As owner and principal broker of VR Gateway Business Brokers of St. Louis, Jeff Kalil currently serves as a licensed real estate professional, a member of the St. Louis Chapter of CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) and a Military Relocation Professional specialist.
However, Kalil tells us that his main focus is helping business owners sell their companies and he relies heavily on social media in different ways to regularly meet that goal.
Related: Social Skills: Engage New Clients Online With Grace and Nuance
Here, Kalil chats about the power of staying engaged on social media even when using automated posting services and how those programs, such as RISMedia's ACE, elevate your social media game.
Can you talk about how you got started with your business?
I’ve been consulting for 10 years, helping people with their business plans and understanding variables about the performance of a business. I was flipping houses on the side and started a real estate club, because I was having success with it; people were interested in how I was doing it. I started this office a year ago with a franchise in St. Louis.
How important is social media as a whole to your business?
The social aspect is pretty important because what’s happening behind the scenes for a business owner is very personal and emotional, and you often don’t tell your friends you are struggling—you don’t want to show a sign of weakness. What they are doing is going online and looking for groups where they can ask their questions—maybe to other business owners, maybe different industries—but they are not going on their Facebook pages asking. Still, social media is important and that’s where I am trying to tie in and make my information relevant. When they put in their questions, I will show up with my social media sites.
How much of your marketing strategy is based on social media?
It’s probably 40 percent social and 60 percent in-person networking. I would like to have a stronger social presence and a more-targeted campaign.
What type of content do you typically post?
If I find other relevant articles, things that will impact small business owners and the economy, I will share those posts. If I find something that’s a little bit silly, I might do that to keep things light. I do try to stay conservative so I don’t offend anyone. Maybe a story like "Top 10 Things to Help Your Business."
"As I was trying to establish myself as a knowledgeable professional, I wanted to have some kind of social media to stay in contact with clients and have it be relevant."
How did you learn about RISMedia's ACE (Automated Content Engagement)?
As I was trying to establish myself as a knowledgeable professional, I wanted to have some kind of social media to stay in contact with clients and have it be relevant. I felt like the [ACE] messages were suitable, whether my clients found me through commercial, residential or business-brokerage real estate.
How do you utilize the content that ACE provides?
I’m putting it out on my social media. I use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I have it set up to post once a week. I don’t have time to do that myself.
Were you looking for content that worked with the business-selling aspect of your company?
Originally, I was looking for specific content that might be more focused toward businesses and advice for companies. What I found was most of these are residential-based, but that’s still okay and valuable because I have a following of people in the residential space. The content is still applicable because it shows activity on my social media sites.
Are there any other social platforms you'd like to explore?
I do have a plan on how I want to use YouTube in the future. I want to put up some of my own training messages about specific topics. I’ve always included a video message with every meeting that I’ve held, and it seems like people always watched those and I got good feedback. I kept them short so people could watch for a minute or two at a time on their phone. That's the sort of strategy I would like to continue going forward.
What advice would you recommend to others using ACE?
From the REALTOR® perspective, I would suggest that they read what’s going out and they add a comment to it so they can still make it a personal message. I had a client who read an article, and when I saw them at an event, they said they really loved this article. I didn’t know what they were talking about, so I had to go back and find out. I think it’s good not to just file and forget, but stay connected to what’s being published so you can have a conversation, which can lead to business.
For more information, please visit ace.rismedia.com.
