Successfully leading a team takes the right strategies and balance. This can often feel overwhelming but there are tons of ways to make team management both easier and rewarding. Let’s dive in and see what steps you can take today to help you form the best team possible.

Here are seven ways to make team management easier

1. Hire the right team members

In order for you to create a successful team, you need to hire the right people. Finding the right people is essential to your project’s productivity. Give thought to what you need from the people you hire in order to make your team as effective as possible. When interviewing candidates, be sure to find out about their skills, talents and strengths. By doing so, you will be better able to make informed decisions when adjusting responsibilities and positions.

2. Be clear about goals

Each team member should know what their role is and what they are striving for each day they come into work. In the absence of clear and concise goals, you can expect your team to miss deadlines and forget tasks. In order to effectively set goals that will be met, you need to meet as a team. Go over individual goals with each person so that everyone is on the same page.

3. Practice effective time management

Time management and feeling like there is never enough time are two things project managers tend to feel they are falling short on. Distractions play a big part in this. Whether it is having unnecessary meetings or scrolling social media, it is imperative that you keep time in check. One of the best ways to do this is by using a team progress tracking software. It will allow the entire team to know who is working on what, when it is due and what is coming up. If everyone knows where they stand within the group along with where all the team members stand, you can effectively manage time more productively. Gone are the days of wondering what you need to do next or whether another coworker has finished their project so you can move on with yours.

4. Assign tasks to the right people

Part of effectively managing a team is knowing who your team members are in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. When you are armed with these details, you can ensure each team member has a workload that properly fits their skill set. This will help prevent tasks and responsibilities from falling to the wayside.

5. Give Feedback

People are motivated and driven to do better when they receive praise from their superiors. When it comes time for performance reviews, give them honest feedback. On the flip side, employees want to feel their input matters and is valued. You want to provide them with the opportunity to share their feedback on the job you are doing as their leader. Receiving this input helps with improving individual skills on both sides which will be better for the team all around.

6. Resolve Team Issues

People have different viewpoints and working together day in and day out, those differences are bound to escalate to conflict. Many times, these issues don’t just work themselves out on their own. It is crucial as team leader that you get ahead of any conflict before it worsens. This means addressing it with each team member individually and making sure each party feels heard. One thing you do want to stay away from is choosing sides. You have to be neutral when it comes to resolving conflict in a group setting.

7. Participate in team bonding activities

In an effort to make your team feel more connected and cohesive, it is a good idea to get together outside of the office. When people are relaxed and don’t have to worry about deadlines and job tasks, they can bond that much easier. Not everyone has to like one another but if you hold some team building outings, you can definitely build up team rapport. This could be getting together at happy hour or playing mini golf. Whatever you choose, you will be helping your team see one another in real life scenarios. This will make it that much easier for them to have better communication at work.

Final thoughts

Managing a team is tough. You have different personalities all trying to work together to reach common goals. With that being said, there are many opportunities for you to make your efforts more successful. The above tips will help you be a better team manager while making it easier to reach your goals.

Competition is fierce in real estate and if you want to stand out from the competition, you have to work harder and smarter. Take stock in your marketing strategy as we enter 2019 and make sure you are employing these strategies.

Here are 10 real estate marketing strategies to help you grow your business in 2019

1. Create pages on your website for specific areas

Zillow is a giant and yes many people will go there first for their real estate needs but there are ways you can get your business noticed by Google. The way to do this is by creating pages on your website for subdivisions, smaller neighborhoods or popular streets. Add everything about the area including school districts, market trends, photos, video and any other relevant details. By doing this, you will help drive traffic back to your site.

2. Write a newsletter

Having a real estate email newsletter is just another way to help grow your relationship with your clients. A newsletter can be so many things for your business. You have the opportunity to show yourself off as an expert in so many ways. The key is to always provide value. This could be anything from decorating tips to the state of the market in your area. You can also throw in a listing here and there. Come up with a strong subject line that is unique and you are good to go. You should also have a CTA in there..here are some ideas:

1. View properties
2. Search the MLS
3. Get a home valuation
4. Get mortgage information

3. Use Google AdWords

Getting new clients is the name of the game in real estate and a great way to do this is with the remarketing feature from Google adwords. It allows you to target those people who have searched for certain keywords and/or visited certain websites on Google. What does this mean for you? You can drill down and target those people who entered specific queries like “Realtor”, “sell house” or “buy house” including any people who visited the MLS.

