Facebook events affect remarketing
• Why there’s an art to email campaigns, and agents are missing an opportunity
• How social media is about validation, but not the be-all and end-all of leads
• How to use LinkedIn effectively
• The role YouTube plays in your social media strategy
• Why it’s essential to assess the value of the latest ‘bright, shiny’ social media channels
• Why you should never put all your eggs in one social media basket

Teaching agents how digital solutions work #

• Valentina has been in marketing her entire career.
• As an agency-side marketing professional, she’s worked with the advertising association and teaches about 1000 people a year, including in-house training.
• That’s seen her talents sought after by real estate groups including the REA, Mirvac, and Stockland along with big name agencies like McGrath, Ray White, and Belle Property.
• She notes she started in real estate teaching agents how to sell digital solutions.
• “And that turned into let’s teach the agents how these digital solutions work so that they can understand what some of the best opportunities are.”

Facebook and the media bargaining code #

• Valentina notes social media changes quickly and the recent Facebook ban of news sites and feeds is a good example of that.
• The bans were often indiscriminate, with retailers, health sites and even a mustard factory all suddenly scrubbed clean as Mark Zuckerberg and the Australian Government entered a game of digital poker.
• “There was no rhyme or reason, so some people just got caught in that,” Valentina says.
• But she also notes, perhaps we should have seen it coming.
• “Something I’ve been saying since about 2014 is we’re putting a lot of data in the hands of someone, be it Facebook, be it Google be it anybody else as a player, we’re not in control of that data. So if they change the game, you have to play the game,” she says.
• “So when it did happen and it happened overnight, everyone sort of woke up, but it was gone. I just sort of went, are you really that surprised?”
• Valentina mentions it’s about values and the purpose of the platform.
• If you’re relying on a social chit chat platform to give you your most important health information globally about your family in several countries, you might need to re-evaluate what you value, because I certainly don’t go to the ABC’s rage program to get my update on fashion,” she says.
• “Can we be realistic about what these platforms are for and what their intention is?”
• Valentina notes if you value it, you pay for it – whether that’s a subscription to Netflix or your local newspaper, but unfortunately people have become accustomed to finding “all our worldly links, tips, tricks and recommendations in one place because it’s convenient to us”.
• She notes ultimately the Facebook news saga created more drama than was necessary, and in the days after, feeds were returned.
• But she points out the playing field could well change again.

Is remarketing as we know it dead? #

• Valentina explains, after 20 years, re-marketing as we know it could well be dead.
• That’s partly down to the new privacy protocol of iOS14 that requires an opt-in for tracking in websites and apps.
• Valentina explains when it comes to marketing this has serious impacts, because we need to collect data in order to retarget.
• “There’s a big percentage of Australians on the iOS platform,” she notes.
• “The iOS platform is trying to give people control. Now in Australia, we want privacy control. It’s something that happened a long time ago with the introduction of the privacy policy, privacy act and the spam act from 2003.
• “What we don’t like is too much choice. Now what Apple’s doing is saying that every single website you ever open after that app update, you will be asked whether or not you want to enable tracking.”
• The potential problem is that people will get very tired very quickly of being asked to opt in.
• The ultimate outcome might be they click no, effectively opting out of tracking.
• Valentina explains the benefit of tracking is that it helps present relevant content based on previous behaviour.
• “The way I look at targeting, I love being targeted accurately. Because I don’t want to see sport ads, no offense, just not interested. And I’m pretty sure men don’t want feminine hygiene ads. Let’s just call it as it is.”
• Meanwhile, Google is also set to phase out third party tracking cookies in the near future.
• This too will have implications, Valentina says, as people will soon be grouped on their likes, behaviours and desires.
• “It’s like far out, really? We’re all going to suddenly have similar interests and behaviours and desires?”

A value proposition #

• Ultimately Valentina says whether or not people will opt-in to tracking will become a value proposition.
• “So you may see a notification that comes up on Facebook that will be asking for permission to access certain data points to give you a better experience.
• “Now that’s the value proposition,” she says.
• “Would you like to give us your data so that we can give you a better experience? My answer is going to be yes.
• “You can take my data because you’re going to find it in hundreds of other ways that I engage in my online experiences.
• “And I think that’s what we need to really think about. You will give up your data if you find it a valuable experience.”

Where agents should be directing their digital attention #

• Valentina says right about now agents should be directing their attention to building their brand, building their profile and owning their data.
• She explains often agents have fabulous CRMs but fail to use them for effective communication.
• “I don’t see that many great email campaigns go out,” she says.
• “It’s really ‘Guess what? I listed this, I sold that’.
• “And I think ‘Harrah to you. Why on earth is that any different to anybody else?”
• She notes instead it’s about creating the right to have communication and keeping a database that you can mine.
• “We notice the relationship business, technology should just be facilitating,” she states.
• “If you’re not investing in the digital tools to fulfil that loop for you, I think you’re missing a huge opportunity.”
• Meanwhile, she explains each of the digital channels is just one way of creating leads.
• “Relying on Facebook to find opportunities? Look, it’s a lead. It’s a way of doing it. Instagram’s another way of doing it.
• “LinkedIn is again, another way of doing it. Hitting the pavement, going to your community groups, being part of your community is all about building your own brand and relationship. And I think there needs to be a bit more focus on that.”

