➡️ REPURPOSE YOUR INSTAGRAM POSTS AS BLOGS!
But hold up -- doesn’t Google penalize your site’s SEO for duplicate content? Short answer: 𝗡𝗢𝗣𝗘.
Granted, what Google does say is that if you syndicate your content across other sites (like LinkedIn Articles, for instance), it’ll rank the version it thinks is most appropriate in given search—which may or may not be the site/version you want to rank. Nonetheless, as far as your SEO is concerned, it’s no harm; no foul.
Here’s the thing though… when was the last time you saw an individual Instagram post rank in a Google Search? You didn’t! (That’s my point :D)
Sure, Instagram profiles rank all the time—but not posts. Now obviously, if any social account is set to private, then its content isn’t indexed by Google. But with Instagram, it doesn’t technically matter whether an account is set to private or public—it still doesn’t index (more or less). And the reason is because Instagram essentially shrouds its content in JavaScript, and, as a result, Google doesn’t crawl it properly.
However, other social platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube will index individual posts/videos in Google search results. (Well, mostly—it’s kind of hit or miss.)
Nevertheless—given all the effort that goes into making content for social—why not get more out of it by publishing blogs with each and every post⁉️Embed the videos, attach the images, copy/paste the caption text, and build your SEO.
Simple Instagram Algorithm Tip to Get More Reach and Engagement
Instagram deploys an algorithm to determine the Posts, Stories, IGTVs, and Reels its users see in their respective feeds. That algorithm, in general, considers the following factors:
1️⃣ Historical Relationship: IG personalizes your feed based on your past interactions w/ other IG users: Likes, Saves, Comments, Shares, Views, Swipes, Messages, etc.
2️⃣ Interest & Format Preferences: IG monitors the subjects (e.g. sports, humor, etc.) that commonly elicit your reactions (e.g. likes, saves, etc.) as well as the types of posts (e.g. stories, carousels, short, or long vids, etc.) w/ which you most frequently engage.
3️⃣ Timeliness/Recency: recently published posts and/or stories always get an extra lift—algorithmically speaking.
4️⃣ Post Popularity: posts/stories with more engagement (e.g. likes, comments, etc.) are awarded higher algorithmic priority—duh! 🙄.
Technically, IG applies different algorithms on each of its different feeds: Home, Stories, Reels, and Explore. The Reels and Explore feeds are much more interest-based. So think hashtags and location-tags by which users can discover content they care about.
The Home and Stories feeds tend to be more relationship-dependent. So here’s the simple tip: if you wanna prime your followers to see your posts/stories in their respective feeds—be the first to engage!
Go on the offense and DM them, view their stories, comment, save, like, and share their posts! Remember, reciprocity is human nature. They’ll reply to your comments, they’ll DM you back—and when they do—Instagram’s gonna prioritize your content.
Resolve to become a conversation starters and the algorithm will essentially hand you a mic 🎤 For example…
A. Reply to EVERY comment (ASAP)
B. Initiate 10+ comments a day AND share someone else’s post to your stories
C. DM-reply a “thanks for sharing!” message to anyone/everyone who shared your post to their stories.
D. Send a DM reply to anyone who interacts with a story sticker (e.g. polls, quizzes, countdowns, etc.)
NEW UPDATE!! Paid Advertising on Instagram Reels
Ads for #instagramreels! Yup—they’ve arrived!
Just like Story ad placements display in the Stories Feed, Reels ads show in the Reels Feed.
Reels are already best spot on Instagram to reach non-followers -- now multiply that with ads! 📈
To get started:
1. Open your Facebook Ads Manager and create a new campaign. FYI, not every campaign objective is enabled for Reels ads. Currently, you can select from Brand Awareness, Reach, Traffic, App Installs, Video views, or Conversions. And, bear in mind, some of those objectives often let you modify when you get charged from Impressions to a CPA (cost-per-action). Just a heads up, such options may be prohibited.
2. Follow your normal ad-setup procedures. For example, declare your Special Ad Category (e.g. Housing)—if applicable. At the Ad Set level, specify your budget, schedule, custom audiences, location parameters, and so forth.
3. When you make It to the Placements box, tap the “Manual Placements,” and uncheck everything except for the Reels destination.