When you are ready to move forward with this, go to your dashboard and create a targeted list. The list should be made up of interests you want to target as well as relevant keywords and websites. When someone types in your keywords or visits the websites in your lists, your ad banners will show up. This will then generate qualified traffic back to your site.

4. Go live

How often are people scrolling through their social media feed just waiting for something interesting to catch their eye. This is where live video comes in. When someone comes across a “Live Now” tag, they are going to be inclined to click out of curiosity. There are tons of ways to go live. Whether it is showing off your latest listing or a quick preview of a company pow pow meeting, making your audience feel like they are getting an insider’s peek will go a long way.

5. Make use of your client testimonials

Positive client testimonials are one of the best ways to show potential clients that you are the go-to agent for your area. When requesting testimonials from satisfied clients, you want to make sure you are asking the right questions so that your testimonials are as helpful as possible to people. Questions like “What made you choose me as your real estate agent?” or “What did you appreciate most about your experience with me” let potential clients know who they are getting into business with. You also want to make sure you are asking for reviews via email marketing campaigns, after you close a deal, with a personal phone call or a written note. Any great reviews you want to put up on social media as well as feature them on your website.

6. Don’t skimp on photography

A picture says a thousand words cannot be a more true statement in the real estate industry. Smartphones can take decent pictures with all the filters now available but you really want to try and stay away from using your device for photography. If you are serious about your real estate career, make the investment in a digital camera. There are lots of affordable options. If you have the budget for it, hire a photographer that specializes in real estate photography.

Once you have your images set, add them to a email real estate flyer. If email flyers are not a part of your marketing strategy, they need to be. Being able to email a flyer out that has your top notch images along with all the pertinent details of your property, is one of the best ways to get the word out. There are tons of templates to choose from and when you are done, you have a professional looking piece of marketing collateral that is ready to go out with a click of a button.

7. Use the stories feature on Instagram

Instagram Stories is a great tool to use when it comes to growing your brand and for featuring your properties. Once you post a video it automatically shows up at the top of your followers feed and stays up for 24 hours. Not only does this help keep you relevant but it also creates a sense of urgency to watch. Here are just a few ideas of what you can showcase in Stories:

1. Behind the scenes look at an open house
2. A quick home tour
3. Announcements about upcoming projects or open houses
4. Share real estate tips and tricks
5. Customer testimonials
6. Share your strategies for being productive everyday

8. Use real estate flyers

Real estate flyers are still one of the most effective tools when it comes to marketing a home. Use those great photographs you took and make your flyer both comprehensive and compelling. Get these three things on point and you have a great marketing piece to disperse in mailboxes, at open houses, at local businesses etc.

9. Write a blog

If you want to generate more online leads (who doesn’t), you need to write a blog. Make sure it is chock full of valuable information and it will be one of the best ways to drive more organic traffic to your website. When it comes to the content, try and base some of it around questions potential clients may have. Put yourself in their shoes. Should I sell my own home or get an agent? What renovations will give me the most bang for my buck? Which neighborhoods have the best schools? Answer these questions and you are helping to build up trust which will help you get sales that much quicker.

10. Send out handwritten notes

If you want to stand apart from the competition, you have to employ tactics that will help you achieve that. One key thing you can do is send out handwritten thank you notes. Nowadays, people are moving so quick and sending a text message or an email has become norm in everyday communication. Be the person to break that chain. People will take note for certain when receiving handwritten letters and thank you notes. You will stand out and help foster a stronger connection with your clients. Win-win.

Final thoughts

With 2019 right around the corner, take the time to review your current marketing strategies and see where you can improve. If you are not already doing the above things, take the time to incorporate them moving forward. You will see a boost in not only your sales but in the relationships with your clients.

