You're looking for a way to be unapologetically yourself to really attract your tribe tribe and then operationalize your video you're gonna love today's show if social has you bogged down in terms of the pressure of making the videos and posting the content. And it's so much work work work and it feels like a hamster wheel. This is a conversation an interview with lou zebra that you cannot miss we're going to talk to lou zabral. She's a rock star agent and team leader in miami.

Who has built her brand built her business with video and guess what she's not like this crazy gear head who loves cameras and stuff like that she's just amazing with her clients and they captured with video and it's built her brand amongst her past clients amongst her sphere of influence and her age to agent network is literally on fire why because of video because of social media. Because she's just having fun too many people are making social media. This thing. That's bigger than it needs to be and it should just be fun.

And so if you're in a position of saying you know what i need a game plan that helps me position my brand in terms of who i actually am to my clients and attract my kind of business. This is a conversation you cannot miss welcome to this week in marketing. My name is jason pantana your host and today the moderator of this conversation and i am so happy you're here now if you're new to the channel make sure to head on over and click that big red subscribe button. And while you're at it hit the little bell next to it to get notifications.

So that whenever we publish new videos like this you're the first to hear about it and know about it and consume that content so you can apply it in your business. Now getting back with the show let's talk about how to build your brand with video and social and have fun doing it with luz abrero here we go i am so pumped for today's conversation. So lou's first question out of the gate. What would you say to the viewers is your marketing superpower well i am super excited to be here as well and i will say that is my authenticity like people love.

Me for who i am and for my energy. And what i bring to the table. So every time that i go to any event. So when people start following me on instagram.

They will say stuff like oh. My gosh luz. You are the same and for me has been um. Very powerful to be able to keep myself grounded and be very true to myself in everything i do like for instance this morning um.

An agent that is tom ferry client in portugal. She texted me this morning and she goes like oh my gosh luz. I've been following you since i joined tom ferry and i would love to have you in my office to give a talk to my agent and i was like oh. My gosh like i have never met her in person.

And you know she connected with me with you know through my energy. The things that she sees in me in instagram and facebook or any other social media. I think that's so true because like any marketing channel whether it's social media or something different at the end of the day. It's putting a megaphone to whatever you are and you are the product.

And so why would i want to be anything other than authentic or genuine. Because that's what you're selling right you're selling you and your business and the way you conduct business. I love that's a great answer talk to us about how you've built your brand and just for context uh. You're running a growing successful team in miami.

Y.'all are crushing. It no doubt your social media is a huge part of that but just kind of take us through the journey of how you built your brand well uh when everything started as you know tom ferry. He says all the time video video video video uh so i think it was four years ago. When i finally decided as a request for my coach to really go deep on video at the beginning.

I was very stressed um. It was so much to handle like what to say how to say it how was it that i was going to connect with people um and yeah. It was a journey. But you know we have been working very consistently and i think that's the key to be very consistent because sometimes we start doing something and then we get super busy uh stuff happen in our lives uh.

We go on vacation. We something you know happen in our family and then we stop and then when we stop we have to start all over again so for me um. It has been the ability to have people in my team. Helping me my videographer uh my content creation manager so they hold me accountable every day.

And i know that everything is going to be done on time and we're supposed to do because somebody else is taking care of everything else i just have to like you know get together with them create. What is it that we're going to do and then everything gets done instead of when i try to do it myself. Because i have to have control of everything then get into the crowd. It's funny.

I know so like what you said rings really true i mean to me real estate. The industry at large has a high rate of failure. There's stats that talk about how many agents ultimately fail. This business and they're not overly encouraging.

But i would argue fundamentally the reason behind it is dabbling agents. Don't necessarily know what works and so they try this and it doesn't work so they try that and then they try this and then they try that and they don't stick with it long enough to really reap the rewards of the work. They've been doing because the results are truly the repetition so it sounds like the way. You built your brand was really video.

First tom ferry. Your coach at tom ferry was like video video video. They convinced you to do it. And it also seems like along the way you realized i need to bring some people in around me to operationalize this at what point in the journey did you make that choice to say i'm gonna actually invest in bringing people alongside me to help well uh when we first started doing video.

I remember i bought every single gadget like microphones everything. Live you name. It i have it uh. Wait did you did you use the gadgets or just sit them on the desk and never use them they still are sitting on the table exactly.

