We all know how important utilizing social media is for any industry. But, what about for a first-year real estate agent? If you ask top producing California real estate agent, Nick Ahrens, it’s extremely important.

On today’s episode of Stay Paid, Josh and Luke sit down with special guest Ahrens as he shares his secrets for capturing referrals through social media.

Key Points 

• Using social media for marketing purposes is free of charge
• Creating genuine relationships will help garner results
• Joining a team in your first year can help you find success

About Nick Ahrens

Growing up in San Clemente, CA, Ahrens’ life was centered around water. Water polo enabled him to attend the University of Southern California, where he fell in love with his future wife. Upon graduation, he accompanied her to her home country of Sweden for 15 months, and was able to hone in on his interest in real estate. Once back in the states, he received his real estate license, and his career took off.

Five years later, and he’s the epitome of a top producer, with five transactions currently under contract. He was just recently recruited by one of the top real estate teams in Southern California, and is now a sales partner at The Reed Team. In addition, his Instagram account boasts over 10,000 followers and he hosts his very own podcast.

Q: What was the first thing you did when you jumped into real estate?

A: At first I was really nervous to talk to people. To help me conquer this fear, I ended up joining a team for guidance and mentorship. In the first year, I did quite a few open houses—close to 75. The majority of my leads came from open houses.

Q: When did you start using social media?

A: I have to admit that Gary Vaynerchuk was the tipping point of my social usage. I utilized a lot of his content. But, I realized that social media allows me to blast myself out there to a large audience for no cost. Posting is quick and easy. I also made sure to tell every single person who I came into contact with to follow my Instagram page. I would even find myself from someone’s phone and follow my account. However, it’s been a long road and slow progression to get up to 10,000 followers—it doesn’t happen overnight.

Q: How does building relationships on social media translate into business?

A: First, I post a lot of polls on my Instagram stories. I ask if my followers are in their dream home and I send a direct message to those who responded with a no. One thing I consistently do is create genuine personal relationships with my followers. I tend to stay away from just listed or just sold posts—nobody wants to see that. I want to make sure that everyone knows who I am, what my personal life consists of, and sees my successes and failures.

Q: Where did your five current transactions come from?

A: The majority of them work at the same company. They were more or less referrals from past clients. I connect on social media with past clients, and engage with their content to help me stay top of mind.

PRO TIP: Go to your Facebook page, and make different groups with your friends. Create a few and title them as past clients, family, social sphere, church group, music group, etc., and separate your friends into these groups. Go into a group once a week, look at what your friends are doing, and follow up with them regarding what you saw on their page.

Q: What made you join a team?

A: I believe that every new agent should join a team. Don’t worry about commission splits, it makes no difference in the beginning. Join the team, and get the training. Being in the high-production environment will help you develop the type of mindset that you need to succeed.

Q: What type of systems do you use in your business?

A: On a day-to-day operational level, I use Salesforce. As an office, we use Google systems to help ensure that we’re all on the same page regarding scheduling conflicts. Mastering my calendar and setting reminders through my CRM has been one of my biggest challenges in real estate.

Q: What is something that you do every day to drive success?

A: I genuinely want to help people. I want to help my clients manage their home as an asset, help my family become financially independent, and help my community. Finding my bigger purpose and discovering my why will ultimately help my career.

Q: Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently?

A: I would have started my professional development earlier in my career. Professional development helps to create better opportunities for yourself. In addition, I would have not listened to any real estate gurus. I wasted so much of my time watching all sorts of YouTube videos, when I should have just gotten out there and done it.

Q: How can listeners connect with you?  

A: Instagram: @nickahrensrealestate

Podcast: SELpodcast.com

Website: reedteamhomes.com

Action Items

Following the podcast, our goal is to provide you with as many actionable tips as possible. For this episode, they include… 

• Take advantage of Nick’s tip on Facebook groups

As always, take action on these tips!