3 Ways to Dust Off Your Sphere of Influence Now

Your sphere of influence (SOI) is much more than a catalog of all the people you've met. It's the lifeblood of your business. It doesn't matter how large or far-reaching your network is; to benefit fully, you have to keep people engaged. Does your SOI need a shot in the arm? Try these tips to ensure it's a sphere that keeps on giving.

Tip #1: Up your social media game

Social media can be a great tool to keep your sphere engaged. If you're aimlessly scrolling your newsfeed looking for new engagement opportunities, though, it can be a colossal time-sink. What you need is a little bit of strategy to turn social media into your friend. With a little bit of strategy, social media can benefit you. Here are a few things to spur your creative juices:

• Export your contacts to a CSV file and then upload it to Facebook Business Manager. Once these contacts are uploaded, you can create targeted campaigns and boost your social media posts.
• Try Instagram Stories or Facebook Live to engage your audience with "day-in-the-life" content via video.
• Consistency is key to crushing social media engagement. Spend 30 minutes each week personally reaching out to your sphere on social media by liking, commenting and engaging with their content. Stay personal, but also use easy tools to automate your social media. Combining your personal touch with more regular posts through automation will give you the most significant results. Spend 30 minutes each week personally reaching out to your sphere on social media by liking, commenting, and engaging with their content.
• Use a landing page. Some CRM platforms can create a custom landing page for you, which can help expand your SOI but also help nurture those already in it.‍

Tip #2: Make it personal‍

If you've tried to engage sphere members who have not responded to other touchpoints, sending a quick email (or text) may do the trick – just remember to personalize. Why? Data backs it up: 74% of marketers say targeted personalization increases customer engagement rates. Personalized emails deliver 6x higher transactional, and emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened.

What agent has time to send personal emails to everyone in their sphere, though? That's where tech comes in. A tech ecosystem makes it easy to keep your responses personal. Emails and texts can be put on autopilot, driving up to 10x higher responses from leads, and you don't have to lift a finger.‍

Tip #3: Use Automation to Stay Top of Mind

‍You can't expect your sphere to remember you – or engage with you – if you're only communicating with them sporadically. That's where an automated marketing drip campaign comes in. It can keep a steady flow of touchpoints rolling to keep you top of mind. What's more, it works behind the scenes to keep communications flowing.

Being able to engage your sphere (and not spend hours each day doing it) rests on what type of tools you have in your lead nurturing arsenal. Even the best agents can get quickly overwhelmed with the volume of touchpoints needed to keep leads warm and referrals coming in, but with the right tools and technology in place, engagement with your SOI can thrive.

To view the original article, visit the Inside Real Estate blog.