LinkedIn: Your secret weapon for landing listings

It seems like every business owner and their dog has an opinion about which social media platform gets the best results for business marketing. The truth is quite simple - there are pros and cons to each, but Linkedin stands out from the pack. It is one of the most underrated platforms for real estate agents to build their brand, and generate high-quality leads that convert.

Let’s explore what makes LinkedIn the mythical dark horse of social media and your new secret weapon.

It’s literally designed for business.

Ironically enough, one of the more common arguments against LinkedIn being an effective tool for real estate agents is that; ‘It’s a way for businesses to connect - so you most likely won’t find quality leads there.’

Well to say we disagree would be an understatement.

While Facebook and Instagram yield more active users; a majority of people use these platforms to distract themselves from life’s stressors and look for a cheap hit of dopamine.

Meaning that they probably aren’t going to be actively thinking about major life decisions like buying a house.

You could argue that in the same way you wouldn’t start and end your search for a real estate professional solely on Facebook, the very nature of LinkedIn makes it a more credible source for finding professionals.

It also serves as a great touchpoint for potential clients or referrals to learn about your skills, expertise and business - and seal the deal.

Connecting with strangers isn’t creepy - it’s business

If you’re an active LinkedIn user, you will know exactly what we mean by this but for those on the cusp of setting up their profile - hear us out. On Instagram and Facebook, there is nothing more creepy than the shameless ol’ DM slide or friend request from a stranger trying to pitch you an opportunity/scam you.

However, on LinkedIn, it’s common practice and encouraged to add a diverse range of professionals to your network that you don't know personally.

It’s like an online business card exchange with endless opportunities. As there’s no unspoken hierarchy about only connecting with ‘those in your industry or shying away from high-profile leaders and CEOs - you’ll find that a lot of leaders will be open to accepting requests.

This is a great way for you to upskill and learn as a lot of high-quality content and advice is freely shared by business leaders. Another opportunity lies in connecting with professionals that work alongside your profession within your local area - side note: you don’t need LinkedIn Premium to find professionals that are nearby.

Connecting with the likes of local property lawyers, mortgage brokers, financial advisors and architects, creates a network of people that can refer you to potential clients if you demonstrate your strengths and make the effort to engage with them through LinkedIn.

Luxury real estate is one of the hardest and most competitive niches to crack into, no matter how talented of an agent you are.

It’s a space where referrals are the golden gateway to success - but landing your first luxury listing or high net worth client without a foot in the door, is quite often just a pipe dream. This is where the power of LinkedIn is demonstrated in spades. Once you have set up a solid profile - which LinkedIn guides you on creating - you can start connecting with people in these exact circles, and the individuals you eventually want to pitch to.

Many real estate agents end up trapped in the mindset of only targeting first-home buyers - but in reality, there are always opportunities to get your expertise in front of an experienced buyer or investor - which LinkedIn’s features make easy.

Cold outreach just got a whole lot warmer

For cold outreach to have any chance at success, you need to have a way to get an individual’s attention - which our great mate LinkedIn provides.

Once an individual is in your network you can DM them for free. However, if you have your sights set on someone higher up the corporate ladder; signing up for a LinkedIn Premium or Business account is one of the most effective actions you can take.

You’ll get the opportunity to send 5 -10 InMails each month (LinkedIn’s paid messaging feature). Even if it doesn’t sound like a lot, it’s important to remember that the paid messaging caps mean that your message will be one of only a very small handful that your chosen recipient receives, instead of getting lost in an overcrowded inbox.

Think of it as 5 -10 opportunities to make targeted power moves, that are highly likely to be read and responded to - especially if they are personalised and crafted well. Many real estate agents have touted their success from using InMail and crafted a compelling and personalized pitch in their message, which has resulted in landing luxury listings or clients.

Other features of LinkedIn’s paid options include unlimited people searches, competitor data, industry news, analytics, and data. AND - you can also see exactly who has viewed your profile, and create a strategy around interacting and turning visitors into solid leads.

Put the boxing gloves away - you no longer need to fight to be seen.

LinkedIn is essentially what Facebook was 7-8 years ago when it comes to selling and, effective organic reach. Nowadays, lead generation on FB and Instagram sits on a spectrum between ‘bloody hard’ and ‘damn near impossible.

This is because i’’s an oversaturated mess of too many active users, a heavily biased algorithm and an utter battle to get eyeballs on your content. To add insult to injury; creating a quality social media presence on these platforms involves a huge time (and quite often money) investment.

Creating blogs, stories, infographics, designs, videos and captions is laborious and it’s become commonplace to receive zero organic engagement - which can be super disheartening.

Anything short of an aggressive bombardment of content isn’t going to get engagement. However, that in itself will end up alienating and tiring your audience and Facebook’s lovely algorithm will learn that people dislike your content and you are back to the bottom of the pile. Side note - Facebook isn’t all doom and gloom - there’s still potential for results over time - but it’s a very competitive space with maximum work for minimal reward a lot of the time.

Back to LinkedIn - With far fewer humans trying to impress the same audience - and not having to go up against viral reels, meme wars and puppies, LinkedIn will get you a much higher rate of engagement than all other platforms - especially if you are posting high-quality content.

An opportunity to position yourself as a leader.

In the majority of business practices, you’ll find that 20% of your outreach efforts will result in producing 80% of your revenue. The application of the Pareto principle is, quite unsurprisingly, true for LinkedIn, in that the vast majority of users are consuming content, but NEVER posting it for themselves. They also never reach out to anyone, except to connect.

This means that there’s a powerful opportunity to position yourself as a leader in a real estate niche within your local area. As if you do regularly post content, use hashtags and publish a  mix of content post types, you will be much more likely to have your content seen by people on LinkedIn.

There are three core elements that need to be in play for this strategy to work.

1)  Pick a niche area of real estate you feel passionate about and confident writing content about on a regular basis. This could be weekly market changes roundup; content that is specific to first home buyers in your local area; practical tips for increasing the value of your home before selling it - and so on. LinkedIn rewards action like this - and building a community around a certain post.

One of the many LinkedIn real estate success stories we came across was US-based real estate agent  Kathleen Callen. She wrote a regular content piece called “Real Estate Thoughts for Friday” and gained a highly engaged audience - as well as a direct client conversion from a reader that reached out - resulting in closing a multi-million dollar deal. Kath also shares mortgage updates & advice as well as market trends to stick more to the business side as her niche.

2) Build networks of influential people in your local area whilst positioning yourself as a local real estate authority and considered a “go-to” for your expertise.

3) Communicating how you operate within your business consistently is an opportunity for people to fall in love with how you do business. Remember showing is much more powerful than telling.

Parting thoughts: A single chess move

Let’s say you were allowed to do only one marketing activity, that would yield the most powerful reach and results for your business.  

If marketing were a game of chess, a post on Facebook, a flyer drop in rural Auckland, and an Instagram story are all the equivalent of taking out your chess opponent's pawn.

Investing time into your LinkedIn profile on the other hand and creating quality engagements - that, my friends is a straight-up checkmate.