The power of effective email #

• Valentina explains email has provided the highest return on investment on a digital channel for over seven years.
• “That’s a pretty big statement to make when we’ve had social and we’ve had all the new bells and whistles, particularly from Facebook and Insta.
• “Yet people are deep prioritising this channel that is direct to my inbox when I want it in the richest form and I will digest it when it suits me, and people aren’t utilising that. I think that’s crazy.”
• Valentina says she believes real estate is an industry guilty of failing to appreciate email’s power.
• “I feel like real estate has gone after the newest shiniest thing, and actually not looked at the return on investment because social’s hugely time consuming and fickle.
• “We’re down to 0.7 seconds in the feed. And you think about, it takes over an hour to put something in your phone, on the feed, and we just zoom past it.
• “Email I’m going to sit and read with my cup of tea and have a good look.”
• Valentina also points to the power of RSS feeds which allow the user to curate their own content when it comes to email newsletters.
• “So you can actually, as a user, curate your own newsletter about property and I can subscribe to 10 different newsletters and I can do my property reading.”

Social media strategy #

• Asked if it’s worth having a Facebook or indeed any social media strategy if you’re not prepared to pay for advertising, Valentina says, yes there is still a place.
• Explaining how pay to play works, she says Facebook has been a paid platform for about three to four years, which means the organic feed reach has been reduced.
• “What they did is (they) reduced the reach to be between one to two per cent of your total following base that will even see one of your posts.”
• The algorithm is real and also plays a role, she says.
• Therefore, if that post gains traction with likes, comments, shares and mentions in the first hour, the algorithm begins to recognise that the content is proving useful to someone and shows it to more people.

It’s about validation #

• Meanwhile, she notes both social media and websites are all about validation and that’s critical for any real estate agent.
• “What I think agents and agencies are missing is no, you don’t just see a post and go, ‘Oh, I like them’. I might give them a call. We do that with things that are relatively disposable, but not in a relationship with someone like the bank and someone like a real estate agent.”
• She explains real estate is a very emotive long-term strategy, and selling or buying a property is something that’s only likely to occur a couple of times in people’s lives.
• Therefore, social media and websites become about validation.
• “Are they still needed? I mean websites have been around for a long time, but absolutely. Because imagine if you hear of an agent and then you go to look them up and they don’t exist.
• “So the consumer’s going to go, are they even legit or are they just kind of working out of the garage and even qualified?
• “It’s about building that relationship and that’s where a strategy should exist. Even though it’s a pay-to-play platform for reach, it’s a validation point as well.”

Using LinkedIn to build your profile #

• Valentina stresses LinkedIn is not Facebook. It’s a business-to-business platform.
• “it’s about your professionalism, not what you had for dinner.”
• She says the mistake many agents have made is that they’ve simply claimed their profile, with no background, no picture (or a bad picture at best) and no valuable content.
• Her biggest tip is to at least fill in the boxes of information, such as your work history.
• Meanwhile, she says her pet hate is when people post a photo that’s not current, as it’s deceptive and affects trust.
• Then once the profile is filled in, it’s about posting valuable content, which should be professional.
• “It’s for work. Let’s remember that. It’s not my fashion, my dinner arrangements, and a new baby being born. That’s completely different.
• “So one of the tricks that people are missing in LinkedIn is actually making genuine connections.”
• Valentina says, it’s not just a matter of connecting with someone and instantly expecting them to remember you or use your services.
• Instead it’s about connecting again and again with useful content that warms them up.
• “We know that in marketing, you need to hit people with a consistent message over and over again before they remember you, before they have any need for you and certainly before they’re going to connect with you on any meaningful level.
• “So if you have to hit them, let’s say 20 times to get seven that stick, and then you can approach them, that’s not something that happens in a week and it’s not something that happens in two or three interactions.
• “We do need to warm people up so that when you do make that introduction of value and of purpose, then they’re going to be receptive to that connection.”
• Valentina says that’s where people are missing out, and instead they’re sending a LinkedIn email straight off the bat.
• Describing it as the most impersonal way of using LinkedIn, she says you shouldn’t be emailing to offer your services or products, unless you have that warm introduction.
• But she notes, there is room for cold connecting, providing there’s a tangible link between you and that person, and particularly if that connection is of professional value.
• If you are looking to cold connect, it pays to point out the link to the person you’re connecting with, she notes.
• “Putting that connectivity together, perhaps you’ve worked with someone that they actually know, perhaps they’re around the corner from you, perhaps you’ve read that they have done something particular in their feed.
• “Spend a little time looking at who they are and find a mutual way of opening up a conversation.”

