Nobu Hata, the director of member engagement for the National Association of Realtors

This is the first part in a two-part series on how to use technology to engage with your clients.

7. Recognize that there are thousands of agents in Miami, and darn near all of them are saying the same thing in their marketing – it all rings hollow.

6. How can all of you be “the number 1 agent in ________ city”? Spend less time on what your logo looks like (you all have one) and spend more time on what people feel when they see it.

5. In the context of it with your online presence: are you differentiating from your competition? Are you giving people a good reason to get off the internet and engage with you?

4. Learn the art of saying “thank you” to the clients you made happy. This is a referral-based business, and if you can’t quantify who your raving fans are and how much business you’re getting from them (versus new business from cold leads), you’re doing this it all wrong.

3. Invest time and money in a CRM and start sussing out your “today,” “tomorrow” and “next year” clients. Rally your top 20 clients and name them your “board of directors.” Buy them lunch and pick their brains on what they’re experiencing in their lives, real estate-wise. Everyone knows someone who wants to buy or sell a home now – ask them to audit your business practices to make sure your marketing and your processes are indicative of your service to your best clients for their sphere of influence.

2. Stop talking about yourself in your marketing, and have your raving fans do the work. Ask them to give your future clients advice through reviews, the written word on your site or even a video. With your clients, real estate decisions are 99.9 percent hindsight, so have them answer the “Knowing what you know now about real estate, what would you have done differently?” question better than you can.

1. Finally, stop it with the social media humblebrag awkwardness. Do something worthy of virality (in a good way) on social media instead.

Nobu Hata has worked in the real estate industry since 1996. He was a Realtor with Edina Realty in Minneapolis before becoming director of digital engagement for the National Association of Realtors in July 2012. For his job, Nobu listens to the trade group’s one million members; provides NAR’s leadership with insight and context on issues that agents, brokerages and local associations face; and disseminates information to members in person and through the digital domain.