3 storytelling tips for stirring your sphere of influence

Real estate storytelling could be a game-changer for your business.

We all know that stories create connections with others. So it only makes sense to use storytelling as part of your real estate marketing strategy.

But not just any story will do.

If you want to create stories that help you stay top of mind with your sphere of influence, stories that get shared and talked about, then it’s time to take a fresh look at the way you’re telling stories.

Let’s get started with 3 practical tips for stirring your sphere with storytelling:

 1. Go for quality over quantity

When the internet wasn’t such a crowded space, you could get by with sharing basic, low-quality images, videos, blog posts, etc. But things have changed. The people in your sphere of influence are bombarded with messages all the time.

What do you do?

Go for quality over quantity.

Use quality images

As you can imagine, using poor images to tell a good story about a listing or community event is going to be a challenge. With modern smartphone technology, capturing and creating quality images is easier than ever. Always opt for high resolution photography and images!

Use quality video

Video is more than a marketing fad. In some ways, it’s just what people expect these days.

So give them a good viewing experience by incorporating HD video into your stories. And remember, you don’t always have to hire a professional. Take advantage of your smartphone’s video capabilities, and bring your sphere into your story visually.

Write quality copy

A lot of times words do the work of drawing us into a story. It could be a long block of text, title screens, spoken words, the list goes on. But one way or another, words help us connect with the story’s subject.

Use words to paint a picture of what it’s like to enjoy that open concept kitchen. Try making a video that features local residents sharing about how it feels to be a part of that close-knit community.

2. Make your stories memorable and shareable

Why would someone in your sphere of influence take action as a result of seeing your story? Why would they want to share your story? The answers to those question can be pretty simple.

They liked it.

They got what they were looking for.

Or they know someone else who should see your story.

And stories are more likely to resonate with your sphere (and hopefully move them to action) if…

• They’re entertaining. Yes, you really can entertain people with your real estate stories. Hook their attention, draw them in, pique their curiosity. What would your clients want to read or watch in relation to the home buying or selling process?

• They’re personal or relational. Testimonials are great avenues for helping clients relate to you and your brand. You could also create reality TV style client stories about moving, the home buying or selling process, choosing a real estate professional, etc.

• They’re valuable and informative. Sometimes numbers and information are exactly what a client is looking for. Use creativity and graphics to give them valuable information in a format that tells an informational story about a particular topic. Example: a real estate infographic showing community amenities.

Sharing stories on social media

If you’ve done a good job at creating a quality real estate story that people like, people in your sphere will want to share it because of the reasons mentioned above.

So package it up and send it off to make its rounds on social media.

Here are a few social media tips to help you get more traction with your stories:

• Use Instagram Stories to create an interactive version of your story.

• Try out Facebook’s new Stories feature to share your latest creation.

• Paradym automatically creates stories based on information from your MLS. Load up your MLS with quality photos, copy, and video clips, and Paradym automatically creates listing stories for you. Customize them and watch them automatically post to social media.

• Maybe writing is your strength. LinkedIn’s article sharing tool may be just what you’re looking for.

3. Invite them into the story

Making room in your stories for people to think about the properties, people, places, and ideas in your story can actually improve the quality of the story.

So don’t fill in all the blanks. Give your audience some space to think about the content of your story and develop their own conclusions.

With that said, you should make sure to include a call to action in every story. After all, you want them to take some action. That could be in the form of a like, share, comment, or a call to set up a showing.

Stir up your sphere of influence

Which of the points above do you most need to apply to your real estate storytelling? Try starting small, but always keep your sphere of influence in mind when creating digital marketing content.