Mediaboss Marketing

Forget the memes. According to broker Teresa Boardman, if youve been around real estate for any length of time, you know that the only thing you can expect is the unexpected.

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There have been a lot of predictions about the economy and the housing market as home sales decline. There isnt much good news in the housing market right now.

Most of the predictions will be wrong, but partly right. The housing market is changing but it isnt the same everywhere. In some markets, houses are still selling with multiple offers and prices are still rising, while other markets are experiencing more of a buyers market.

So far I havent heard or read anything that indicates that home sales will rise and everyone with a real estate license will have enough work or that housing will become more affordable.

There is a reason why the real estate sales force is made up of mostly independent contractors. There have been layoffs in the industry but independent contractors do not have to worry about being laid off. Most of the people who work in real estate work for small, private companies.

There are some memes going around on social media showing a Realtor relaxing with a cocktail while other agents are stressed out. She is calm because she was an agent during the last buyers market.

Is there going to be a buyers market? It sure doesnt look that way where I am right now. If the market does change so that it favors buyers, will it be just like the last buyers market or will it be different in some important ways? Can there be a recession when unemployment rates are so low?

We all know people who started in real estate during the housing market crash and were successful because of it. There were real estate agents and companies that had their best years ever during the Great Recession and have continued to grow ever since.

During that same recession, there were people who quit real estate and started new jobs and built new businesses. Some retired early and some went into property management as more properties became rentals. Others bought up foreclosures and rented them out. Some went into foreclosure sales.

There are always opportunities in real estate. The real estate industry and market look very different than they did during the housing market crash, the Great Recession and the last buyers market. One of the biggest differences this time around is that homeowners have equity and unemployment is low.

Those of us who worked through the Great Recession and housing market crash and pandemic lockdowns and civil unrest certainly gained experience and honed our survival skills, but we are no more prepared for the next market than the agents who started last year are.

Newer agents may be better off than some more experienced practitioners. Experience has taught us about all of the things that can go wrong. We have seen people fail and maybe even experienced some failure ourselves.

When the pandemic began none of us knew exactly how we would get through it. Most never imagined the buying frenzy after the brief slowdown at the beginning of the pandemic.

During the pandemic, we had to learn how to do things differently, and we had to learn it quickly. The learning curve was steep and the window of experimentation was small.

The business has been in a state of emergency ever since, with buyers making offers as soon as houses come on the market. They want to see them first, which can be challenging with no overlapping appointments allowed because of the pandemic. During the spring buying frenzy, houses would be booked with back-to-back appointments and there were waiting lists.

Housing prices continued to rise after the summer of 2020. If the people who had decided tomove away from the cityhad waited a few more months they would have gotten significantly more for their homes. Some would be better off living in the city now that they have to commute to work.

News of layoffs and downsizing in the industry is interesting and informative but it might not be as important to the average agent or team of agents as what is going on in the agents local market. Real estate is local.

The people who seem to do the best when the market changes are willing to try new things. They dont do the same things everyone else is doing, they come up with innovative ways to market and work. They dont focus on how things used to be. They take risks.

An agent who experienced the last major market shift probably isnt relaxed at all. She knows what it is like when the housing market changes and it isnt always pretty. There will be winners and losers.

There are opportunities that we cant see right now and trends that are in their infancy but that will ultimately change the way we do business.

Maybe real estate agents wont be replaced by the internet or by robots or maybe they will be. Now might be the perfect time to buy a real estate robot and train it.

I dont think new agents who have joined in the last couple of years are at a disadvantage. In fact, I think they may have more enthusiasm, energy and creativity. Thats good news for them and good news for the future of the industry.

Read more here:
Your prediction about the housing market is probably wrong - Inman

Programming note: Money Stuff will be off tomorrow and Monday, back on Tuesday.