4. Move on to the Ad Creative level and either choose an existing video or upload one. It needs to be a vertical (i.e. 9:16 aspect ratio) video with a runtime of up to 30 seconds.
5. Add or modify your caption and, at your choice, insert a CTA (call-to-action): “Learn More,” “Sign Up,” “Download,” et al.
6. Finally, press the Publish button and you’re all done!
Hashtag #ReelEstate (get it? 😆) — go get them views!
Simple Tips to Get More Inbound Customer Calls and Website Visits (for Real Estate Agents)
Let’s be candid: the home buying/selling process begins on Google.
“Best real estate agent in {CITY}”
“Selling a {CITY} home in 2021”
“Homes for sale nearby”
On-and-on the queries go. And these days Google’s doubling-down on 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹-𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀. Whenever Google infers a searcher is looking for something (geographically) local:
🏧 Nearby ATM
🌮 Delicious tacos
🏡 Resident REALTOR®
… it’ll display Google My Business (GMB) listings. And whether that search goes down on Google.com or via Google Maps, it’s all fueled by GMB.
(My point being, if you’re not currently treating your GMB with the utmost care—suffice it to say—you oughta 😇.)
Today’s video is concentrated on ONE simple (and critical) step to greatly improving your GMB’s performance -- as in more clicks and calls! That step: PHOTOS 📸.
In fact, a (relatively) recent BrightLocal study found that GMBs w/ 100+ photos produced 520% more inbound, customer calls AND generated 1,065% more website clicks. So add away :D
Vary your images: headshots, lifestyle photos, behind-the-scenes, in-the-field, with-your-team, listings and more!
Kindly ask key customers if they’d be willing to upload a photo of your biz. Those photos get marked as, “By customer.”
While there’s debate over what underlying data Google does or doesn’t consider SEO-wise, I’d recommend pulling all the stops nonetheless: keyword-titling the file name, adding geo-tags and ALT text (**here’s a video guide to reference: bit.ly/JP-Geo-Tag), and, once the image is uploaded in GMB, list its category: “at work” or “team.” IMO, the more you give Google, the more it gives you!
GMB photos crop/format differently depending on where viewed: mobile VS. desktop, maps VS. search. So upload some photos in landscape and others with square dimensions.
Google decides which photo to display as your, quote-unquote, “Profile Image.” That said, you can mark the pic you prefer as your listing’s “Cover.” There’s no guarantee it’ll always display as your primary image, but it should get some amount of prioritization. You can also designate a “Logo.”
Last thing: get your GMB verified.
5 Easy Instagram Video (for Real Estate Agents) to Make Today
Let’s talk video! Here’s a list of quick-and-easy V-I-D-E-O-S to film and publish on Insta: Reels, IGTV, livestreams, and more!
**I said SIX in the video. Whoops! 😅 I meant FIVE. I’ve added an extra one below**
1. QUICK ANSWERS. Make a list of common (even technical) real estate questions and answer away! Record a bunch at once, edit them into individual posts, and drip ‘em out weekly. These types of vids make for great Reels, so film vertically. Also, as you’re clipping them together in IG’s built-in editing tool, try adding text overlays—it’ll improve performance.
2. PRO TIPS. Answering questions is one thing; giving advice is another! While Quick Answers are likely to be smartphone-filmed, perhaps Pro Tips could be a notch up in quality -- “low-grade” VS. “pro-grade.” Showcase your skills, experience, and competence as the local real estate authority.
3. LIVE “WITH” BROADCASTS. Grab a buddy and go LIVE ⏺ For many, the idea of pressing the “𝑳𝒊𝒗𝒆” button on IG is downright terrifying 😱 Welp, it’s far less intimidating when you’ve got a co-host w/ you. Demonstrate your industry connectedness by way of live-streaming with fellow, out-of-market agents. Compare/contrast your area versus their’s and discuss the overall market. When you’re done, post the replay to IGTV.
4. WHAT $___ GET’S YOU IN ____. Because home values have been rising so rapidly, when it comes to purchasing power, lots of buyers don’t know what their money 💰 will get ‘em. So be the informant! Get any/all required consent and then grab your phone and start recording some home tours. Film ‘em vertically so they’re right for Reels.