Fast page speed and site performance are key factors if you want to succeed in the e-commerce world. If you have a slow loading site, you risk a higher bounce rate, low user engagement, decreased traffic and ultimately, low sales numbers.

Below are seven tips that can help increase your site’s loading speed.

1. Use fast and reliable hosting

When it comes to your website’s overall performance, the hosting service you go with has a huge impact and can cost your business thousands of dollars in lost revenue if you go with the wrong one. In order to ensure you do not fall prey to this, consider these factors when researching a hosting company to go with:

• What is the company’s memory and/or bandwidth limitations. You want to make sure that they can handle a heavy load for times when you have a big sale or promotion.
• What the projected user load looks like. Can they handle a sudden spike in visitors to your site without crashing.
• Make sure they are PCI compliant so you know users’ data is protected at all times.

2. Use a content delivery/distribution network

These types of networks consist of multiple servers that are all around the world. It will distribute content from the server that is closest to the location of the website visitor. This helps make the user’s experience more reliable and faster. E-commerce tends to be international so this is a step you don’t want to miss.

3. Use accelerated mobile pages

AMP is an open standard framework created so that you can create fast loading web pages specifically for mobile devices. With more than half of people shopping from their mobile devices, it is critical that your website loads quickly and is mobile ready.

4. Compress your images

When it comes to the images you use on your Shopify website, you want to make sure you compress all of them (do keep in mind the quality of the image). This is necessary if you want your pages to load faster. You also want to make sure your image sizes are the acceptable size and that you are not over loading images onto any one page. Here are the image formats that Shopify accepts:

• JPEG or JPG
• Progressive JPEG
• PNG
• GIF

For any new images, there are some sites that will reduce the size for free. Tinypng.com or tinyjpg.com are two popular ones. Once you optimize all your images, your load time will automatically improve.

When it comes to existing images, you can use either Crush.pics or Image Optimizer.

5. Choose the right theme for your Shopify store

Much of your sites speed will be directly related to the theme you choose. You want to choose a theme that is fast and responsive. You also want to look at the live preview and run it through Google PageSpeed Insight and see if they have any suggestions to help make the page faster. Once you choose a theme, make sure to keep it up to date.

6. Don’t go crazy with installing lots of apps

Most of the apps you will download from the Shopify app store will load JavaScript/CSS files to your store. The issue with this is that even when you are not using the app, these scripts are still running in the background slowing down your site. Take the time to go through the apps you have installed and see which you are not using and delete them.

There are certain apps you want to be using like one for email marketing or for collecting reviews. You also want to use something like exit offers to help boost sales numbers. If someone starts to navigate away from your store, the app will display a pop-up with a promotion to entice you to make a purchase.

7. Use Google Tag Manager to organize your tracking codes

Normally, you create separate tracking codes for everything from your Google Analytics to remarketing tags. This can be time consuming and will definitely affect the overall performance of your site. This is where Google Tag Manager comes in. You can store all your tags in one place. This guide explains it all: Add the Google Tag Manager Code to your Shopify Plus store.

Final thoughts

If your store is running slow, it will definitely have a negative impact on your bottom line as well as lower page views, engagements and ultimately, conversions. The above tips will help you tweak your site so that it is running as optimally as possible.

In real estate, it is all about cultivating relationships with your clients. Everyone appreciates a proper thanks for their business and in real estate, a nice handwritten thank you note will take you far. It not only helps forge your relationship with your client but it also helps set you apart from your competition. You may think you don’t have the time to sit and hand write cards out, but if you find the best ways to be productive, you will find a way to make it work.

Below are 9 Thank you notes you should be writing to current and potential real estate clients.

Thank You for allowing me to give a listing presentation — This one is pretty straightforward. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to discuss the benefits of going with myself and my company for your real estate needs. We are firm believers that excellent and quality service are the foundation for a mutually successful business relationship.

Thank You for listing your home with me — We appreciate you trusting us with the sale of your home. We will work as hard as we can to ensure the successful sale of your home.

