Regular readers of our REVStaffing blog know that we focus a lot of time and energy on getting our clients successfully ramped up and firmly positioned in their use of social media. And while the needs differ from one client to the next, but the bottom line is always the same: We work hard to make you THE local expert.

If you’ve been holding off on getting started with social media, here’s our advice: Don’t wait any longer. Social media isn’t going away – it’s getting bigger. And it can be one of YOUR greatest marketing assets as you head into 2019…if you make it work for you.

The best part? Social media is, for the most part, free. Yes, there are fees associated with some things…and there are things for which you’ll probably want to pay a small monthly fee (like a public Active Rain account). But you don’t have to pay to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, and they’ve been proven time and time again to be among the best (free) marketing tools at your disposal.

There are a lot of myths surrounding the use of social media. These include the idea that social media is overwhelming, and you have to spend hours and hours every week keeping things up to date. Or you may have heard that it’s a waste of time, and doesn’t really generate results. A lot of people think that there’s no way of gauging your success.

We get it. Myths are generated when people are uncomfortable with something, and need excuses for not dispelling their discomfort by learning about the thing they fear. REVStaffing wants you to know that there’s nothing to fear in the prudent use of social media! The savvy and timely use of social media isn’t hard, especially with REVStaffing’s crew in your corner. You are in total control of when, where and how you use it. We do it all for you, and you reap the rewards.

Whether you’re already a REVStaffing client or considering becoming one, you know that we’re dedicated to helping you to grow and nurture your successful business. We encourage you to fill out our free needs analysis; we’ll be happy to discuss ALL of your unique business needs! And be sure to visit our website, and “like” us on Facebook.

Bookmark this page to return for regular updates. If you need assistance in the meantime, please contact us by email at info@revstaffing.com or phone at 855-738-7821, X700.

Recently, the I’d Rather Be Writing blog addressed the subject. They quoted Scott Abel, who put it perfectly: “In order to develop an active and engaged audience, you have to publish as much interesting and informative content as possible — as often as possible!” Scott noted the incredibly short shelf-lives of tweets and blog posts. The fact is, you have to keep publishing all the time:

“… Add to the mix the sheer volume of information on socially-enabled sites around the digital globe, and you’ll soon realize the best strategy for getting noticed is to publish as often as possible, 24 hours a day, especially if you are trying to reach a global audience.”

So how do you decide? First, you need to understand the difference in terms. A content creator is someone who identifies their audience’s needs, then moves to meet those needs by creating original and highly relevant content. This can be a listing blog, or it can be an informative narrative blog. When you create useful and valuable content, that content is not only absorbed and appreciated, but shared and re-shared – driving your readers right back to you.

A content curator is someone who sifts through the Web to find and deliver the most relevant content for their intended audience. A thoughtful content curator is more than just a broadcaster of information. In our marketplace, a content curator can regularly broadcast status updates – information about their market that’s useful and informative to their target audience.

The idea is to position yourself as a trusted resource online. Start by formulating a content strategy. Whether you are creating or curating, you can be sure that the content you share is valuable and useful to your intended audience.

When it’s time to choose your mode of operation, take your time and be open to the possibilities. Our social media specialists at REVStaffing can show you how you can expertly balance created content with curated content. Remember, the more you share ANY valuable content about your market, the faster your reputation as your market’s trusted adviser will grow.

REVStaffing‘s virtual assistants are professional users of a vast array of CRM tools. If you’re not yet a client, give us a call for a free needs analysis; we’ll be happy to discuss your unique social media needs! Be sure to visit our website, and “like” us on Facebook..

If you need assistance in the meantime, please contact us by email at info@revstaffing.com or phone at 855-738-7821, extension 700.

Strong Social Media Presence

By creating a Facebook page for your business you can advertise your services and by following a few easy task attract a following. Try using the following tips a guideline and you can learn to drive traffic to your real estate Facebook page more efficiently.