Finding connections #

• Valentina cites the example of an agent looking for investors, noting if you’re looking for them, maybe start by searching the word investor in LinkedIn, or perhaps investment bankers.
• “But also think about some of the roles where people might actually have more than one property. And guess what? There’s a lot of people in real estate who aren’t agents but are in peripheral services of property. Maybe that’s a good place to start.”
• But above all, if you are sending a message to someone, go in with a human connection in mind, and be selective, not lazy about who you’re connecting with.

Top tips for utilising YouTube (and Google) #

• Valentina points out that YouTube is owned by Google.
• “Video as a content platform is why it’s so successful. It’s easy to digest. It’s easy to curate your own video feeds.”
• Valentina cites a couple of benefits of working with YouTube.
• Hosting a video on your own site chews up a lot of data
  • “So a lot of people do upload to YouTube or Vimeo first, so that it actually gets pulled into a website.”
• YouTube helps with SEO
  • “The more places that your brand is in the more Google as an index has to show. So, if you can take up one extra spot on that search result with your YouTube channel, guess what? It pushes one more competitor off to page two or further down the track.”
• It helps with social validation
  • “If people are moving around, if people are looking to validate, they can see what a live auction might look like in an area, particularly for out of areas where you’re not just dropping in around the corner.”
•  Easy to consume, easy to share
  • “Videos can be short, but they can be in depth.”
• Greater insight
  • Videos offer a greater insight into people and also property compared to photography
• She notes that’s where video might play a role in the recruitment process, and it’s not about how people look, but about the way people conduct themselves.
• “So video does add that extra lift level of credibility. What I think we’re missing is that not every video is good. Not all video is created equally.”
• She therefore stresses it’s important to match your brand with the quality of video you produce. For an $8 million waterfront property, for example, an amateur video is not going to suffice.
• “It’s like me turning up in my Hyundai i30 and taking you around for a drive. It’s not acceptable.”
• When it comes to other content, Valentina notes market updates are a great way of utilising video.
• “So market updates are great because, again, if you’re thinking about making a move, what’s really happening in the market? I can actually get a series of those videos and guess what the recommendation model will kick in. And that’s what is useful about YouTube. I don’t have to go and seek out the next video, it will come to me.”

Newer platforms #

• Asked if there’s value in TikTok, Valentina says only if it relates to someone who’s about to engage with you to buy a property or it’s about building long-term brand recognition.
• “We have to be realistic about the value. And if you’re going into TikTok because you want early brand recognition and stickiness, that’s different and there is a brand role. We can infiltrate brands. We know this from a young age.
• “It’s a well-known tactic, but are we influencing or are we just jumping on the next shiny thing?”

Clarity of strategy #

• Most importantly, Valentina explains social media is all about ‘clarity of strategy’.
• “Why would I do this? What am I expecting? And why should I be here? It’s no different to, should I have a Facebook strategy? Because I know people make recommendations and validate me.
• “So what is that strategy that comes from TikTok?
• “Yet I think if you can get the brand out there in an interesting way, and you’re getting lots of people seeing the brand it could be its purpose is brand recognition.”

The curiosity of clubhouse #

• Valentina concedes social media can be fatiguing.
• “Is anyone else tired? Because by the time you’ve gone through your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, you’ve dropped a couple of reels and you’re now in TikTok oh, quick. You know what? Right about 2am I’ll jump into Clubhouse for a listening experience that may or may not be curated.
• “I feel like I’m going back to chat rooms in the 1990s, and what are we going to end up with?”
• She says Clubhouse does indeed feel new and interesting, and there are some great individuals hosting, but personally Valentina prefers a better curated experience.
• She also asks where is it going to go before something goes badly wrong and the platform is shut down.
• Meanwhile, she notes Australia is very different to the USA when it comes to what can and can’t be said in the media, while international social media bodies are also contending with different laws and different jurisdictions.
• “I’m simply saying there are some really good rules that we have, which are intentional. And I think that can be the great undoing of something like Clubhouse.
• “I think there’s an exciting opportunity, but we have to remain human. We are in a human business in real estate, and it’s about the people in those connections. And I don’t think we should put all our eggs in everyone else’s basket.”

A final takeaway #

“Measure your success and measure what matters. We are trying as marketers, as business owners, to do everything, and no one really knows if it’s working.

“Imagine if you just worked out what was working, did more of that, and did less of everything else.

“We are losing our focus digitally, making us really go, ‘Ooh, shiny things left, right and centre.

“That comes down to our productivity – being able to focus on one task. Multitasking does not work for most people. Time blocking email blocking. If we take all the best tips from everywhere, we’ll have a tip sheet like this and get nothing done.

“So try and focus on one thing at a time, measure it, understand its purpose. Drop the stuff that’s not working, you do not have to be everywhere. You just have to be in the places that make a difference.”

Links and resources mentioned #

• iOS 14 new features

Valentina on Elite Agent

• Marketing to Millennials
• How agents can make the digital shortlist
• 10 essential takeaways of Digital Live 2018

Connect with Valentina Borbone

• Website
• LinkedIn