Thank You for your time (did not get the listing) — Thank you for taking the time to discuss your real estate needs with me. Although my company was not a fit for you this time around, we are always striving to do better. I will remain in touch with the hope that in the coming years, we may be able to do business together.

Thank You after a showing — It was a pleasure meeting you and having the opportunity to show you some great properties. I can assure you that I will do my best to find you the home of your dreams. Bonus tip: When it comes to marketing a property, do not forget how effective real estate flyers can be. They are a great way to feature beautiful images of the home along with all the key details that will help you sell any home faster.

Thank You for purchasing your home with me — I am so thrilled we were able to find you your new perfect home. Nothing feels better than successfully helping a customer find what they are looking for. I am thrilled for you and please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Thank You after you close escrow — It has been a pleasure working with you to get settled into your new home. I have no doubt you will enjoy many happy years leaving there. Please keep me in mind should you or any friends need my services in the future.

Thank You after a “for sale by owner” meeting — Thank you for allowing me to see your lovely home. I wish you the best of luck with with the sale of it. If you should decide at any point that you would like to employ a real estate firm, I would love the opportunity to show you the great benefits we can offer.

Happy 1 year Anniversary in your new home — A year has gone by and we are so thrilled you are enjoying your new home. We are so glad we were able to help you find your dream home. We are thrilled to have you as a satisfied customer and wish you many happy years in your home.

Thank you for the referral — Thank you so much for referring the Hendersons to me. I truly appreciate this referral and and I will do my best to help them with their real estate needs. Thanks again for being so supportive of my business.

Thank You for your great service — Thank you for providing me with such great service, it is greatly appreciated. If my company or I can help you with any of your real estate needs, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for speaking with me — Thank you for taking the time out to chat with me today. I know how precious your time is. Please always know I will be respectful of your time as we see how this can be a mutually beneficial business opportunity.

1. Ask Questions

Questions are a surefire way to boost engagement with your followers. It is really one of the simplest ways to get people to comment on your post. Here are some ideas for questions you can ask:

1. Would you rather have to stand or sit all day?
2. What do you do first when you wake up?
3. What is your favorite thing about our product/service?
4. If you won the Powerball lottery, how would you spend your winnings?

2. Get the timing right

Posting at a time when people are asleep or at work will not get you far. The times that you are posting to social media is key to how much engagement you will see. A good time to post would be before people get to work and after they leave. These are times when people are more likely to be on their devices and on social media. A great tool to use to make sure you are posting consistently and at the right time every time is Autogrammer.

3. Post photos

Photos posted to Facebook are far more effective at growing engagement than any status updates or links you may post. Product images, team pictures, fan images, behind the scenes images are just some of the types of pictures that will help boost engagement.

4. Facebook contest

Hosting a Facebook contest is one of the best ways to get buzz going about your brand. Your current fans get an opportunity to get more involved while also attracting new fans. They are easy to put together as you don’t need to come up with anything complicated. Simple themes such as “like or comment to win” or a photo caption contest, work great. Be sure to encourage those who enter to share the contest on their page so that you reach a broader audience. As you are putting your contest together, make sure to read Facebook’s rules on these types of promotions to make sure you are within their guidelines.

5. Add a CTA

Your Facebook Business Page gives you the option to add a CTA button to your cover photo. Take advantage of that by adding a “contact us” option there. You want to provide people with a simple and obvious way for people to get in touch with you. This will also be helpful in driving people back to your website.

6. Try videos

Videos are where it’s at. So much so that Facebook gives priority to posts that use video. Below are a couple of tips to keep in mind when creating your video:

• Because most people are on social media via their mobile devices, it has been shown that square videos get more engagement than landscape ones.
• Turn on the captions. It has been found that many videos are actually viewed without sound.

7. Try live videos

Facebook loves live video and even changed up their algorithm to rank them higher than videos that are no longer live. It has been found that people spend more time watching a live video over one that is over. They also comment much more as well. Here are some ideas for a live video:

• Go behind-the-scenes at work
• Host a Q & A session
• Put together a how to video
• Share weekly tips

8. Ask for the opinion of your followers

People want to offer up their opinions but you have to ask questions in order for that to happen. You can post any trending news or a blog post and then ask your followers for what their opinions are. What you are ultimately going to share really depends on your target audience. If it is a professional audience, then industry related news might be the way to go. If you are a clothing brand, then sharing the latest trends would be on point.