Link Posting to Your Website
In a business Facebook page one of the main purposes is to get people to use your services. You want to direct your followers to your website, this is done by link posting around your page. By posting links on your page to specific pages on your website saves your followers time by going directly to that area in your website.

Make Followers Experience Personal
You want to keep your followers coming back so it is always good interact as much as possible. You should initiate conversations with open ended questions such as “What do you look for in a home?”, and create questionnaires or quizzes on your page.  These things allow your followers to become involved and continue visiting your page and website. You should also join in on conversation, respond to feeds that is related to your business and be sure that you reply to your follower’s questions and comments on your Facebook page.

Create Interest with Visuals
By integrating pictures, videos, and interactive content with your post. By doing this regularly keeps your followers interested and informed, it also breaks up to the having too much text. Post your links with attractive pictures of homes and their surrounding area to entice your followers to see what other homes that you have listed on your website.

Share Content on all Platforms
On your Facebook page and your website make sure that you make use of share plug-ins, so your followers can link from one to the other to access information on both easily. You should also connect with any other social media pages (Pinterest, Twitter, etc.) that you have to fully reach a wider online audience.

It’s a competitive market out there so let REVStaffing get you ahead of the game. Start preparing now.

Call REVStaffing today at 855-738-7821 or visit our website at www.revstaffing.com.

If you would like to discuss any possibly need you may have and would like REVStaffing’s assistance, click here to schedule an appointment.

Are you curious about what works on YouTube?

The first thing marketers need to consider is what they’re going to do on YouTube: what they will talk about and the brand’s message. To figure out the content strategy, come up with potential video titles, using the 5 Ws: who, what, why, where, when and how.

Start with “who” and make a list of the big names in your industry. Then, go over to “what.” What is the best way to do something, as it pertains to your business? Work your way down the rest of the list to get a full range of ideas for your videos. Come up with the biggest questions asked by your audience and answer them in video.

The types of videos you make should be specific to your company or industry. If there’s someone who’s comfortable on camera as your spokesperson, that’s great, since communicating eyeball to eyeball is the best way to build a relationship with your audience. If there’s no one to participate on camera, just use audio and graphics.

Mistakes marketers make with YouTube

The first thing professionals cautions against is using YouTube as a compilation channel, a holding ground for every video you’ve ever made. For instance, you may have a couple of Q&A videos with your staff, an old commercial and some home video of the company picnic. All of these videos have low views, and there’s no real cohesive strategy.

The second is the violation of what is referred to as the 3 Ps: Platform, Purpose and People.

Marketers often violate the Platform when they repurpose their non-YouTube video content (Google hangouts, Meerkat videos or portrait videos) for YouTube.

Repurposing leads to a violation against People. YouTubers want to engage with your content, comment and be a part of your community. When you repurpose, such as putting Meerkat videos on YouTube, you’re telling your audience they don’t care enough to create content for them.

Monetization of YouTube
It is believed that the point of being on YouTube is to carve out a very specific audience that you can serve through the video medium.

Rather than trying to build a huge channel with millions of views and subscribers, marketers should create a funnel that takes viewers from their video to a clickable link that leads to an opt-in.

You should know the purpose of the video from the beginning. Do you want people to subscribe? To share? Focus on one call to action per video. You might make 10 videos that are all designed to build a list. Then 20 videos that are designed to get new subscribers.

Is your purpose to drive sales? Several YouTubers sell to their subscribers or a non-subscriber base through both in-display ads and pre-roll ads. Both options are 10-second ads that appear in front of the video that’s queued for viewing.

If you use YouTube ads, you need to remember to focus on selling one product. Then target the ad’s delivery through the ad system to push your video out to a prequalified audience.

Click HERE to schedule an appointment!

If you need help creating and publicizing your videos contact REVStaffing at 855.738.7821 X700. Or if your schedule is hectic, as most realtors are, schedule an introductory meeting at you convenience.

The show doesn’t stop once you click Finish and Post in your Facebook Live broadcast. While your video post can reach far and wide on Facebook, you can push that reach even further after the video has wrapped up.

