Tips for growing professional social media accounts

[Conor Davis]

Hi everybody. My name is Conor Davis and I’m a long time listener of the podcast but relatively new to the forum. My questions for all of you involved growing my personal brand/ social media and general networking. I just graduated from Ohio State in may and moved to Fort Worth for work/ personal investment opportunity (trying to get into a duplex+) once I know the area a bit . My job is in personal lines insurance and as such will require me to build my professional network. Being that I just moved here from Ohio and really know almost no one, what are some ways/ tips for meeting professionals in the industry, or what tips do y’all have for growing my Social network/ outreach capacity? 

[Remington Lyman]

Quote from @Conor Davis:

Hi everybody. My name is Conor Davis and I’m a long time listener of the podcast but relatively new to the forum. My questions for all of you involved growing my personal brand/ social media and general networking. I just graduated from Ohio State in may and moved to Fort Worth for work/ personal investment opportunity (trying to get into a duplex+) once I know the area a bit . My job is in personal lines insurance and as such will require me to build my professional network. Being that I just moved here from Ohio and really know almost no one, what are some ways/ tips for meeting professionals in the industry, or what tips do y’all have for growing my Social network/ outreach capacity? 

 You should move back to Columbus! Just kidding, but actually!

I would go to meetup.com and type in real estate. There should be a bunch of meetups near you in Fort Worth

[Conor Davis]

Thank you!!! Columbus was an option for my new job, but if you’ve ever spent time in central Ohio (firstly sorry) then you understand my desire to be in tx instead! 

[Alicia Marks]

We have REI Impact if you're looking for a real estate meetup specifically. We have them all over DFW, but closest is either Grapevine or Grand Prairie depending on which side of Ft Worth you're on. You can find them on mmetup.com

[Jason Howell]

Welcome to Fort Worth, Conor! There are a number of local real estate meetings in the area. The one that I attend regularly is DFW REI Club. We meet almost every Saturday with a variety of discussion topics and lots of time to network with other investors. You can find information regarding our next meeting right here on Bigger Pockets: https://www.biggerpockets.com/...

I hope to see you there.

[Alex Breshears]

Hi Conor!

As a military spouse, I have moved 19 times in 21 years, so I feel your struggle in a very real way.  Growing your professional network in the beginning is going to be a lot of legwork. Going to networking events, maybe through your local chamber of commerce or even just professional meetups where your ideal client might be is a great start.  Go in with offering value. Don't look at everyone with a bullseye for another transaction.  Offer insight from your side of the table, maybe things they haven't thought of yet, be that information source for them. As they come up with more questions, or they also run into someone who asked them about the service, they can reach back into their memory and think "Hey I talked to Conor about this two weeks ago". Read up on being a servant leader.  People want to work with other people they know, like and trust. So if you are going to say you will do something, then actually follow through and do it. If you say you will get them a quote by the end of the day, then make that a priority.

As far as online presence, you can start publishing to your member blog here on BiggerPockets, develop a following on social media by updating a business page regularly, attend some virtual networking events on LinkedIn, or even look on Meetup.com for any local meet ups of interest.  I've met people who were interested in private lending at a Jeep rally. lol. Turns out those are expensive buggers to keep going, so the group as a whole tends to have some money, and I went as a guest to one of my friends with a jeep. We got stuck, the other couple pulled us out, and we got to talking.  He now invests as a private lender like I do! So realistically it doesn't even have to be a professional networking space. Go have fun, embrace the things that interest you and you will meet people organically that way as well. If it feels like a chore, it may be best to hire a social media manager, or an assistant that can field appointments for you to chat with people over Zoom or look for groups of interest to network.  

Lastly, in all these situations, consistency is key. You won't have people flock to you because of one post on one Facebook business page. Showing up consistently to in person events, posting regularly, publishing informational content will definitely reap rewards over time. Just do a little bit every single day, people are noticing whether they contact you or not. Eventually they will see your name enough times that they will reach out when they have a question about it.

And marketing is not just shotgun and see what sticks. Do some analysis on what you bring to the table that others in your field or area won't.  Do you have a fast turn around time, high touch customer service, a different way of structuring things, different connections you can put them into contact with.  Then market the heck out of that. You don't want to be the same as everyone else, establish what you stand for, and then get on your soap box and tell the world! 

[Alicia Marks]

@Alex Breshears is bringing truth all over the forums this week! Thanks for showing others how to both connect AND bring great value!