The Katie Lance Podcast

Have you ever thought about making your content more accessible but weren’t sure where to start? In this podcast, I had a great conversation with writer, editor and podcaster Shelly Brisbin. She shared some helpful tips for how to think about your content on your website and social media to make it accessible to all!

I love how at the end of our conversation Shelly says, “Keep in mind - our disabilities don’t define us. Don’t make assumptions about people with disabilities.”

I couldn’t agree more. I am focused on making our content more inclusive and accessible to all - if you are committed to that too I know you will enjoy this podcast. Please make sure to check out Shelly’s book and podcast too (links below!)

About Shelly:

Shelly Brisbin is a writer, editor and podcaster. She recently published the eighth edition of her book, iOS Access for All: Your Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. By day, she is Web Editor and a producer for Texas Standard, a daily public radio news show. In 2019, Shelly produced the award-winning audio documentary, 36 Seconds that Changed Everything: How the iPhone Learned to Talk.

Additional links:

• Connect with Shelly on Twitter
• iOS Access for All
• Shelly’s Podcast: Parallel
• Podcast: Making Your Content and Your Website More Accessible
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

In this episode, I share notes from my conversations with a representative from Instagram - we chatted about new updates to Instagram, how to get more engagement, what works and what doesn’t and she busted a few Instagram myths!

I know you will enjoy this insider peek into what you should actually be doing on Instagram to grow your account.

Make sure you follow me on Instagram if we are not connected yet - I would love to connect!

Additional links:

• Download our free Instaguide to Instagram for Real Estate Agents
• Video: Time-Saving Instagram Tips for Real Estate Agents
• Video: Instagram Video Ideas for Real Estate Agents
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

We had a great conversation on the podcast about working with your spouse, understanding the art of work and life balance and how to ‘stay in your lane.’

We also talked about how they use social media to grow their business. Nestor and Michelle have always stood out to me over the years because of their generosity of spirit and kind hearts. In this podcast they share how they too believe in the philosophy, “Done is better than perfect” and although sometimes we are afraid to put ourselves out there - the rewards outweigh the risks!

You can tell Nestor and Michelle like to have a lot of fun but they are consummate professionals too and believe wholeheartedly that agents need to treat this profession seriously and give it the respect it deserves. I couldn’t agree more!

About Nestor and Michelle:

NESTOR: Born and raised in Orange County, Nestor's passion for creating a strong community in Irvine is obvious. His contractual expertise allows him to prevent problems before they occur, creating a sense of ease among his clients. His positivity and ability to visualize success make him an excellent asset to the team he shares with Michelle in both work and life. Nestor's dedication to the people around him is apparent in everything he does, so making Orange County a great place comes naturally.

MICHELLE: Michelle grew up in Pasadena and is a happy Irvine transplant, where she shares Nestor's passion for creating great communities. In her more than 15 years of real estate experience in Orange County, Michelle has formed honest relationships with her clients, ensuring everyone has the facts needed to make the best decisions.One of her favorite things about living in Irvine is having access to the various trails and parks that the city has to offer. She works hard to bring her love of the area to other people looking for homes. Michelle and Nestor agree that real estate is about more than just buying and selling homes, it is about building community.

Additional links:

• Connect with Nestor and Michelle on Instagram
• Connect with Nestor and Michelle on their website
• Connect with Nestor and Michelle on Facebook
• Interview with Sue “Pinky” Benson
• Check out more #GetSocialSmart Academy Spotlights on our podcast here!
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

Lessons learned:

• Time blocking – daily/weekly/monthly. If it’s not on the calendar it will not happen!
• Batch your content and schedule when you will batch and when you will do anything else like writing notes, editing etc.
• When creating video or podcast content have a repeatable: beginning, middle, end
• Have a routine for your IG stories and other short-form content.

Additional links:

• Video: Time-Saving Social Media Tips for Real Estate Agents
• Video: Social Media Advice for Real Estate Agents (2021 Edition)
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

Social media is a marathon, not a sprint! No one knows this better than New Jersey real estate broker, Karen Bigos! Karen started on social media back in the day by organizing her high school reunion through a Facebook Group which led to one of her first million dollar deals, which she can attribute to her relationships through Facebook.

Since then, her following across her groups and platforms has grown to more than 18,000 followers and she can directly attribute more than $100M dollars in business from social media!

In this podcast, Karen shares so many incredible stories and truths about what it takes to be a successful and busy Realtor while also leveraging the power of social media. Karen has been a broker for more than 37 years and is now the co-founder of Towne Realty Group.

Karen will be the first to tell you - success does not happen overnight. It takes time, effort and organization! In this podcast Karen shares her tips and strategies for making the most out of social media, how social media has fortified her relationships and impacted her business, how she reaches people where they are (phone, text, social media) and more. We also chatted about how this past year or so it was not “business as usual” on social media and how she navigated those challenges.

What I took away from this interview was that Karen has a true sense of who she wants to work with and who she can best serve. Your vibe attracts your tribe! Karen believes in having meaningful connections - not just liking a bunch of things on Facebook but being intentional and connecting with people on and offline.

Karen’s advice for agent’s overwhelmed with social media? Ask yourself WHY are you doing what you are doing? What are you trying to accomplish? Also, remember you can’t be everywhere. Be a giver! Give and you will receive!

