We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Libby Azzarello. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Libby below.
Hi Libby, thanks for joining us today. What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
In early 2019, I took a course that highlighted the importance of staying in “flow” with clients, and a large pillar of that was through direct mail. They shared about how simple postcards or handwritten notes could make a world of difference in staying top of mind for people as they go through life changes, celebrate and make decisions about investments. I had notecards printed up with my logo and branding, and I kept them with me to write quick notes about new jobs, babies, promotions, and other major events. I also began sending postcards each month highlighting local businesses, lists of everything from brunch to dog-friendly bars, to heated patios. During the height of COVID, these really took off as people were all at home, excited to check the mail! I have been able to grow my physical mailing list by 2-3 people a month by promoting this on social media and through word of mouth. I have been told that people save them on their fridge, take them with them to outings and have had people refer complete strangers to give me their address to get the lists. I plan to grow this to network with other business owners and increase my referral network. This is by far my best investment because it allows me to be creative and have fun, and also to stay top of mind in a unique way.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a Realtor and my brand is At Home with Libby. With my branding, marketing and social media I want people to feel just that, at home! I strive to share information not just about real estate, but about all home-related things from decor, to DIY, to recipes. I really love the teaching aspect of my job, and I want people to have FUN with the home buying process and not feel overwhelmed. I am really proud of the systems I have put into place to allow my clients to relax and enjoy each stage, and to feel empowered and have their questions answered before they ask. I am also extremely proud of my creativity and strive to infuse that in every aspect of my work. This coming year, I plan to expand into educating and working with other agents to help them with their marketing, business structure and branding.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
The biggest success for me on social media has been pivoting to being totally, 100% myself. I think that many business owners (especially fellow Realtors) focus too much on sharing basic info or sales, when people really want to get to know the person they may be working with. I also share information outside of the customer journey, because while people only buy a few houses in their lifetime, there is always something to learn about the home and homekeeping, and people also know of others hoping to buy or sell. It’s a fun way for me to stay top of mind and engage with others, promote local businesses and try new things. I love to utilize Instagram features like polls and the question boxes to further engage my audience and get to know them better. I rely on analytics to show me what they are interested in and when they are most active. I love creating funny, memorable Reels and also really enjoy using it as an educational tool.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
I strive to spend time engaging with my clients after the sale of their home by sending fun monthly mailers, connecting on social media and offline for coffee and drinks. People rely on me for advice ranging from stain-fighting to which restaurant to try this weekend and I love to be a source that they think to reach out to constantly. I build trust throughout the process of working together through educating my clients, and being a source of warmth, humor and honesty. While I take care not to spread myself too thin, I always try to be available for advice, questions, suggestions and really speaking to people about real estate in an approachable way. My brand is creative, fun, and local and I know I have succeeded when people come to me for suggestions on those things, and send me content that they know I would find interesting.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.athomewithlibby.com
- Instagram: @athomewithlibby
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/libbyazzarello/
Image Credits
Anna Haddock