Missy Nickerson, Zack Rivenbark, Sierra Shepherd
Executive Statement
Nest Realty’s use of social media is very effective and follows many of the guidelines for marketing a brand or agency in a social media context, but could be made even better. There are a few suggestions we will make that we feel could improve the website. One of the suggestions is to improve or remove the Vimeo page. The link is there but once followed, an error page appears. The second suggestion is to establish an account on Pinterest. Other brokerages use this social media platform, but not Nest. In looking at other major brokers on Pinterest, we found many of them manage rentals. This may be an untapped area Nest should look into as another option to reach the public, many times renters turn into buyers. Nest has established a presence on other social media outlets, with Facebook and Instagram being the most prominent. Although Nest Wilmington has a Twitter page, it is underutilized. Nest Wilmington brokers tweet about the company on their personal accounts and use community hashtags, but their use is infrequent. Our research shows that the approach on this third social media platform, Twitter, must be strengthened in order to improve the company’s outreach.
Introduction
This white paper analyzes Nest’s culture, compares Nest’s choices to industry trends, and examines client interactions with the company to finally offer recommendations on improving and maintaining Nest’s social media presence and online outreach. Nest Realty is a progressive and dynamic brokerage firm, and this must to be reflected in all social media platforms. The Wilmington, North Carolina branch is one of six offices spanning Virginia and North Carolina that specialize in residential, farm, estate and beach properties. Nest is home to many energetic and extremely qualified brokers and support staff who not only work where they love, but live where they love. They utilize cutting edge technology, local real estate knowledge and superior service to help their clients secure the home of their dreams and have fun in the process. They are committed and connected, innovative and most of all client-focused. This sets them above most other firms. These forces combine to create a unique culture at Nest Realty Wilmington. The approach to social media reflects the company’s culture, but most specifically reveals values specific to the Wilmington region.
The Culture of Nest Realty
“Uncorporate, forward thinking, down to earth and fun”, that’s how head broker Ryan Crecelius describes the culture of Nest (Questions for Nest Realty. One look at any of Nest Realty’s online outlets and people can tell that Nest is different than the rest.
In a video interview, Crecelius stated, “We sell properties that are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars, and we need to be able to put things out there- whether digital assets, print material, follow up items, or e-marketing - these need to be of the caliber of what it is we’re selling.”
Nest reflects this culture by incorporating a human element to online posts rather than constricting content to self promotion. Images announcing the marriage of a broker appear on Facebook, shots of landmark Johnnie Mercer’s Pier appear on Instagram and holiday messages go out on multiple social media platforms. Nest makes sure to add personality to their site.
Additionally, Nest relates the regional beach atmosphere into the culture of the company. The brokerage shows its relevance to clients by posting ocean-related images as well as incorporating it into the office’s atmosphere. Crecelius stated, “off the bat we tried to instill a “salty” vibe into the content we put out there. We live at the beach so it makes sense for us to promote that a bit. Our office decor portrays that pretty well too. Also, many of our agents are into surfing, boating and fishing. We don’t promote those things because it looks “cool”. We actually do those things so it resonates with the target demographic we’re trying to attract”.
Social Media Analysis
Twitter
Nest Realty Wilmington prominently uses Facebook and Instagram and maintains a blog on the official website, but has a negligible presence on Twitter. Under the Twitter handle @Nest_ILM, the Wilmington branch has posted 12 Tweets, follows 48 Twitter users and is followed by 48 Twitter users, to date (Nov. 15, 2015). See figure 1. One aspect of Nest’s presence on Twitter that stands out is the equal ratio of those following the company to the amount of people Nest follows. The company should, and does, appear as if they are interested in engaging with their fans and they can do so by following them back.
Fig 1.
However, we have observed that the Twitter platform is underutilized. According to Twitter’s “The Story of a Tweet” webpage, “A Tweet is an expression of a moment or idea. It can contain text, photos, and videos. Millions of Tweets are shared in real time, every day.” Since the key point of Twitter is communicating concise information quickly (Tweets are limited to 140 characters), there are countless opportunities for Nest to use the social media site. Not only do other branches have active Twitter accounts, but individual realtors, in Wilmington and in other cities, use Twitter for self promotion.
Nest’s transition into Tweeting more can be effortless. This is because they already widely us the hashtag “#LiveWhereYouLove”. According to Hubspot Vice President of content, Joe Chernov, “you can make it easier for a community to self-assemble by using a smart intuitive hashtag” (Drell). The tag is incorporated on the official website, on Facebook and on Instagram, but it’s time to place it where it belongs - on Twitter.