9. Boost your top posts

If you have written a blog post that has received tons of feedback or any other popular website content, take the opportunity to post it to Facebook and boost the post. You do not need to have a large budget. $25 is enough to target those who like your page as well as their friends. With that being said, a boosted post may not receive tons of shares but it will help you increase engagement with your target audience. If your post is offering a solution to a problem or the answer to a question, this tactic can be especially helpful.

10. Share Content From Other Channels

Assuming you are not posting the same stuff to each of your channels (which you shouldn’t be), you have access to a bunch of content ideas that you can promote. Go through all your content from Pinterest, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter and pick the best content to share on Facebook. This tip is super helpful when you are falling short on ideas for what to post.

Trying to find great content to post to your social media accounts can seem overwhelming but if you know where to look, it can be much easier than you think.

Here are 10 places to find great social media content to share.

1. Pinterest

Many people love Pinterest for all the great recipes and arts and crafts but this site is also a treasure trove of great content ideas. Just type in your keyword and you will be returned with tons of pins and boards that are all related to your search term.

2. Google Trends & Google Alerts

These two tools from Google are very helpful for content ideas. With Google Trends you are able to see what is trending on the web right now or you can look back over time. When you have your keywords figured out, set up Google Alerts. You will then begin to get emails with relevant and popular articles that are related to your keywords. You set the interval in which you receive the emails. Things are always changing on social media, so I set mine to daily.

3. Twitter

Twitter is another great source for content. Just plug in your keyword and see what the trending tweets are. You will definitely find some articles worth sharing as well as ideas for your own content.

4. Holidays

For this one, we are more talking about the fun holidays you see being celebrated from the National Day Calendar or Days of the Year . Find one that you appreciate or celebrate them all. From National Margarita day to National Ice Cream Day, you are sure to find some great ideas your audience will enjoy. Take it a step further and ask your followers to post a picture of themselves for whatever day is being celebrated. You can also brand it with a #hashtag.

5. Hashtags

So about those hashtags. They are everywhere and pretty much everything has a hashtag associated with it. From #MotivationMonday to #WellnessWednesday, you will have no shortage of ideas to choose from for your niche.

6. YouTube

Videos are extremely popular on social media. Over 300 hours of video are uploaded every minute to Youtube. Do a search and you will no doubt find video content you can share with your audience.

7. Search Reddit

This website will provide you with tons of great content ideas. Search through the mini communities called subreddits and you will find pretty much every industry and niche. Subscribe to all the subreddits that are relevant for you business and you will have access to trending data to use for your content marketing.

8. Use Quora Forums

If you have not stumbled upon Quora, it is basically a question and answer forum where anyone can join in on the conversations. For business purposes, do a search for any questions or keywords related to your niche. See what challenges and/or questions you are seeing and come up with content based on it.

9. Check out news sites

The latest news can provide lots of content ideas regardless of the industry you are in. Facebook is especially helpful with their “trending topics and news” section that you see next to your news feed. Keep a watch on it and look for anything that would be good to use as content that way you take advantage of it while people’s interest is peaked.

10. Make use of user generated content

Content marketers love to use UGC (any form of content that was created by end-users or consumers) as it is a treasure trove of ideas for content. Here are some areas of UGC you can leverage for your brand:

• Comments on blog posts
• Photos people share
• Videos
• Testimonials
• Tweets

Word of mouth referrals are gold for any brand. They are much more trusted than any content a brand may put out themselves. Just make sure to ask permission. Most people would be fine with you sharing their content but it only takes one irate customer to feel you have violated their privacy.

Conclusion

Coming up with engaging content on a consistent basis can be tough for any brand. The above list can serve as ongoing sources you can turn to when you are need of some content inspiration. If you are finding yourself lacking free time to dedicate to your content marketing, consider using a company that can create custom social media content for you.