Digital World Acquisition Corp. is a special-purpose acquisition company that has signed a deal to merge with Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., which runs Donald Trumps Truth Social network,and take it public.Like most SPACs, DWAC has a time limit to complete its deal: Its corporate charter says that, if it has not completed a merger by Sept. 8 next Thursday it has to close up shop and return its money to shareholders. It is definitely not going to complete itsmerger with TMTGby next Thursday. (The main holdup is that the US Securities and Exchange Commission needs to review and sign off on the proxy statement for that merger; the SEC has various questions.) Actually DWAC can extend that deadline by six months, if its sponsors put up some more money, but six months probably isnt enough either.So DWAC has asked its shareholders for a longer extension: It has asked them to vote to approve an amendment to its charter to extend the deadline by a year to Sept. 8, 2023. The vote will be held at an online special meeting of shareholders next Tuesday, Sept. 6, two days before the current deadline.

The rest is here:
The Trump SPAC Needs More Time - Bloomberg

AUSTIN, Texas Sharing news articles with friends and followers on social media can prompt people to think they know more about the articles topics than they actually do, according to a new study from researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.

Social media sharers believe that they are knowledgeable about the content they share, even if they have not read it or have only glanced at a headline. Sharing can create this rise in confidence because by putting information online, sharers publicly commit to an expert identity. Doing so shapes their sense of self, helping them to feel just as knowledgeable as their post makes them seem.

This is especially true when sharing with close friends, according to a new paper from Susan M. Broniarczyk, professor of marketing, and Adrian Ward, assistant professor of marketing, at UTs McCombs School of Business.

The research isonline in advance in the Journal of Consumer Psychology. The findings are relevant in a world in which its simple to share content online without reading it. Recent data from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism show only 51% of consumers who read an online news story actually read the whole article, while 26% read part, and 22% looked at just the headline or a few lines.

Broniarczyk, Ward and Frank Zheng, a McCombs marketing doctoral alum, conducted several studies that support their theory. In an initial one, the researchers presented 98 undergraduate students with a set of online news articles and told them they were free to read, share, or do both as they saw fit. Headlines included Why Does Theatre Popcorn Cost So Much and Red Meats Linked to Cancer.

Next, they measured participants subjective and objective knowledge for each article what the students thought they knew, and what they actually knew. Reading articles led to increases in both objective and subjective knowledge. Sharing articles also predicted increases in subjective knowledge even when students had not read what they chose to share, and thus lacked objective knowledge about the articles content.

In a second study, people who shared an article about cancer prevention came to believe they knew more about cancer than those who did not, even if they had not read the article.

Three additional studies found this effect occurs because people internalize their sharing into the self-concept, which leads them to believe they are as knowledgeable as their posts make them appear. Participants thought they knew more when their sharing publicly committed them to an expert identity: when sharing under their own identity versus an alias, when sharing with friends versus strangers, and when they had free choice in choosing what to share.

In a final study, the researchers asked 300 active Facebook users to read an article on How to Start Investing: A Guide for Beginners. Then, they assigned students to a sharing or no sharing group. All participants were told the content existed on several websites and saw Facebook posts with the sites. Sharers were asked to look at all posts and choose one to share on their Facebook page.

Next, in a supposedly unrelated task, a robo-advised retirement planning simulation informed participants that allocating more money to stocks is considered more aggressive and to bonds more conservative, and they received a customized investment recommendation based on their age. Participants then distributed a hypothetical $10,000 in retirement funds between stocks and bonds: Sharers took significantly more investment risk. Those who shared articles were twice as likely to take more risk than recommended by the robo-advisor.

When people feel theyre more knowledgeable, theyre more likely to make riskier decisions, Ward said.

The research also suggests theres merit to social media companies that have piloted ways to encourage people to read articles before sharing.

If people feel more knowledgeable on a topic, they also feel they maybe dont need to read or learn additional information on that topic, Broniarczyk said. This miscalibrated sense of knowledge can be hard to correct.

For more details about this research, read the McCombs Big Ideas feature story and watch the video explaining Broniarczyk and Wards work.

See the article here:
Sharing on Social Media Makes Us Overconfident in Our Knowledge - UT News - The University of Texas at Austin

Mlily USA has developed an easy-to-use guide for retailers looking to be more effective with social media and marketing.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. In a move designed to help boost its retail partners social media and marketing prowess, bedding supplier Mlily USA has developed an easy-to-use guide that offers how-tos and best practices for establishing a vibrant social media presence.

