In just under two decades (about the same period that blogs have been around) I’ve created content, helped to develop concepts and ideas for a variety of blogs in several industries, fields and areas. Property, finance, travel, food, design, fashion — and those are just my favourites! And yet the blog is often not included in the creative brief. The discussions about blogs and blogging comes as a value-add, often at the tail end of onboarding and proposals. Sometimes there are suggestions for additional content, a new direction, or strategy for resuscitating a blog that has been abandoned for some time and in need of TLC.

One of our greatest strengths over here is our ability to add value by contributing ideas, copy and refreshed content for the client blogs is one of my best skills and abilities. We ask detailed questions about blogs during my onboarding, within the three documents that we use as part of that process. It began as a one-page document of five or six questions a decade and a half ago; today we ask thirty-five questions over three questionnaires to determine suitability, plan of action, tone of voice and strategy. If the client has given some thought to messaging it won’t take much time or effort. If you haven’t worked with a freelancer, it might seem a little invasive, but the process starts with a pointed question:

1. So, what’s your story?

It makes sense, doesn’t it? By nature, a blog is supposed to be an informal, conversational and timely addition to you or your organisation’s portfolio of owned media. It can include profiles, interviews, and journal-style posts to share news, make time-sensitive announcements and help to paint a broader portrait of your CSR, environmental stance, mission, vision and diversity policy. A blog is your story.

“Through blogging, your company can build goodwill, attract new business, improve customer relations, enhance your brand, recruit the best employees, weather a crisis and build support for initiatives.” — Shel Holtz

Content, whether generated in-house or by someone like yours-truly, is valuable because it can easily be repurposed for social media with a little retooling (informal for Facebook, 280 characters for Twitter, professional/formal for LinkedIn).

So, what is your story? What’s your message? Is that ethos reflected in your online identity?

Those are just three of the thirty-five or so questions that we like to ask when getting to know you. They are also the sort of questions that we encourage you to ask yourself and your team when collaborating on your brand’s messaging, content, and copy. That’s what we do. We help leaders like you and your teams to craft and polish your messaging, and your stories.

The seasoned property professional’s mantra is universal: location, location, location — but with the wealth and variety of competing marketing platforms, there’s another golden rule to consider: Twitter, Twitter, Twitter. The Cayman Islands boasts an enviable number of real estate companies (almost as many as property options) that use this social network to find new clients and reach existing ones more effectively — and while real estate agents have joined the ranks in droves, Twitter remains an untapped, underused and largely unexploited opportunity. The reasons to complement your existing online marketing and PR with Twitter are that the platform offers ease-of-use, is simple, cost effective, and requires brevity and succinct content.

Twitter is a social media platform that allows users to share information and ideas with others. The company’s main focus is on real-time short text posts, called tweets. Tweets are restricted to 280 characters and can be sent from the account holder’s mobile device or computer. The word tweet originates from an old English term meaning to utter a soft, low sound. This definition describes how people use Twitter by sending out a message to their followers. One of the most popular features of this app is its search function which enables you to find and track specific keywords related to your interests. In addition, it enables you to follow other users so you will receive updates when they send out new messages. These benefits make Twitter perfect for real estate agents, developers, and brokerage houses as well as anyone who is looking to somehow market property sales or services. Here are five reasons why you should use Twitter if you’re a Cayman Islands property marketer.

1) Boost your Search Rankings

If you’re trying to boost your search rankings, Twitter is among the easiest means to help you, your company or brokerage get found on search engines — and fast. it’s important to think about what keywords people might be using to find your business. In the case of real estate, relevant keywords and hashtags might include Cayman Islands property or Cayman real estate, or simply #caymanislands. If you’re working on a blog post, promoting a new listing, or other content that will be published online, be sure to include these keywords, then post the URL to Twitter with one or two well-chosen #hashtags.

2) Find Potential Buyers

It’s not going to come as much of a surprise that most of your potential buyers are going to browse for properties or agents using a combination of social media and search engines. If you want to find more buyers, sellers, or prospective clients then you need to be there too, in the middle of the action. There are a number of ways that you can use Twitter as part of your real estate marketing strategy. For example, one way is by establishing an account and tweeting about property sales that you have going on in the area. You could also retweet posts from other people who are sharing information about sales or trends happening in your local or regional property market as part of your overall content marketing strategy. One of our clients prefers to post little more than images and descriptions of beautiful interiors, liveable communities or desirable locations. This has more than achieved his desired outcomes for nearly a decade.

3) Create Local Exposure

Whether you’re a new real estate agent looking to stand out from the crowd, or an established brokerage trying to get your name in front of more potential buyers and sellers, there are plenty of reasons why you should be using Twitter. Facebook is practically saturated with brokers, agencies, and listings and while still busy, Twitter is largely untapped.

4) Gain International Exposure

The platform also offers excellent international exposure since tweets can be found and read all over the world, making it a low-cost way to market internationally with little effort. You can also take advantage of geo-targeting and target people who are interested in specific locations with tailored messaging that they may not otherwise receive elsewhere on the Internet. As an example, let’s say you wanted to show how close your vacation home is to Grand Cayman’s golf courses, George Town, or Seven Mile Beach. Effective content marketing and well-written content can address this and in less than 280 characters. Target your Marketing!

5) Develop your Thought Leadership

A cursory look at Twitter, its users and experts will reveal accounts owned and managed by both industry experts you know, and thought leaders you wish you knew! If you want your property marketing campaign to go beyond the borders of your local market, then using social media is a must and if you’re marketing properties in the Cayman Islands then using Twitter is an exceptionally bright idea. Its 280-character limit makes it perfect for hashtags and short updates about real estate. The platform also offers excellent international exposure since tweets can be read all over the world, making it a low-cost way to market internationally with little effort or cost. Now go ahead. Be sure to tailor your content by targeting those who have expressed interest in topics related to what you offer by using the appropriate #hashtag.

You don’t even need a huge following on twitter to gain exposure. There will always be sellers looking to upgrade or downsize (even in softer markets) and some buyers are always looking for new properties. These groups do most if not all of their research online before making decisions about property purchases. Not having a large number of followers on twitter won’t make much difference when it comes time for buying/selling a home.

Finally, be sure to share your wealth and depth of deep knowledge on markets, areas, projects and communities to position yourself as the thought leader that you are. No time or resources to create content for your LinkedIn Page? No matter! We create original content based on methodical qualitative research, designed to enhance your personal brand. And that’s not all! Looking for ideas for your blog, content strategy, or books on written communication? Visit this Recommended Reading List of 200 books.

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