Here’s how you can sell yourself, your brand and your business.
3 min read
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We’ve long heard and read about the rise of social media influencers. The business of influencer marketing itself has become a billion-dollar enterprise thanks to creators who have become internet famous on platforms like Snapchat and Instagram and the corporations who pay to tap into their following.
Now, the latest wave of creators to disrupt an industry aren’t your typical YouTube influencers who vlog about their daily happenings, but instead they’re suited, and licensed professionals historically known as real estate agents.
A recent Engel & Völkers study featured by Inman News revealed that 80 percent of Millennials, who also happen to be the largest demographic of first-time homebuyers in the United States, rely on influencers to make buying decisions – including the home they purchase.
Call it the “GaryVee Effect” if you will — the practice of documenting one’s professional journey in the form of a YouTube-style video blog or “vlog” — but several professional industries, ranging from insurance to automotive to real estate are all seeing a rise of professionals becoming the go-to authorities or “influencers” of their niche.
On the latest episode of Real Talk, I sat down with Ryan Serhant of Million Dollar Listing New York to discuss his rise to fame as one of the most recognizable names and faces in the Real Estate industry.
During the interview, Serhant spoke about his journey from Texas to New York a decade ago which involved taking a job as a hand model to becoming a commission-based real estate agent at the height of the economic recession in 2008 along with a pivotal moment in his career in 2012 when he became a reality television star.
Today, Ryan Serhant runs a sales team in New York and teaches others how to become better at sales through his new book, Sell It Like Serhant: How to Sell More, Earn More, and Become the Ultimate Sales Machine. He’s also passionate about documenting his entire day on his YouTube channel – to grow his notoriety and business – and has hired a team of content creators to capture every moment from home tours with clients to glimpses of his personal life.
Joining Ryan Serhant on the set of Real Talk at the Nasdaq MarketSite were Carl Franzen (editor-in-chief at Inman News) and Dex Lipovic of Compass Realty. Franzen and Lipovic both agree that sales today are significantly impacted by relationships that are formed as a result of social media … and also by how customers perceive your digital brand.
Taking a page from Sell It Like Serhant, Lipovic — a New York City-based real estate agent — has invested in growing his digital brand while hiring his production resources as well doubling down on Instagram and YouTube content over the last year. Through his material, Dex brings viewers on virtual tours of New York City which includes homes and nearby hotspots resulting in significant social media follower growth and closed sales.
Regardless of what industry you work in, if growing your sales pipeline and closing more deals is a focus for your business in the coming year, Ryan Serhant’s book and digital presence offer a playbook of what you need to do to stand out from your colleagues.
Watch more videos from Carlos Gil on his YouTube channel here. Follow Carlos Gil on Instagram @CarlosGil83.