Additional links:

• KarenBigos.com
• 365 Summit & New Providence NJ Facebook Page
• 365 Things To Do In Millburn & Short Hills, NJ Facebook Page
• Towne Realty Group, Short Hills, NJ Facebook Page
• Check out more great interviews on our podcast here!
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

It has now been nearly 8 years since she took the leap and in this podcast, she shares her journey, lessons learned and tips for new agents! We also had a great conversation around social media. Cindy joined our #GetSocialSmart Academy three years ago and it’s been awesome to see her business flourish with her videos and social media content. Just as she and I both say in this episode - “done is better than perfect!” Cindy is doing great things and I can’t wait for you to listen to the episode!

Cindy is a lifelong resident of Southern California and has lived in the San Gabriel Valley the entire time. Her and her husband Jack have been married for 29 years and they have two grown daughters, Brittany and Megan. Cindy had been flipping houses with her husband for 26 years, with an agent friend of theirs, when she finally decided to dive into Real Estate herself!

She has been licensed for over 7 years now and absolutely LOVES what she does. Helping people is her PASSION! Cindy’s PASSION of helping people goes way back and in particular to her previous occupation where she worked in the Medical Field alongside doctors in the ER, OR and various offices.

Cindy serves all of the San Gabriel Valley, Inland Empire and parts of North County San Diego as this area is her "second home" due to her husband's occupation of being a Racehorse Trainer.

Additional links:

• Connect with Cindy on her website
• Connect with Cindy on Instagram
• Christine and Betti’s podcast, “The Know, Like, Trust Podcast”
• Wordswag
• Check out more #GetSocialSmart Academy Spotlights on our podcast here!
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

Here is how we think about work/life balance, planning time for vacations and logistically how to unplug.

Lessons learned:

• Plan vacations and important days off in advance – block them off first when you are doing your planning!
• Have systems in place that work even when you aren’t. Systemize your business
• Set boundaries – what will your vacation look like?
• Give yourself time on the front end and the back end of your vacation. It’s like a runway!

Additional links:

• Podcast: Put Yourself at the Top of Your To-Do List
• Podcast: Quality of Life as an Entrepreneur
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

I share some tips on captioning services, plugins, transcripts and much more. The good news is that there are a lot of great resources to make this happen quickly and easily.

Note, I am not an expert on this but if you are an expert or know one - please contact me! I’d love to bring an expert on the show to chat about this!

Additional links:

• Plugin we use on our site
• Rev.com (captioning and transcription tool)
• How to create captions on your IG Stories
• LinkedIn 101 for real estate
• Additional links on this subject: https://www.ada.gov/ and https://www.google.com/accessibility/
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

Jen has been a licensed Realtor since 1996 and joined RE/MAX in 2004. Over the past 25 years, she has helped over 600 families move in and out of the Plymouth, Massachusetts area. She has a passion for video and technology and loves discovering new ways to better serve her clients and be more efficient and innovative in her business. She lives in Plymouth with her beautiful daughters Kaitlin and Chloe and is a devoted band, softball, and comic-con mom. In her free time, she does her best to impersonate someone who knows how to golf.

Jen is such a delight and has so much great advice to share. I know you will enjoy this interview!

Lessons learned from Jen:

• Getting organized and having a system is key.
• The quality of leads you can receive through video content are so much better. There is so much more ‘weight’ to that kind of lead.
• We are all on different chapters - don’t compare your journey to others. You are who you are. Don’t try to be someone else!
• Batching content is huge as well as balancing your content.
• Jen uses Google Sheets and Trello to stay organized.
• Time-blocking is key! Jen blocks time each Wednesday to do research for her videos, recording, outlining or editing. Breaking the process into chunks is the way to make it manageable.
• Be comfortable in your own skin!
• Jen is grateful as a parent and self-employed. She didn’t miss anything and had time to help out.
• Tenacity and patience are key for new agents! Get a coach and a mentor. Start creating video - start with FaceTime to get comfortable with it.
• Wonder Woman is where it’s at!
• Never forget - you write your own journey - you are on the right path!

Additional links:

• Connect with Jen on her website
• Connect with Jen on Instagram
• Connect with Jen on Facebook
• The “hamster video”
• Subscribe to Jen’s YouTube channel here!
• Check out more #GetSocialSmart Spotlight interviews on the podcast
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

Sabrina has been a REALTOR® for over 14 years. Early in her career, Sabrina served as a mentor for new agents at one of the larger brokerages in Fresno, before opening Brown and Brown Real Estate. A brokerage that focuses on a culture of training, servant leadership, collaboration, and teamwork.

Her passion for the real estate industry shows through her service and advocacy. Sabrina serves as 2021 First Vice President of the Women’s Council of REALTORS® California, Member of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion task force for National Women’s Council, Member of the Finance & Budget Committee for National Women’s Council, Director at Madera Association of REALTORS®, Advisor for the Asian American Real Estate Association Central Valley and founding member of the Realtist of Fresno County.

Sabrina’s 2021 appointments include Strategic Planning and Finance at the California Association of REALTORS® and the Diversity Committee at the National Association of REALTORS®

Sabrina and I had a really open conversation about diversity and real estate and I absolutely love her thoughts around this subject. Sabrina is a passionate leader in the industry and it's baked into who she is and what her brokerage culture is all about.

I know you'll enjoy this podcast and would love to hear your feedback!

Additional links:

• Contact Sabrina: (559) 270-6695 or [email protected]
• Connect with Sabrina on her website
• Connect with Sabrina on Instagram
• Connect with Sabrina on Facebook
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)