5. MARKET UPDATE/PREDICTION VIDS. How many times a day does someone ask you, “HOW’S THE MARKET?” I’m guessing a bunch! Today, why not give your answer ON VIDEO 🤳Conduct your analysis, report the facts, and explain what it all means to the future of your local housing market.
6. SNIPPETS/CHOPS. Get your video editor (or try Fiverr) to dig through all your other videos (ref. list above) and look for short clips/excerpts to repurpose as additional content. You can’t have too much content! Aim for 15- to 30-second edits, ideal for Reels and/or Stories.
How to Format IGTV and Instagram Reels “Cover Photos”
Instagram Cover Photos (a.k.a. “thumbnails”) are the preview-images associated with your IGTV uploads and/or your Reels. And they’re tricky to format properly!
In some cases, you’re able to upload a separate image file (e.g. PNG) whereas in other cases you can only select a frame from within the video itself.
Perhaps you’re thinking: “WHO CARES?!” Fair question. Here’s the answer(s):
Covers entice prospective viewers to click-and-watch a subject video.
Covers help to keep your IG Profile Grid looking sharp.
As I’m typing/filming this, Instagram currently offers four (4) different video-sharing placements: Feed, Reels, IGTV, and Stories—and they’re all a tad different 😒.
(**FYI, this post doesn’t address Stories**)
FEED
Aspect Ratios: Feed videos offer the most flexibility in terms of accepted video dimensions. 1:1 to 16:9 — that is, square, portrait, landscape, and/or widescreen formats.
Runtime: Uploads must be at least one (1) second long (e.g. a GIF) and up to a max of 60 seconds.
Cover: Feed videos don’t offer an option to upload a separate image file (PNG, JPEG, et al.) as a cover photo. One could, however, drop a cover photo (a.k.a. “thumbnail”) into the video file itself while editing. That way you could drag your finger over the scroll bar and select it manually.
REELS
Aspect Ratios: Instagram Reels are intended for mobile viewing. Hence, they require a 9:16, vertical aspect ratio. Basically, hold your phone upright, point, and tap record.
Runtime: Uploads may not exceed 30 seconds in duration.
Cover: Select a frame out of the video file itself OR upload a custom-designed, vertical cover photo. That image file must be vertical—i.e., 9:16.
IGTV
Aspect Ratios: IGTV also offers some flexibility in terms of video dimensions—similar to Feed videos. It’ll take landscape, widescreen, portrait, and/or vertical videos.
Runtime: Uploads must be longer than a minute and up to 15 minutes (when uploaded via a mobile device). Videos can run for up to 60 minutes when uploaded via the web.
Cover: Same as with Reels, just select a frame out of the video file itself OR upload a custom-designed cover photo. That image file should be vertical—i.e., 9:16. I’ll explain why later on…
Free PDF Download
I’ve put together a quick visual aid to help demonstrate the ideal aspect ratios and dimensions for formatting Instagram Cover Photos so that they display properly when viewed across the app. Fill out the form below to download the PDF.
The Common Issue:
If you opt to share your Reel or IGTV upload to the Feed—and you definitely should!—the cover photo placeholder on your profile grid expects a 1:1, square aspect ratio. That means it’s gonna cut-off the top and bottom portions of your vertical thumbnail image, displaying only the centermost square section of it.
Candidly, it looks sloppy. Text and objects bleeding over the edges, sometimes there’s letterboxing—it just looks tacky.
Here’s how you can work around it:
Make sure the portions of your vertical cover photo don’t have important elements (e.g. text, a face, etc.) above or below the top-and-bottom folds.
Like the video demonstrates, create a square cover photo superimposed overtop of a vertical background (a branded watermark, for instance).
Technically, it’s only a single image file. To the naked eye, however, it looks like a square on top of a vertical rectangle. Boom -- now it looks good no matter where it’s viewed.
Improve the Reach and Performance of Facebook and Instagram Posts (How the Algorithms work in 2021)
Wanna improve the reach and performance of your Instagram and Facebook posts? You’ve gotta cater to the algorithm! 🧮
Today’s video is an overview of the algorithmic themes shared mutually between Facebook and Instagram. Technically, for instance, Instagram itself has multiple algorithms (each with slight differences) built into its various feeds: e.g. Home, Explore, Reels, and Stories.
