Leveraging Local Influence

By Annika Tourlas

The real estate industry is deeply rooted in relationships and trust, and modern marketing demands innovative ways to connect with potential buyers and sellers. Real estate professionals can amplify their reach by developing relationships with local influencers, both online and in person.

The best influencers are those whose taste and judgment you can count on. Collaborating with them can help agents showcase properties and attract interested buyers.

What to Look for in a ‘Local Influencer’

Not every local influencer is the right fit for your real estate goals. It’s important to choose relationships wisely to ensure that the connection aligns with your brand image:

• Authenticity: Focus on influencers with genuine connections to the community. Their endorsements should feel natural, not forced.
• Engagement over reach: It’s not about the size of their following but about how loyal and engaged they are. A local figure with 10,000 highly engaged social media followers could be far more valuable than one with 100,000 disconnected ones.
• Relevant values: Ensure their values match your brand’s. For example, partnering with an influencer who promotes eco-friendly practices could be a strong match if you focus on sustainability.

Collaborating with The Right Influencers

To expand your audience, consider collaborating with niche influencers who understand your target market and offer exciting recommendations. Luckily, many types of influencers pair well with real estate:

1. Food: From a food lover to a professional chef, audiences seek inspiration from these influencers on recipes, restaurant reviews, food-related travel guides and new cuisines.
   • Collaboration Idea: Join them on a guided tour of their favorite dining experiences, farmers markets or coffee shops near your current listings.
2. Lifestyle: These influencers’ content reflects a curated way of life that followers find comfort in or aspire to. Their content could be anything from a “morning routine” video to a daily video blog (vlog).
   • Collaboration Idea: Create a series about dream homes, where lifestyle influencers share Pinterest and mood boards that reflect an active property of yours.
3. Fitness: Focused on exercise and overall well-being, these influencers provide workout routines, training tips, nutritional advice, motivation and fun ideas for how to make exercise part of their follower’s routines.
   • Collaboration Idea: Team up for a guide of their favorite workout spots, from a local gym to a hidden hiking trail within your market.
4. Family: These influencers create content tailored around household dynamics, sharing personal experiences, parenting tips, family-friendly activities and recipes, and product recommendations to support family well-being.
   • Collaboration Idea: Reach out to connect with their audience through a video on family-friendly backyard activities for a listing with outdoor space or a post highlighting their favorite parks in your market.

How to Connect with Influencers

To start building relationships with digital influencers, agents should focus on personalized outreach strategies. Here are a few effective ways to connect with local influencers:

• Direct Message: Reach out through social media platforms with a personalized, engaging message.
• Email: Craft a professional email explaining who you are and how collaborating with them can be mutually beneficial.
• Phone Call: Take a direct approach with a friendly phone call to discuss potential partnership opportunities.
• Perfect Your Pitch: Clearly outline how the collaboration can be valuable to the influencer, emphasizing their audience’s alignment with your target market.

Leveraging Real-World Influencers

While you may think being a local influencer requires a sizable online presence, they’ve been around far longer than social media. Offline, a local influencer could be anyone with advice to give, including a recommendation for their favorite real estate agent.

Steve Epstein, CRS, senior partner and sales agent at the Epstein Partners, Keller Williams Realty, in Montecito/Santa Barbara, California, and a real estate veteran of nearly 37 years, says, “I want to connect with people who my clients think are influential or think of them as being their trusted advisors who will influence their decision by saying, ‘Hey, if I was selling my house today, I might call him.’”

However, the best connections go both ways. When a buyer invests in a “fixer-upper,” you can be the one to point them to your favorite contractor. When social media followers show interest in homes with elevated curb appeal, you can curate posts showcasing your favorite landscaper.

“We routinely run posts like, ‘If you’re doing home improvement work, call us,’” says Epstein. “‘If you need plumbers, electricians, carpenters, handymen, painters, roofers, we deal with them all day, every day, so please think of us to guide you toward our favorites in the community.’”

Local influencers are more than marketing tools; they’re collaborative partners who help you build meaningful connections within the community.

“They have comfort with us,” says Epstein. “They know us, they like us, they trust us and we’ve helped their other clients.”

Start looking for connections in your own sphere—community leaders, small business owners or social media accounts already shaping local opinions. By nurturing these relationships and staying engaged, you can become the true influencer your community turns to for real estate expertise.