I said. The other day. I was talking to one of my agents and she goes like i have a camera that you lend it to me that was like me. I don't even remember that i bought the 10 camera well the thing was that at the beginning.

It was super. Stressful uh because i needed to learn how to use all those gadgets. That's number one uh and number two i wasn't connecting like i was view you know watching my own videos and i couldn't stand what i was watching what i was watching because i wasn't you know looking at the camera. I was reading everything was scripted and then i remembered i i told my coach um i am not enjoying this i am super stressful every time that i have to record and i feel that i'm not connecting to anybody.

No one is watching my videos and i feel so disappointed and then i remember. She said darling. What about if we keep improving your skills so that way you can hire somebody to help you and i was here yeah amma. It's funny even the way you said that i'm like oh.

I know who her coach is i know exactly what it is that's funny so um. Yeah. That was uh one of my best coaching tips. Because that's exactly what we do what we did we brought somebody on the team.

So now. I have a videographer for about three years now okay you eat once a month and then you know i bring a few outfits. We record from like three to four hours and when we decide that we need to stop is. When my smile goes away.

Yeah. Fatigue. Yeah. If i feel like oh.

No i can't like this is not me this like we will stop. But if i still have the energy to keep going we will record until we finish. All the topics that we have for the day. We don't skip anything uh everything is like the only thing that we will do is like okay.

These are the topics that we want to talk today. About and then i will go what level of prep goes into that uh do you all have a correspondence in between the sessions or tell me more about like the day of the shoot. And how you prep and all that well uh the day before the shooting uh. He will send me a list of topics that he want me to talk about and then that day of the shooting well the day before the night.

Before. I will get all my office. You know prep ah. Again.

If that's something that is okay for you like. If you are into that in my case. I like to be very well put together i need to get my hair done as stone. Always said.

When you feel good you perform good so for me feeling good. It's like feeling beautiful well put together my hair. Done my makeup arm everything that i'm wearing super cute um and then you know he will go okay. Which one do you want to do first and then i said like i look at the list.

And it's okay whatever i don't like it doesn't matter. Which one i'm going to say first because something that i also learned from my coach is i choose to say lose you're talking with your clients. So it's basically instead of you thinking that you are talking to a hundred people or you know how many people you are talking and this guy. I'm talking to you so if i'm talking to you am.

I reading anything no no so that's exactly what i do in my videos. I just have to know the topic that i'm going to talk about and that's it this is my business. I know this business in and out so you can ask me any questions about real estate. And i will have the answers so i was going to ask how does your videographer source.

The list of topics. What does that look like well he goes on google and he finds like you know what are the trending topics on google and then he goes like this what i found and then also to all the videos that i watch for all the amazing people on this ecosystem. Then you know if i for instance. If you do a video.

And i like your topic then i will save it yeah. When he send me his list. I will say like oh jason did this one that i find very nice. So i can do this one as well okay combination from what he brings plus.

The topics that i heard through the ecosystem. That we added to the list. What are some of the topics that you would say these ones are crushing it right now they're really resonating with consumers. What would you share with the viewers about videos.

They should be making topic. Wise well. Number one is how's the market people ask that all the time is the market's gonna crash is something bad is gonna happen the recession and all that so super important to do that people connect a lot with specific topics like for instance. I'm in miami and in miami.

There is a lot of people coming from other countries like you know latin america. So there was a video that i remember i did last year and was how can someone that does not have a legal green card can buy a house huh and that was bananas like the amount of people that i received that call me because usually you know if you want to buy a house you need to have a green card. Two years old income taxes and all the other steps so people have this misconsumption that if you don't have the green car. Maybe for you know everybody watching this that is you know american citizen might not know what is a green car uh but basically means that somebody came from another country and the first process that they have to go through if they decide that they want to stay here and go through the old immigration process is that green card.

So when people watch my video and know that they didn't need the green card. They were like oh my god i can buy a house and then i was able to help a lot of people thanks to that video. So what i will say is find those topics that those questions that people are asking you all the time and from there you will get your topics. Okay.

If you are asking me something most likely a hundred people out there have the same question. I think. It's also important just to stress. You're simply.

Answering questions. I think the bit you said about um. I'm talking to my clients. I'm talking to people one on one it's conversational.