That said, this video is about understanding the primary algorithmic principles governing ALL the feeds—Facebook’s and Instagram’s—so you can plan and publish content that generates results.
1️⃣ Historical Relationship: FB and IG rank content based on the viewer’s documented relationship with the publisher. By “documented,” I’m referring to conduct such as Reactions (e.g. ♥️, 👍, 😡, 😮, etc.), Comments, Saves, Shares, Views, Searches, and/or Messages. So when you engage with them or vice versa, it signals the algorithm to rank future content accordingly. In other words, the best thing you can do to prime followers to see your future posts is by interacting with what they post: DM-ing with them, replying to their Stories, and so forth.
2️⃣ Preferred Interests: the algorithms are designed to give users more of the stuff they like. Both networks deploy fancy tools to discern the subjects/objects of uploaded images and videos: optical recognition, sentiment analysis, etc. That means if you post a picture of a beach 🏖, for instance, the platforms are able to spot it and know exactly to whom to show it in order to drive the most interactions. So get clear on your content topics!
3️⃣ Format Preferences: Instagram and Facebook monitor they types of media with which users tend engage most readily. For instance, some users are more prone to interact with photos or carousels, some may get hooked by livestreams, and others may go bananas 🍌 for short-form, vertical vids. Point is, it’s prudent to vary your content because it’s hard to predict what type(s) of media may rank for a given follower (or non-follower). Mix it up: photos, videos, and more!
Notwithstanding the foregoing, we should all pay attention to recent remarks from Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram. About a week ago he stated that IG isn’t just a square 📸 photo-sharing app. Not that photos will stop being a part of the platform, per se—but more to the effect of how the platform has and will continue to evolve.He said Instagram is focused on four (4) key areas: Creators, Video, Shopping, and Messaging. He also indicated that IG is an “entertainment app” and made direct reference to competitive pressure caused by TikTok. So, in the coming months, they’re going to start giving extra priority to videos—my guess is Reels, in particular—and will also begin recommending “for you” content in the Home Feed versus just in the Explore Feed.
4️⃣ Timeliness/Recency: recently published posts and/or stories always get a bump algorithmically.
In his famous TED Talk, Seth Godin said:
“Every week, the number one best-selling DVD in America changes. It's never "The Godfather," it's never "Citizen Kane," it's always some third-rate movie with some second-rate star. But the reason it’s number one is because that's the week it came out—because it's new, because it's fresh.”
Same principle applies on FB and IG. Your content has better odds of ranking “… because it’s new; because it’s fresh.” It’s just human nature!—meaning, when the content is new, it’s more likely to drive interactions. In fact, I’d argue the first 10 minutes to an hour of a post could be make-or-break in terms of the extent to which the platforms will rank/recommend your content.
5️⃣ 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: when a post (or story) accumulates lots of interactions (e.g. likes, shares, saves, views, comments, etc.), it signals IG and/or FB to extend its reach to a wider audience. In other words, when a post performs, it get’s shown to more people—pure and simple!
All-in-all, it’s important to understand how the platforms rank content—because what’s the point of creating content nobody sees? It’s sort of a game… So learn the rules and play to win!
YouTube In-Stream Ads VS Organic Upload?
Does running an 𝑰𝒏-𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝑻𝒖𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒅 damage or impede the future “organic” performance of an uploaded video? Answer: most likely.
YouTube excels at presenting streamers with videos to watch that it thinks they might be interested in, which is why it’s so critical to optimize your uploads accordingly.
Ultimately, YouTube’s algorithm considers two (2) principal factors: A. Click-Through Rate (CTR) and B. Watch Time (aka, “Audience Retention”).
🅰️ CTR means that when a prospective viewer is shown your video—in a YT search, as a recommended video, or somewhere on YouTube’s homepage, for example—YouTube checks how often viewers click to watch. The more clicks, the better (algorithmically speaking).
🅱️ Watch Time refers to the aggregated time viewers spend watching a video. The longer viewers watch a the video, the better its performance.
