The problem
Bayleys North Shore wanted to leverage the power of social media to market their business more effectively.
Their existing presence was fragmented and lacklustre. Furthermore, their agents were not entirely familiar with using social media as part of their own marketing initiatives. Hayden Stanaway, Bayleys North Shore Regional General Manager had a clear mandate:
To be the #1 most engaging North Shore real estate brand on social media.
We responded with a strategy and plan to effectively market Bayleys North Shore and achieve their #1 goal, whilst honouring the Bayleys master-brand, promoting local branches, and helping agents become more confident with social media.
Our approach
Target audience, brand positioning and key messaging
To start, we worked with agents and management to clearly articulate target audiences. This included segmentation of sellers, influencers, potential agents and the greater community.
Then, we drew out components that made up the group brand, articulating who they are, what they stand for, core values, what made the collective unique, and positioning for each local branch. We also established their brand promise along with key selling propositions that differentiated them. This intel set the scene for an effective social media strategy.
Social media strategy and roll out
Our first step was to audit Bayleys North Shore’s existing social media presence to see how they fared against competitors, and quantify exactly what was needed to meet their business goals. From these insights, we created measurable KPIs to track performance each month.
On Facebook, they had five separate pages with varying levels of activity, messaging and branding. We merged these, creating a single, powerful market presence, and a larger community to leverage.
On Instagram, every one of their competitors were active. Bayleys North Shore had no presence on this channel, so we set it up and created a role for it within our strategy.
Looking at competitors’ content, we discovered that they were all focused on buyers. We took an alternative approach and focused on people looking to sell (Bayleys’ primary source of revenue).
The success of our strategy came down to our single focus on people on the North Shore looking to sell a property. This gave Bayleys North Shore a unique angle and competitive advantage, particularly when showcasing new listings. Polly Williams, Social Media Specialist.
Empowering local agents
We also identified a need to upskill Bayleys North Shore agents on using social media to promote themselves together with the Bayleys brand. We provided short, social media training snippets at monthly agent meetings, and opportunities for agents to get one-on-one advice from our social media specialist. Our social media manager also visited offices to connect with agents, gain local insights, and capture video for content development.
Social media content
Our content’s main objective was to attract and talk to sellers. All our content was presented through this lens, which helped Bayleys North Shore stand out and achieve cut through.
Our content offered advice, tips and tricks for potential sellers, e.g. DIY tips, home staging hacks and auction advice. We created content we knew would convert well on each platform, such as attention-grabbing GIFS, and bespoke video content.
To support agents, we profiled their stories and expertise. We also created content ready for agents to share on their own social media profiles.
With Bayleys’ strong, people-centred values, and the North Shore being a proud community, it was important we weaved this into our content. So we also covered local events and provided tips for families such as school holiday activity ideas.
The result
Objective worked seamlessly across our business to build a social media presence that has met every KPI we set, including being the most engaging real estate community on the North Shore on both Facebook and Instagram. They haven’t just ‘done’ our social media; they’ve understood our team, our target audiences and our goals, then delivered. Hayden Stanaway, Director Auckland & Wellington Residential, Bayleys.
Within the first six months, Bayleys North Shore was not only the most engaging North Shore real estate brand on both Facebook and Instagram, but also the fastest growing on Facebook. Going forward, we continued to grow their reach, impressions and engagement, and achieved some extraordinary results.
We created a strong, strategic, on-brand and consistent social media presence for Bayleys North Shore. Their positive belief set and values continue to be strengthened as they are highlighted in content; building equity, like-ability and trust in their brand – evidenced by the results. Anna Leary, Objective Director
Ongoing management and maintenance
We are working with Bayleys North Shore on an ongoing basis to keep their social media strategy and content fresh, effective and delivering ROI. This includes constantly fine-tuning our approach in response to market changes; ensuring content remains relevant to our audience.
During the COVID19 pandemic, we achieved some outstanding results for Bayleys North Shore, by adjusting their messaging, staying present and continuing to advertise while many competitors stopped.