Age: Holding at 36
Years in real estate: 17
Job title: Director of training, Re/Max Integra
Location: Based in Toronto, with offices in Boston, Minneapolis and Indianapolis
Hours per week spent on social media: 50
Social media accounts: eight accounts on seven platforms; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and more
Target demographic: Realtors
Average number of posts per day: five
Which social channels do you work more?
Definitely Facebook, but Pinterest and Twitter are probably tied for second.
How many friends, likes, etc., do you have?
I have 2,100 Facebook friends; 550 Facebook followers; 2,750 Twitter followers; and 420 Pinterest followers.
Does that number matter to you?
Sometimes. I like to see my Twitter followers increase, because I love to engage with new people on Twitter. But I purposely keep my Facebook friends limited.
Do you ever give it a break?
Not often. I go on vacation to a place without Internet once or twice a year, because otherwise I would struggle to shut off.
Does social help your business, and how?
Absolutely! My goal is to help Realtors learn and grow. Social is one of the very best ways to engage with them on a regular basis. Social keeps me easily accessible for questions and allows me to see firsthand the frustrations and challenges that Realtors are facing. It’s my lifeline to my customer.
What’s your goal for your favorite social channel?
To create compelling, valuable and interesting Facebook content on a regular basis. To inspire my Facebook friends to improve their own content.
What’s your strategy to achieve it?
I spend a lot of time curating content to share. I have a pretty specific formula for what content to share at what time of day, and I pay attention to what works.
Is it worth it, and why?
Helping Realtors learn and improve isn’t just a job for me, it’s a passion. I love seeing my online contacts try new things and create success.
What’s your craziest social media-related story?
The reason why I joined Twitter was because I was stuck in an airport in Brisbane, Australia, back in 2010. All flights were grounded and wait times were over three hours on the phone. I needed customer service immediately. Someone suggested I try Twitter, and I had a response from the airline in 15 minutes. From that day, I was hooked. Brands who are using social well have a massive leg up on the competition!
What actions do you take that have gotten the most results?
Listening. Engaging. Not talking about myself, or trying to sell something. The best results come from being the same person online as I am offline.
Is this more about “social” or about business?
These days, I think the two are intertwined. People are social, and they want to deal with people, not companies. If you can manage to do business socially, that is a winning formula.
How do you monitor the channel? Do you use software or apps to manage your account, and which ones?
I am a little unusual, in that I don’t schedule anything, or use any tools to manage my personal accounts. Everything is organic. If I post something, I want to be there for the conversation as it happens. On the mobile side, I couldn’t survive without Facebook Messenger.
How many hours per day are you on social? Do you check it daily? Multiple times per day?
I think it’s nearly 80 hours a week, but that makes me sound crazy, so we’ll go with 50. I monitor all my accounts hourly or daily, and I respond to every connection or conversation.
Do you ever think of retiring?
YES! I plan to live off the grid on a small island in the South Pacific. And all I will do is read and nap. Someday.
Do you consider yourself an influencer?
I do. Maybe not on a massive scale, but the people who I influence really know that I care, and that I am here to help them succeed. For me, if I can make a big difference to a few, I am happy.
Are you social in real life?
I am definitely social. I am loud and outgoing, and have basically no filter. But, I am a big softie and like small group chats best.
What did you do with your time before?
I read books. I need to make more time to read again.
How do you leverage your prominence or influence on social?
Honestly, I am not sure I really look at it that way. I try to provide value and surround myself with great people who make me laugh. That’s really the only goal.
Do you have someone helping you?
Nope. I probably wouldn’t delegate my social engagement to anyone else, ever.
Whom do you follow and why?
Content creators, strong and kind women, and industry leaders. Also funny people. Some of my favorites: Jeff Bullas, Rebekah Radice, Seth Price, Seth Godin, Laura Fitton.
Where do you find the content that you put out?
Pinterest is awesome for content. Anyone who is struggling for content needs to spend more time on Pinterest. I also create a lot of my own images (can’t live without PicMonkey!) and have an Evernote stash of inspiration that I collect from everywhere. I am a big fan of sharing others’ success as well.
What has been your all-time hit share?
My most popular posts have been the ones where I shared personal stories about my husband and our travels. And when I posted a corporate photo outtake of me making a scrunchy face. My friends are goofballs.
My most shared post was a cover photo listing my New Year’s resolutions.
Are you a social media all-star who’d like to participate in our profile series? Email amber@sandbox.inman.com.