With, especially, “Skippable” In-Stream ads (far more cost-effective ad formats than “Non-Skippable,” just FYI), the viewer is given an option to “SKIP AD” after 5 seconds, which, if clicked, ultimately hurts your vid’s CTR. While YouTube analyzes the traffic source of the view—that is, how the viewer found your video (e.g. search, browse features, or via an ad)—whether it was paid or organic doesn’t technically matter from an algorithmic standpoint.
Granted, if your ad’s watch-retention is off-the-charts good, then (theoretically) it shouldn’t be a problem. That’s just not the norm.
Notwithstanding, it’s worth noting that some experts have suggested that videos utilized ads essentially give up the possibility of organic performance over time. In other words, once YouTube learns your willing to pay for performance, then, in a manner of speaking, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚐 𝚒𝚜 𝚞𝚙.
My thought is, if the video is TIME-BOUND, like a monthly market update, for instance, then its hopes of organic performance over time are nonexistent anyhow due to the short-lived nature of its content. So use it for an ad! On the other hand, if the video is TIMELESS, think twice before you run it as an ad.
The Difference Between Creating Content for Social Media and SEO
Did you know that there are two types of content that you can create?
There’s an ongoing debate about whether it’s better to create short-form content or long-form content...
Short-form content for social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram doesn’t get shown past a few hours or couple of days after your followers scroll through them. Sometimes this gets you feeling like you’re on a hamster wheel creating content non-stop!
Long-form content (such as blog posts) for search engines like Google or YouTube, which take advantage of the power of SEO tend to get more reach long-term (sometimes even years!) because there are always people searching for this type of content.
HOWEVER, this is a much more competitive space for content creators especially when it comes to ranking on top of the first page of Google.
Which one would you pick to create?
5 Essential Types of Content You Should Be Creating and Posting on Social Media
It’s common knowledge that agents are supposed to post more videos, post more stories, post at least once a day, etc. - etc.
In fact, there’s no shortage of rules and best practices about "𝙝𝙤𝙬" to post, "𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣" to post, or "𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚" to post, but there’s not nearly as much guidance about "𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩" to post, which, for many agents, is a major pain point.
Your content—pics, vids, graphics, and more—should cover five primary topics, listed below. And you get to decide how often to post in one subject versus another. After all, it’s your brand.
1. Real “Me”
2. Knowledge Broker
3. Hyperlocal
4. Agent BTS
5. Social Proof
Keep up the stellar content, friends 👊
5 Pro Tactics to Increase Your Instagram Story Reach
About a week ago I shared a poll in my Instagram Stories asking whether my followers received more engagement via their Posts or Stories. 75% of respondents answered: STORIES. Granted, that could simply be the result of publishing more Stories than Posts. It wasn’t a scientific survey, after all. But regardless, it’s something to think about.
Fact is, if you want to maximize your reach/results on Instagram—from a content standpoint—it’ll take a combo of Posts and Stories.
To me, Posts are logs 🪵 on the fire ; Stories are its kindling wood. In other words, Stories help to spark the flames of engagement as well as keep the fire burning. (Too cheesy of an analogy, LOL .)
In-between your Posts and when you Post, keep adding Stories. Because each and every time you add a new Story, you refresh back to the top of the Story Feed.
With Stories, it all boils down to the viewer list. Algorithmically speaking, the Story Feed and the Home Feed function similarly but not totally the same. Depending on the size of your phone’s screen, for instance, you can only see a handful of recent Stories until you scroll to the right.
Question is, whose Stories rank in the Feed first? Answer: the users with whom you most interact most frequently (DMs, comments, reactions, and interactions, for example).
So for all intents and purposes, that means when you comment on someone’s Post, for instance, and they reply to your comment (or vice versa), that exchange signals Instagram to (respectively) prioritize your content for that individual whenever you publish new Posts or Stories. The same principle is at work in your DMs too. Have you ever noticed how it tends to be the same handful of users who always view your Stories first? That’s the algorithm at work.
So whenever a user sees your Story, in a way, it’s priming them to see your future Posts too. And every time you add a new Story, it’s another opportunity to be seen. That’s the game and, in my opinion, a big perk of Instagram Stories.
