Plain's Paris is a small team of five veteran real estate agents based in the RE/MAX Revolution office in the Kansas City northland who market themselves as a "boutique real estate and marketing team." They wanted to spice things up on social media while getting squared away with their presence on Google, so they brought me on as a freelance brand and social manager. After studying the national RE/MAX brand guidelines, I built our own brand guidelines for Plain's Paris that fell within the parameters of RE/MAX's own set of rules. The change in tone was immediately felt on social media: for example, after nine months, I'd managed to grow their Instagram following by 935%.
I decided to lean less heavily on visual social media curation than I had for brands in the past, adapting to the modern trend to utilize photos that were less polished or professional to feel more accessible as a brand. The same went for videos; followers responded well to quick, informative talking head pieces filmed on an iPhone about frequently asked questions and insight on the local market. I also utilized a healthy dose of meme usage for the first time in my social media management career. It was quicker and dirtier than my more refined brand management work in the past.
Beyond writing for social media, I also wrote blogs and e-mail content. The team also needed help repairing their Google My Business listing and getting set up with Google analytics. I installed tracking codes on their website and updated the SEO metadata using the Google keyword tool, worked with Google to get their map and GMB listing up to date, started gaining GMB reviews, and established the use of Google ads. Finally, I went through the rigorous process to get the entire team Google Screened verified.
The team utilized my graphic design, photography, and drone experience to create listing videos, gifs for e-mail campaigns, capture client portraits for social media and blog features, and listing flyers. I became trained to operate a Matterport 3D imaging camera and was responsible for creating all virtual tours for listings as well. I found the Matterport process very relaxing, but it was also an exercise in user experience. For example, scanning too close to a wall made navigating the 3D model confusing and cumbersome. I had to channel my sense of Feng shui in order to scan a home in a such a way that made navigating it smooth and seamless from a UX perspective.
Helping this scrappy little team out for awhile was a nice change of pace, and gaining experience in creating virtual tours was a big takeaway for me.
