Avi Becker became interested in real estate during his senior year at UC Santa Barbara, when he and a team developed a home energy application as part of an entrepreneurship competition. After selling just one home in 2019, his first year in the business, Becker made a huge turnaround in 2020, hitting his goal of $20 million in volume.
When the pandemic hit, he ensured community support, focusing on keeping local businesses lively, by creating the Facebook group “Support Santa Barbara Biz Online.” The group boasts over 7,000 members who share products, services, links and business referrals in the region.
Here, Becker dives deep into the creation of his company’s Facebook group and discusses how he’s used social media collateral to boost his brokerage’s visibility during the pandemic:
RISMedia’s Real Estate Newsmakers honors were created to recognize the people who are raising the standards of professionalism in the real estate industry. What does it mean to be named among this year’s honorees?
It always feels great to have years of hard work and dedication recognized, and I felt very proud to be with such incredible honorees. Being in my third year in the business, there are so many I look up to and hope to emulate someday, and receiving this award further reminded me of how proud I am of myself—even though I have a lot more to learn.
You were selected as a Newsmaker within the Inspirations category, which is dedicated to the big-hearted and the brave within our industry. Could you tell us a little bit about the “Support Santa Barbara Biz Online” Facebook group that you created?
My teammate Joe Parker had the idea and implemented the group originally. I jumped on board and helped him grow it, but we were just trying to create a community when everyone was in lockdown and feeling isolated. We use social media a lot to advertise our business and grow our brand, but we wanted to use the Facebook group as a way to make sure people and businesses who needed support the most were able to receive it.
Could you tell us a little bit about how you worked to develop social media collateral, such as videos and posts, for businesses to further boost their visibility during the pandemic?
We’re always trying to push the envelope and make our real estate content fun, unique and authentic. We know there’s a ton of content online, so we want to make sure people enjoy what we’re putting out there. We are a casual team that loves the laid-back, relaxed vibe of Santa Barbara—and so we just let that flow on video.
What would your advice be to other real estate professionals about moving forward as our country begins to reopen and the pandemic slowly ends?
Double-down on your strengths and don't try to copy a style that doesn't fit for you. Our team loves to create fun videos and be interactive on social, but that style definitely isn't for everyone. I think people are drawn toward those who are authentic, and in today's society of constant ads and scams, they will smell out something fake from a mile away. Find what you love to do and see how you can promote that in your business.
Thank you for sharing such usefull information with us.