Here are FIVE pro tactics to increase the reach of your Instagram Stories:
Make use of Story Stickers. Stickers are interactive, graphic-designed elements you can lay overtop of the image, video, or background of your Story: polls, questions, quizzes, countdowns, swipe-meters, captions, and more. Whenever a user “interacts” with a Sticker, it’s cues Instagram to prioritize your content for that individual. Views are fantastic, as mentioned above—however, interactions are next-level (from an algorithmic standpoint). Plus, it never hurts to make use of the features Instagram provide to its users.
Never-don’t have a Story. Continually adding to your Stories helps to maintain (and grow) your active audience. Gaps in publishing new Stories (and/or Posts) causes audience erosion. Remember… Keep the fire burning! If users aren’t on your top viewer list, they’re on someone else’s.
What’s more, the life of a Post is (at most) two or three days. After that, the Post is filtered out of both the Home and Explore Feeds. Sure, Stories last for only 24 hours but, by comparison, they are WAY easier to produce. I.e., Stories provide a “kindling wood” sort of substitute to keep the fire going in between Posts.Add up to 10 Hashtags via the Text Tool. Simply enter the “#” keyboard character and then start typing the first letters of a hashtag. Let the system auto-complete the chosen hashtag and tap to select it. ️ Don’t copy/past hashtags! Once added:
• 𝗦𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸 ‘𝗲𝗺: perform a thumb-and-pointer-finger pinch gesture to resize to your liking.
• 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗲 ‘𝗲𝗺: add another Story element overtop of the hashtag text.
• 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 ‘𝗲𝗺: tap the color wheel and then press the eyedropper icon to match the font color with its background.Use the Location-Tag Sticker. This will help boost “discoverability” in the IG Explore Feed.
Drop-in (exclusive) VIDEO content. Selfie-styled 🤳 thoughts and commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, and more. Maximum video duration should be capped at 60 seconds, which instagram will auto-chop into 15-second, Story-sized clips. PRO TIP: use the new Captions Sticker to dynamically subtitle your video.
BONUS: Mention another (influential) IG User. It goes without saying, don’t go tagging famous Instagramers you don’t know or when it’s completely irrelevant. That’s SPAM. However, when appropriate, make the mention!
For instance, I get mentioned in a lost of Posts. When that happens, IG alerts me in the Notifications tab, wherefrom I can go in, like the Post, and leave a comment. That’s great and all—however, sharing that Post to my Stories requires a lot of extra steps. On the other hand, when folks mention me in their Stories, the alert goes straight into my DM inbox and includes a simple “Add to Story” button. One tap and I’m able to share that user’s Story to my own.
My point is, if the right influencer opted to share your Story, the result could be monumental. So instead of only mentioning users in a Post, try (also) sharing your Post to your Stories and mention said influencers in the Story.
2 Types of Psychological Questions To Ask
This question... so simple, yet so powerful!
When you ask someone "At what price would you be crazy enough not to sell for?," you're asking a specifically calibrated question. This short video from my previous #PantanaProTips episode breaks down the nature of this powerful question that you can use to get new leads!
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Every Video Needs A Thumbnail (YouTube, LinkedIn, IGTV, IG Reels, Facebook, etc.)
𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐒 𝐀 𝑻𝑯𝑼𝑴𝑩𝑵𝑨𝑰𝑳‼️ (That is, a still image that acts as a preview of your video.) YouTube, LinkedIn, IGTV, IG Reels, Facebook, and more!
Whenever you upload ⬆️ a video—no matter where—the social platform monitors how often the video is shown to potential viewers versus how often those potential viewers opt to watch the video. 𝘝𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.
The difference often boils down to the thumbnail—even if it’s only viewable for half a second. The thumbnail is, for lack of a better term, pure “clickbait.” Its purpose is to entice viewers to choose to watch the video. Make ‘em irresistible to click! (But also, they should be relevant to the vid because if someone clicks to watch and then bounces straightaway, that’s not good either 😉).
If a YouTube user runs a search that ranks your video, for instance, and then scrolls past it for another, they’re sending YouTube implied feedback to stop ranking your video.
Point is, the better the thumbnail, the better the click-through rate (CTR). The better the CTR, the more views 👀 you’re gonna get.
BOOST Your Google My Business SEO Ranking By GeoTagging Photos!
Want to rank higher than your local competitors on location-based searches? Today I'm going to show you a simple way to improve your Google My Business ranking by geotagging photos.