Upload Your Live Video to YouTube or Vimeo
Once you’ve downloaded your Facebook Live video, you can upload your video to other video hosting sites or channels to reach a wider audience. If you upload it to YouTube, you can even use YouTube’s simple video editing tools to trim your video down to the moment(s) you want to keep and share. Don’t forget to use YouTube’s features to add a branded watermark, action cards, a description, and tags.

Share Your Live Video with Newsletter Subscribers
If your email newsletter could use a shot in the arm, add your Facebook Live video into your next issue.

Video and media consistently boost email marketing performance.

Personify Leadership shot partner interviews at an international conference and later used the Facebook Live videos to inform newsletter subscribers. The company was able to increase credibility by highlighting their key partnerships.

Embed Your Live Video in Your Website or Blog
To see the options to embed, edit, and even schedule an expiration date for your Facebook Live video, go back the Post Details pop-up window and click the Post tab.

Click on the Post tab.

After clicking the Post tab, click on the image of the video to access video options (including downloading the video file).

Then you’ll click on Options so you can view the options for your video post. You can click Embed to copy the code to add an iFrame of the video to your website or blog.

To get an embed code for your Facebook Live video, follow these additional steps to grab an iFrame code for your website or blog.

Facebook Live videos offer excellent repurposing opportunities that you can quickly plug into other social media marketing channels. Live videos are ready and waiting to expand your reach and grow your audience even more.

Let REVStaffing help you to achieve your goals and increase your potential! Complete a complimentary needs analysis survey, send us an email, or call 855.REVS.VA1 today!

*Courtesy of www.socialmediaexaminer.com

Are you using Facebook Live? Do you want more mileage out of your broadcasts?

Reusing your Facebook Live video can help improve your impact and visibility.

In this article, you’ll discover how to download your Facebook Live videos on other social media platforms.

Download from Your Facebook Profile
Facebook Live lets you broadcast a live-stream video from your phone. If you’ve live-streamed a great video you’d like to keep, follow these steps to download the video file from your Facebook:

First, log into Facebook.com and go to your profile.

Next, locate the Videos tab below your profile’s cover photo (along the bottom of the image or in the More drop-down).

Now, click on Videos to see a list of videos you’ve posted to your profile.

Your Facebook profile page is where you can see how your profile appears to other users. Find your videos in the tabs along the bottom of your cover photo.

Next, click on the thumbnail of the Facebook Live video. After the video opens, click on Options (along the bottom of the video) to reveal the menu to download it.

Options for your Facebook Live video include downloading as SD (standard definition) or HD (high definition).

Once you click the Download option, your stand-alone video will open. Right-click on the video and select Save Video As to save the video as an MP4 file to your computer.

Download from Your Facebook Page
If your Facebook page is lively, the steps below are your best route to download your Facebook Live video from your page. Note: You must be an authorized manager on the page to access the options below. Let’s get started!

Once you complete a Facebook Live video from your page, you have a few optimization options to increase the reach and purpose of your post. (The options below are presently only available for Facebook Live videos streamed from a Facebook page.)

First, log into the Facebook page you used for your Facebook Live post. Next, click on the Publishing Tools tab along the top.

Look at the tabs along the top of your Facebook page to select Publishing Tools.

In the left-hand column of tabs, Click on Videos to see a list of your page’s posted videos. Find and click on the Facebook Live video you wish to download.

Look for the Video Details pop-up window. Along the bottom, you’ll see any posts related to your video. Click on the post link to uncover additional optimization and download options for your video.

While the Video Details window provides performance statistics for your Facebook Live video, you need to access the original post to download the video.

In the bottom-right corner of the Post Details pop-up window, find and click on the Edit Post button.

To optimize your Facebook Live video from the Basic tab, add titles, tags, and custom thumbnail images. From the Advanced Tab, you can also choose to allow or prevent your video from being embedded in an external website.

After you’ve shot and posted your Facebook Live video, go to the Edit Video box to optimize your broadcast for searches and viewers.

In addition, you can upload a Closed Captioning file to your video for access by the hearing-impaired.

