Pauldine France is the director of leasing at Thor Equities
Every week, we ask a real estate professional for their Short List, a collection of tips and recommenedations on an essential topic in real estate. This week, we talked with Pauldine France, director of leasing at Thor Equities, about her tips for effectively maximizing social media exposure.
1. Always complete your profile – A profile lacking a full picture of your experience, a professional profile pic, and skill set is like walking into a meeting on mute with a mask. Today, many people search online via social media or simple Google search to know whom they will be hiring or meeting with. Your online face is just as important as your physical one. Take 1 hour out of your day and focus on all of the parts, keeping in mind what reflection of yourself you want the world to see. Use action words and high searched terms in your industry/position which helps pull more people towards your page.
2. Present yourself professionally – The World Wide Web is accessible from anywhere in the world and doesn’t have a true delete button. One must keep in mind that whatever you post is there forever. Even with a private profile, there are ways around getting your info. The selfie from your July 4th BBQ may not be the best profile picture for your office space rental business. Your Facebook and Instagram are your personal life, but they say something about you as well. Be careful what you post which may offend a group of potential clients. Just like religion and race are great topics at the dinner table, same goes for online profiles.
3. Post articles that relate to your expertise – Are you a tenant rep? Then post your own write up or share informative articles about tenants your represent like their expansion plans, product/services, pioneering methods. Business broker? Articles on financing, tax planning options and industry trends can be very useful. Information on local to international economic, construction, investment, and design trends can also be great for your connections and followers. The goal is to become a resource for information for friends and industry fellows.
Another great way to engage is to create short lists such as this one and pose questions. This can help encourage engagement from your connections (and potential connections). An example of such question is : “The New York Times says the top trends for foreign investors in 2016 are (3 points noted). I would add 2 more (your points). Have I missed something?” . This is a great way to exchange ideas and learn from your peers. No matter how experienced you are, there is so much more we can learn through others in various parts of the world and even other industries.
4. Reach out – What’s the point of having connections if they are sitting there collecting virtual dust? Here are a few tips of how to actually connect online:
(A) Write a “thank you” or “welcome to network” message to individuals that accept your request or vice versa that indicates that you are available to discuss potential synergy.
(B) Ask people in your network for introductions or industry expertise
(C) Don’t be afraid to “sell” your services and products to well selected potential targets.
Note: Try not to oversell as you want an opportunity to continue discussions by phone or in person. Limit your information to a cordial opening, one line with your purpose, follow with 3-5 lines of details , then close with an actionable line like “please let me know your thoughts”.
5. Reply and stay connected – Don’t just add people or accept then have profiles just sitting there. Everyone is either a direct or indirect opportunity. You would be surprised where referrals, job recommendations and introductions come from.
Like and comment on others posts so you can engage with others. It’s always a great way to keep your name and company on others’ mind. Many ad agencies profess that it takes 7 brand “touches” for people to remember your brand. Remember you ARE the brand, even if you’re representing a company, so go out there and put your name out there.
Previously, Pauldine France was with the international business development team at Shawmut Design and Construction, and was the US territory project manager with Luitor and San Bernardo Italy. She has over 10 years handling various aspects of commercial real estate and retail leasing, as well as over six years in luxury brand and property marketing, as well as strategic branding.