1. Upload your photos to GeoImgr.com
2. Retrive your address coordinates from Google Maps
3. Add relevant keywords
4. Upload your photo to your Google My Business Page
5 Tips to Optimize Your Instagram Profile
Five tips to upgrade your Instagram (Business or Creator) Profile — actually, it’s six tips, LOL🤣:
- Add your job role (i.e., REALTOR®) ➕ the location where you conduct business to your Display Name (subject to character limits). It’ll make your profile more searchable in the Explore feed.
- Ditch the paragraph-styled bio for an emoji-bulleted list ✅—it needs to be formatted for a quick scan.
- Profile pics are tiny to view on a mobile device 📱 so show us your face 😃🤗😇🙃. Make it a closeup.
- Add contact call-to-action buttons to your Business or Creator profile: call 📞 email 📧 message 💬
- LINK-IN-BIO: use a tool like LinkTr.ee or Liinks.co to route clicks to pages and links of importance.
- Preserve your best Stories by adding them to your Highlights (and make branded covers accordingly).
What's Considered a VIEW?—on TikTok, IG Reels, IGTV, Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms!
What counts as a VIEW⁉️ It depends on the platform that’s measuring. Here’s a breakdown:
1️⃣ TikTok: a view is basically an impression—meaning, the very millisecond ⏱ your video starts to play, it’s counted as a view. In addition, the platform counts repeated views 🔂.
So if the the video loops, for instance, it counts every single time. One caveat, though: watching your own videos won’t be counted.
2️⃣ Instagram Reels apply the same measures as TikTok, only, in Instagram, watching your own Reels actually influences the view count 🧐.
3️⃣ Instagram + IGTV: a view is counted after a video autoplays for 3 seconds (consecutively). What’s more, replays don’t count—i.e., the same viewer watching a video over-and-over (or at least 3-second chunks of it).
4️⃣ Facebook operates by the same rules/measures a Instagram (and IGTV).
5️⃣ LinkedIn: my video says 2-seconds (and so does the rest of the web when you research the topic). However, when I uploaded my last video to LinkedIn, it looks as if they’ve upped it to 3-seconds to match-up with Facebook and Instagram.
6️⃣ YouTube counts a view after 30-seconds of continuous viewing and only when the viewer elects to play the video (no autoplay trickery). What’s more, YouTube implants methods for determining whether replays should or shouldn’t be counted and limits the number or qualified replays eligible to be counted per day. If a video is fewer than 30 seconds in duration, at least 11 seconds must be watched 👀. Craziest part of all: when YouTube videos crossover 301 views, they undergo a manual review process to check the legitimacy of the views. YouTube doesn’t want flukes or fakes affecting its algorithms.
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Bottom line: a “view” isn’t a standardized unit of measurement 📐. As you compare and evaluate the performance of your videos across the web, keep these differences in mind. A 100 views on YouTube, for instance, could be the equivalent of thousands someplace else.
How to Boost Google Maps and Google Search Rankings
Wanna boost your 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙥𝙨 and 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 rankings!? It could boil down to the"𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘" of your Google My Business (GMB) listing.
For instance, if you’re GMB listing isn’t readily appearing when you search its name verbatim (e.g. “John Doe Realty”) or even when your search phrase includes a location identifier (e.g. “John Doe Realty, Nashville, TN”), it could be a product of poor location authority.
To test yours, conduct a search (Google Maps and/or Google Search) while physically standing inside the listing’s verified location (with location-tracking enabled on your search device). If it’ll populate your GMB listing there but nowhere else, chances are, it’s the result of lousy “location authority.”
Here’s how to improve your Google My Business location authority:
1. Claim/Verify your business listing. Here’s details on how: bit.ly/Claim-GMB
2. Never-stop getting reviews!
(TIP ☑ : whenever possible, focus on seller testimonials. Google searches in which the user is seeks out the real estate agent tend to be associated w/ “seller intent,” so it’d look good for there to be lots of past sellers bragging on you.)
3. Match-up your back-linked business citations across the web. In other words, make sure the name of your GMB listing, its address, its phone number, its URL, etc. are exactly the same (character for character) as on other popular websites, such as Yelp, Zillow, Facebook, and so on. The name part may be tough if usernames on social sites are unavailable, so just do your best.