Next, look for the gear icon above the top-right corner of your video’s image. Click the gear icon and select which version you want to download.

In addition to selecting download options for your Facebook Live video, don’t forget to optimize your video using the Basic, Captions, and Advanced tabs in the Edit Video box.

Let REVStaffing help you to achieve your goals and increase your potential! Complete a complimentary needs analysis survey, send us an email, or call 855.REVS.VA1 today!

*Courtesy of www.socialmediaexaminer.com

Do you want to add more video to your YouTube channel? Are you wondering how to develop a content plan for YouTube? By adding the right variety of video to your YouTube channel is ideal for driving conversions and engagement.

In this article, you’ll discover 5 types of YouTube video to add to your business channel.

Create a Featured Video to Tell Viewers What They’ll Find on Your YouTube Channel

Have you ever visited a business’s website to find there wasn’t an About Us page and you had trouble figuring out what they’re all about? Many people click away when they can’t figure out where to find that information. You don’t want that to happen on your site, nor on your YouTube channel.

Channel introduction videos are the best way to tell new visitors about your business and the content you’re sharing on YouTube. In your video, welcome users to your channel and let them know what you do. Unfortunately, plenty of businesses with otherwise amazing channels forget to use intro videos.

When you introduce your YouTube channel, keep the video short, between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. Include content that’s as evergreen as possible so you don’t have to worry about updating the video constantly, although you should check every six months to make sure it’s still relevant.

For example, the Cartooning 4 Kids How to Draw channel introduces itself in just 35 seconds. The video highlights what the channel has to offer (tutorials, daily lessons, and contests). It also explains that you don’t need any drawing skills and you can find challenges to develop your skills if you like. The video then ends with a call to action.

You should include branding on your introduction video. For example, feature your logo in the corner or as the opening thumbnail. Keep the format and visual template of this video consistent with everything else on your channel.

Make Educational Videos to Explore Focused Topics
Educational videos, like tutorials, offer viewers immediate value. Tutorials can technically fit into this category, but educational content isn’t limited to how-to videos. For example, instead of making a video tutorial on “How to teach your dog to sit,” you could make a video that explains, “Why you should adopt a pet.”

Because educational videos are so information-dense, they must address one very specific topic and stay focused. Brevity is definitely an advantage with this type of video. Make the video long enough that it’s thorough, but not so long that it feels like a lecture. For more information, refer viewers to a blog post or lead magnet that’s designed to capture lead information.

Answering questions your customers have asked is a great way to generate an educational video your followers will want to see, as illustrated in the example below.

Shoot On-Location to Give Fans an Inside Look at Your Business
Behind-the-scenes content is extremely popular on social media sites including YouTube. This type of video thrives on the transparency and authenticity that today’s customers crave.

When creating behind-the-scenes YouTube videos, make sure you have a purpose for the video. You can show off the new office space or demonstrate how a product is made. With a specific, brief topic, you can tell an engaging story and share insight or “insider knowledge.” In this way, behind-the-scenes content can help you shape how customers see you and your products.

In a behind-the-scenes video, featuring charismatic employees can help build the face of your company. To build rapport with your audience, choose someone who’s comfortable on camera and is naturally likable.

Design a Promo Video to Support a Marketing Campaign Launch
Most businesses start or are involved with a campaign at some point, whether it’s a promotional campaign like a social contest or partnering with a nonprofit for a fundraiser. Campaign kickoff YouTube videos are an effective way to announce your campaign and introduce it to your audience.

Keep your kickoff video under 2 minutes. In that time, tell people why they need to care immediately and pique their interest. Videos are a great choice for evoking an emotional response. Whether you want to generate excitement or pull at the heartstrings, make sure everything in the video targets that feeling.

Final Thoughts
Your YouTube channel can offer a wealth of exposure, leads, and even conversions, but businesses need to use the platform differently than users. This means the types of videos you create and share must be different than the always-sought-after “viral video.” All businesses on YouTube should use a combination of these five types of videos for best results.