The complimentary guide offers instructions for setting up a social media profile, creating and sharing posts, and tagging. It covers four of the most widely used social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Social media is an essential part of retail businesses to reach a vast audience, increase brand awareness and attract new customers, said Ryan Farber, vice president of marketing. Our primary goal with the social media guide is to support our retailers and meet them where they are. When it comes to social media, most of us, from novice to expert, can use support because it evolves quickly, and every channel has its own set of features and nuances.

Available through Mlilys partner portal as an interactive PDF, the guide includes a section on brand terminology, materials and technology, as well as access to other resources such as product information and visual assets.

Farber said the idea was derived from the companys sales and marketing teams that were spending time explaining the benefits of social media and the impact it could have on business.

Im Sheila Long OMara, executive editor at Furniture Today. Throughout my 25-year career in the home furnishings industry, I have been an editor with a number of industry publications and spent a brief stint with a public relations agency where I worked with some of the industrys leading bedding brands. I rejoined Furniture Today in December 2020 with a focus on bedding and sleep products. Its a homecoming for me, as I was a writer and editor with Furniture Today from 1994 until 2002. Im happy to be back and look forward to telling the important stories impacting bedding retailers and manufacturers.

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Hunting for ways to boost your social media presence? This mattress brand is ready to help - Furniture Today

We are officially in the era of the social media content creator.

What was once a hobby is now a bonafide career path. Brands of all sizes and industries want in on the creator economy, creating new functions within social media teams.

Hiring for a role youve never filled before can be tricky, especially when its a role thats still emerging within its discipline. If you want to level up your social strategy with a social media content creator, heres everything you need to know.

A social media content creator is an individual who creates and shares content intended to educate or entertain an audience across social media platforms.

The internet offers several avenues for content creation. You can write blogs, share newsletters, draft web copythe list goes on. This subset of content creators is solely focused on understanding and building their audience on social media.

On the surface, that may seem limiting. In reality, its anything but. Social media trends and functionality change daily. Their focus on the channel gives them an unparalleled understanding of what works on their preferred networks.

While there certainly is overlap between social media content creators and social media managers, theyre not one and the same.

Content creation is one of many responsibilities a social media manager might take on. Social media management also includes:

These efforts make the most out of the channel as a business function. They also take a lot of time. Adding video and graphic production to the list can quickly create an unsustainable workload.

Thats why social media managers and social media content creators are a match made in heaven. Creators allow managers to offload content production, allowing them to focus on more strategic initiatives.

Its pretty common for social media content creators to maintain a presence across most major social media networks.

Why? Its good business.

Each network has its own engagement advantages. Maintaining a presence across a handful of networks ensures that a creator can continue to grow and connect with their audience as trends shift and evolve.

For example, Tyler Gaca (AKA @ghosthoney across all networks) rose to popularity on TikTok but now uses:

This is great news for marketers who are revving up partnerships across several networks at once. Our research found that more than half anticipate using Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for creator collaborations within the next three to six months.

Think of it this way: If a marketer were to partner with a social media content creator that has a major following on TikTok, theyd only reach audiences that are currently using TikTok.

If they partner with a creator that has a following on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter, they can request that a sponsored post be shared across all networks. Thats way more reach with just a little bit of extra effort on behalf of both parties.

If youre interested in hiring a social media content creator, there are a few different ways you can go. You could:

Each of these options has its own pros and cons depending on your needs. Regardless of which one you choose, one thing is certain: these individuals should focus solely on creating content.

That may not seem like enough responsibility to justify an entire role, but a lot of work can go into a single post. Greer Hiltabidle, a TikTok creator for 360i, broke down the role responsibilities in a recent interview with Marketing Brew: Youre a director; youre an actor; youre a filmmaker; youre a writer. You do wardrobe, set design.

On top of all these production duties, social media content creators are also tasked with creative ideation. Adding too many additional responsibilities on top of that can easily overburden a creator.