4. Add photos galore: pics of you, your listings, your team, behind-the-scenes, etc.
(TIP ☑ : check out tools like geoimgr.com which allows you to geo-tag your images before uploading to GMB. That way, as Google scans the contents of your business listing, trying to decipher whether it’s relevant to the searcher’s intent, it may see photos at tagged locations
“Just Listed" LEAD CAPTURE Tactics for REALTORS® (in 2021)
Capturing email addresses has always been mission-critical. Having said that, as new privacy protocols are implemented across social networks and search engines this year and next, doing so will become all-the-more important starting now and into the future.
__________
𝚃𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚞𝚙𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚌𝚢 𝚞𝚙𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜, 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑/𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚠/ @dennis.yu:
🎧 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁: bit.ly/Internet-Privacy-Changes
📸 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼: instagram.com/p/CMX-kdXDzSO/
__________
As the privacy changes get underway, 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 & 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 prospective customers is likely to become slightly to substantially more difficult. To that point: 𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐋‼️
In every "Just Listed" social post, @farr.groupnw simply adds a “LINK IN BIO” clause to the post caption whereby interested parties can go to learn more about the property. The link redirects to a registration-required landing page. Always gettin’ emails—simple!
PRO TIP: used forced registration when it’s an exclusive offer, like this example. Try a suggested or delayed registration for generic offers (e.g. home search, home valuation, and others).
YouTube's Search Engine Hacks
YouTube’s different than other social platforms like Facebook or Instagram; it’s a 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞. What’s more, in terms of global website popularity, it’s second only to its parent company, Google. With that being said, it’s critical to search-engine-optimize your YouTube uploads.
Here’s how:
1️⃣ ᴋᴇʏᴡᴏʀᴅꜱ. Your title is make or break! In other words, the title is the primary component YouTube analyzes to detect your keyword.
Sidebar: the term, 𝚔𝚎𝚢𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍 (singular tense), may be be a tad confusing in that, technically, it could be multiple words or even a phrase.
The video description should reinforce your title. Avoid writing copy that wanders off the core theme of your title.
2️⃣ ᴛʜᴜᴍʙɴᴀɪʟꜱ. Algorithmically, YouTube places a high premium on “click-through-rates” (CTR). What that means is if someone conducts a YouTube search and your video ranks in the results, if that individual does or doesn’t click your video to watch, either way, it signals YT about whether or not your video should be shown in future searches. In effect, every click improves your vid’s future ranking prospects.
The thumbnail, which is an image attached to your video upload, should draw the searcher’s gaze as well as line up w/ the intent of the search.
3️⃣ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀꜱ. In the video description section you can add timestamps and titles to build a table of contents for your video... like the chapters of a book. Format it like this:
00:00 - Introduction Section of the Vid
01:32 - Whatever I Wanna Call This Chapter
03:54 - And My Final Chapter
The chapters are shown visually as markers (or sections) in your video’s progress bar vs. a single red line at the bottom of the viewer window, which helps keep folks’ attention. What’s more, Google is increasingly making use of the “suggested clip” snippet in Google searches—meaning, a chapter of your video could rank in a standard Google search. That’s the big payoff!
Instagram Profiles: Personal, Biz, or Creator. Which One??
Ah, the debate over a 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 versus 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 Insta profile. Here’s a quick glance at the core differences between 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿, and 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 profiles.
◦ Personal: 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚌𝚢-𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎, 𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚌 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝; 𝚗𝚘 𝚘𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜.
◦ Creator: 𝚊𝚍𝚜-𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚍, 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜, + 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝙲𝚃𝙰 𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚜; 𝚗𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚍-𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐.
◦ Business: 𝚊𝚍𝚜-𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚍, 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜, + 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝙲𝚃𝙰 𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚜; 𝚗𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚌 (𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚁𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚜).
If you’re running a biz, odds are, you need a 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 account—that is, either a 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 or 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 profile. The top reason for sticking w/ a 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 profile is if, for any reason, you’re not comfortable setting your account to public-facing. With 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 accounts, you’re able to sync up w/ Facebook’s business tools (e.g. Business Manager, Creator Studio, et al.), analyze powerful post metrics and audience insights, and much more. Hope this helps :D