Pinterest
The main social media platform that Nest does not utilize is Pinterest. Many Real Estate companies use Pinterest for marketing, but the Wilmington location does not have Pinterest account. Pinterest allows for the sorting of posts on different boards, so that they can post about different aspects of living where they sell Real Estate- from good restaurants and bars to fun activities that are closeby. They can also post pictures of their listings, with a few pictures and a link to the listing page, so that people can find some of Nest’s houses for sale while scrolling through their Pinterest feeds.
Facebook
Nest’s main social media interaction goes on on Facebook. With 1,037 likes to the page, this is clearly their most popular communication channel for Nest and their public. This is one of the most effective platforms to use for social media marketing, since there are so many different kinds of posts that could be posted, and picture, text and link posts can be combined. Facebook posts are meant to be updates on what is going on in people’s lives and company’s activities.
Nest already uses Facebook very effectively, but small adjustments could still help the company push their facebook page to the next level. The main thing that nest can do to improve their facebook page is to post more frequently. Their posts are spaced out by about nine or ten days each. Posting every two or three days will allow people to see the brand more often and keep it fresh in their minds. It will also allow them to become more and more familiar with the company and feel like they know them. They must be careful, though, not to post to much and crowd people’s facebook feeds, as people would get annoyed with them, and likely unfollow them.
Instagram
Nest is very prominent on Instagram. They use the site to promote not only some of the homes they are listing but the actual culture of the brokerage. They have pictures of Wilmington (Fig. 2) and surrounding areas, places to eat, local sites and most personally images of their own lives such as wedding pictures.
Fig. 2
While some of the houses and neighborhoods are shown there should be more listed homes pictured. This could bring clients to the website after noticing an image of their “perfect” home.
Hashtag
Nest should also take advantage of being able to cross over hashtags between Facebook and Twitter. Their “#LiveWhereYouLove” hashtag campaign is effective, but they should make sure to use it on all of their social media platforms. Doing this will allow the audience to gain familiarity with the hashtag, making it so that the audience will see it and automatically think of Nest, allowing the company to come to find first when thinking about Real Estate companies when they need one.
Comparison to other Agencies
Nest Realty uses social media very effectively, but one aspect of new media that they haven’t touched yet is their own app. Intracoastal Realty has an app that their clients can download, and browse at their own leisure. If they are driving past a house with an Intracoastal Realty sign in front of it, they can just pull up the app and see whatever information the agency has on that house. Tapping into the power of an app could be a good next move for Nest, and take their social media online presence to the next level. Having the ability to give clients the ability to look at information regarding possible houses in real time is crucial for Nest to move forward in social media and online marketing.
Client Interactions
In following Nest’s social media presence we must not overlook their own website. This may not be considered actual social media but it is important to a client who may have seen a post, tweet or picture and were drawn to find out more about the company. In looking through the website we see many ways in which Nest makes it easy for clients to interact with the team. The site also has wonderful sections for clients to find the home of their dreams. They provide a search section and have any information a client may want on each listing clearly marked. The pictures are vivid and show the property in the best light. The site is very client friendly.
Recommendations for Improvement
Nest Realty should make an app that allows clients to view their properties and interact with their agents. The website shows an icon a client can click on that should take them to a page called Vimeo. This page would show properties and allow clients to interact with agents however an error message (Fig. 3) appears instead. We concluded that the link is broken or Nest has not had the opportunity to set up their space properly.
Fig. 3
Many site visitors could find this frustrating and feel that they wasted their time by clicking this icon that leads to nothing. We suggest fixing or removing the Vimeo icon and link and perhaps focusing on the YouTube channel for videos.
Nest should also create and maintain a Pinterest account that would allow them to post pictures of their listings along with pictures related to the good things about living in the area where Nest sells Real Estate, such as good restaurants, or just pictures of a nice area like the beach. They should also post about interior decorating, home improvement ideas, and anything else related to the homespace.
Most blogs, unlike that of Nest, have a feature that allows readers the opportunity to “follow” and receive notifications via email. If a reader is also a blogger and they were to subscribe to Nest’s posts, their dashboard would feature Nest’s latest stories.
Conclusion
Currently Nest uses social media such as Facebook and Instagram to their advantage to promote themselves. Between these two platforms and their impressive website they have an incredible online presence. However, Nest has not tapped into all of the available social media sites and may be limiting their exposure to potential clients. These clients may not use the company’s chosen sites to gain needed housing and location information as well as current market trends. Utilizing Twitter, Pinterest and Vimeo and adding listed homes to Instagram might reach clients in a way Nest has not done before. The two themes “Live Where You Love” and “Uncorporate, forward thinking, down to earth and fun” certainly describe the online presence of Nest Realty as well as the culture of the company itself. They are an organization of committed, connected, innovative and client focused brokers who will be a part of every community in which they have an office for many years to come.
References
Drell, Lauren. "Hashtags, infographics and videos! Oh my!"
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