Theres nothing more intimidating than a blank page, especially when writing a job description.

Thankfully, there are a lot of places you can turn to for inspo. For starters, our pack of social media manager job description templates has a digital content creator role description thats ready to personalize.

You can also look at existing job listings to kickstart your creativity. For example, you may want to mimic how this contract social media content creator role from Blizzard outlines the collaboration and creation expectations.

At the end of the day, as long as youre clear on your purpose and realistic about your expectations, youll find the candidate you need.

Social media content creator salaries are a bit of a wild west. At the end of the day, it all comes down to your chosen compensation structure.

If youre going with a freelance social media content creator, weve gathered some price-per-post baselines in our most recent data report on the creator economy.

These estimates can be influenced by several factors, including brand investment and creator-to-brand affinity. Depending on your industry, comped products or affiliate marketing opportunities could work as a supplement to smaller base pay.

Those looking to hire an in-house content creator ditch the price-per-post payment method in favor of an annual salary. According to Glassdoor, the estimated total pay for a social media content creator in the U.S. is $69,419.

There are tons of ways brands can partner with social media content creators to drive their business forward.

Whether you want to generate more engagement or simply reduce the burden of always-on content creation, theres a creator that can help you meet your social media goals.

The key is to work with creators who know whats trending online. Memes and viral video formats can rise and fall in popularity in less than 24 hours. Partnering with someone who can quickly put their own spin on a social media moment is crucial to maintaining brand relevance.

The more you work with social media content creators, the easier it will be to develop a process thats collaborative and on brand without sacrificing timeliness. As you prepare to take the plunge, heres how you can lay a foundation for powerful, lasting relationships with creators.

You wouldnt buy a car without taking it for a test drive first, right?

Think of working with freelance creators as that initial test drive. It allows you to better understand what you want out of a partnership, which networks yield the best results and what content formats work well with your audience.

If youve never worked with a creator before, try using freelancer apps like Fiverr or Upwork to parse through your options. If you find a creator that you establish a strong working relationship with, theres always an opportunity to expand the contract or offer them a full-time position.

If theres one certainty in social media, its that people can sniff out a fake partnership a mile away.

According to Kerrie Smith, a content strategist for Twitter ArtHouse, authenticity is everything.

Consumers are on the lookout for partnerships that feel forced and many creators now have the luxury of turning down brand opportunities that dont feel like the right fit for their business goals. People are no longer averse to #ad, but they will reject inauthentic advertising. Invest in tools to help you listen to your community on Twitter and uncover the creators that are talking about your brand already. Leverage insights to align with creators that are driving the trending moments that your brand can participate in.

Its no secret brands have struggled to diversify the talent they work with.

Not only is it bad PR, its also bad business sense. Inclusive campaigns bring unique perspectives to your content, broadening your reach beyond any single group of consumers.

For example: When Hagen-Dazs wanted to increase its brand awareness among non-white consumers, they partnered with award-winning actor Lena Waithe and marginalized social media content creators to develop branded content. Representation matters in marketing.

When brands fail to account for the diversity of their target audience, dont be surprised to see members of marginalized communities take their business elsewhere.

As Rachel Karten, social media consultant and author of the Link in Bio newsletter puts it: Its not hard to spot a brand that has an overbearing approval process.

When working with creators, you need to be ready to abandon the multi-step approval process youre used to. Nothing shorts originality like putting a post through a few dozen rounds of editing. Plus, it runs you the risk of missing a trend entirely.

To reap the full benefits of partnering with social media content creators, you need to give them the creative freedom and creator tools needed to do their thing. Remember: youre paying for their perspective and unique voice. Stifling that can hurt both your brand and your relationship with a creator.

Trends and consumer preferences are changing faster than ever before. If youre looking for new ways to maintain your brands relevance online, social media content creators may be the solution for you.

For everything else you need to know to evolve your social media strategy, check out the latest edition of the Sprout Social Index. Inside, youll find data-backed insights on what people want from brands and what other marketers are doing to keep up.

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What is a social media content creator and when should you hire one? - Sprout Social