Need help staying in contact with all the leads that will soon be coming your way? REVStaffing can gladly assist you with those tasks!

Let REVStaffing help you to achieve your goals and increase your potential! Complete a complimentary needs analysis survey, send us an email, or call 855.REVS.VA1 today!

*Courtesy of www.socialmediaexaminer.com

Women in the U.S. were granted the right to vote on August 26, 1920.  That’s when the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was signed into law.

The woman suffrage amendment was actually first introduced to the U.S. Congress in 1978, but took 42 years before it received approval from both the House of Representatives and Senate.

In 1971, Congresswoman Bella Abzug introduced a resolution designating August 26 of each year as Women’s Equality Day.

 Every president has made a proclamation for Women’s Equality Day since 1972.

Need help with your real estate business? Give us a call at REVStaffing today at 855-738-7821, or visit our website at www.revstaffing.com.

If you want to find out how REVStaffing can help you with your real estate business, click here to schedule an appointment.

Everyone agrees that increasing consumer protection is a desirable goal. Nevertheless, the unforeseen ripple effects from these changes could seriously disrupt how the closing process is conducted.

The most serious issues that will result from the new changes handed down by the CFPB: The new rules will require a new three-day waiting period when there are any changes in the TRID forms. The recommendation is to allow an extra 15 days to close your transactions. In other words, 30-day contracts will now require 45 days, and 60-day contracts will require 75 days.

A change of this magnitude is going to create unexpected ripple effects across the industry, not only for agents and clients, but for mortgage and title professionals, too. What can you do to be prepared?

First, make sure you attend a TRID training as soon as possible.

Second, if you’re a broker-owner, own a Mortgage Company, or Title Company, take steps to change your documentation to the new system as soon as it becomes available.

Third, associations and other companies that provide contracts to the industry must have the new forms ready to go well before Aug. 1, 2015. This also means that agents and brokers will have to be trained on these new forms, over and above what is required by TRID.

It could be a tough transition at first. What will be particularly thorny are transactions closing in late July. If they fail to close by Aug. 1, 2015, how will they be handled? Does entirely new documentation have to be drawn? How long will the delays be?

As we move closer to the August 1st date change, advise your clients that there will be unexpected delays in obtaining loan approval, potential changes in the documentation during the transaction, and a host of problems we probably can’t even begin to imagine. Start preparing now.

Call REVStaffing today at 855-738-7821 or visit our website at www.revstaffing.com.

If you would like to discuss any possibly need you may have and would like REVStaffing’s assistance, click here to schedule an appointment.

**Courtesy of inman.com and Bernice Ross

You will likely spend several hours together reviewing the background information for each client, where you are in the process, and what the next steps are. You will need to communicate directly with each client and answer his or her questions and concerns. You will have to write notes and add them to the files in case questions arise while you are away.

Wow, this seems like a bit of a headache…. Right?

Or, you could call REVStaffing. While you are resting and relaxing, we will be busy working behind the scenes on your behalf. Tending to the details of your business while you are worry free. Our team will burst into action, providing you with immediate support giving you peace of mind assistance for every project.  
 
Our REVStaffing Professional Real Estate Virtual Assistants (PREVAs) are highly skilled in transaction coordination, blogging and advanced social media.  We utilize all of the top tools to process your required tasks, efficiently and effectively.  We are a Top Producer 8i certified company and in addition, we work with the tools our clients subscribe to including e-Edge, Max Avenue, Point2 Agent, Active Rain, MyRedTools, Leadstreet, LinkedIn, LoopNet, Postlets, PowerSites, RainMaker, Real Estate Tomato, WiseAgent, Basecamp, Highrise, Ixact Contact, and many others.
 

For more detailed information, click on the link “How Virtual Can Be Vital To My Business” which explains virtual assistance; the advantages and disadvantages of both Virtual Assistants and in office assistants. So you can take that much needed break, and leave the worrying to REVStaffing. We are even available at a moments notice if there is a one time or multiple tasks.