It's not me on a lectern. Giving some kind of a speech per se. So i think that is a really good nugget. I hope people really remember that one.

But i also think this idea of just answer questions what are the questions you're getting every day. What's specific to your niche your nuance of expertise and then talk to those things. It's super. Important tell me when it comes to your video strategy.

What platform or platforms. Are you really like most focused on instagram 100. Why why because i feel that i can be um 100. Myself like for instance.

The way that we do it is on my feet my team managed my whole fee. But then on my stories is me sweating at the gym at 6 00. In the morning. Me doing my hair me showing houses me doing whatever so that way people can connect not only with what they see on my feet.

But what they're seeing me in real life on my stories. Yeah. I like that that's good i find instagram to be kind of the most democratic in the sense that it's got the most variety of different types of posts and so it's a great place for home base tell us more about your team. So we have the videographer and it sounds like you only shoot with the videographer one day a month true or false true okay.

And it sounds like you're mostly doing like direct to camera kind of answering questions are these reels or long form. Videos or a combo uh. We used to do um long. I like you know youtube and then igtv.

But then you know with all the changes now we are focusing only on blows. Now that the rules increase on time so now we are like very focused on just creating reals uh and yes. We meet once a month um and then we should all the videos that we're gonna do and as i was saying before we will do it until i feel fatigued when smile goes away. We're done we're done what about like listening videos and things like that we do listen videos uh mostly like you know if it's a very nice house then we will do a listing video.

Um houses has been selling so fast that to be very honest and transparent with you uh. It doesn't make sense yeah. That's changing. So you can it can be added to the mix you know we're gonna go back to the market before coffee let's put it away.

But yeah. Let's rephrase that before covet. We used to do listing videos and now we're going to do them again. Yeah.

I love it now we're going back again. Yes. Okay and then who else is i think people watching are probably like okay. I love i feel stressed out they're imagining of how much work goes into making videos and i want people around me.

I think what you experienced there was a really common feeling for like just the daunting nature of making content and being on social. So you the videographer who who else is supporting you well. I also have a content creator. So she takes care of everything that goes on my newsletter.

Everything that goes into my facebook for my company and my instagram as well my google my business page and my youtube. It is impossible in my way of thinking to do everything by yourself. It is it's not just your way of thinking. It's just reality.

And something that i learned through coaching is like i have to focus my energy in and my intentions on the income producing activities and to those watching. When it comes to social media. What are those activities. Yeah and for me those activities are calling my past client and my database going on appointments and negotiating deals that's right that's right and then we have to do everything else if i can hire somebody to do i don't know to run my social media for whatever that amount it will pay off because it's gonna get down number one that's the most important part it's going to get done and number two i'm not an expert in that no well.

I think what's really critical is i think you've determined your highest and best use when it comes to social media. Put me on video just put me on the video and then that's the extent of my role put me on the video. My voice my face and then i'm done exactly a hundred percent and then when you when well what what i have experienced is like for instance. When i when people watch my videos.

Sometimes i go to listing appointment and they have my face my facebook page like you know a pizza somebody like from you know i will say 60 and above they will have my facebook page on their computer. You know what they're saying. Me. Yeah.

Oh. I've been watching you and then they will say stuff like oh. I love the way you talk. I love how you explain everything all the details.

I learned about x and y. Because you said it and that allows me to connect with people so when i get to their houses. It's like they already know me you preach. It that's the power of video right there all right let me shift gears for a second here.

So i know you generate a lot of business. Through agent agent referrals and i'm willing to bet. There's some correlation between that and your social media activities. But talk to us about your formula for generating agent agent referrals well uh.

My formula. I will say is um. The same being authentic uh people connect with uh who you are and why you bring to the table. And i have been able to connect with amazing agents in in this ecosystem um.

I am very caring so like you know i'm very cheerful so when somebody meets me like you know they wanted to take me out they want to go for a drink or for a coffee. So i have a plan to follow up like the same way that i follow with the client. I follow with my relationships that i build to the ecosystem. So every time that someone puts a post on any tom ferry site about that they have a referral in miami those polls goes.

Vital with my name like very humbly awesome uh but those posts goes. Vital and the reason behind that is because number one i am able to connect with them and sometimes people refer. Me clients and i don't even know them like for instance last year. A guy sent me a referral.

I have never met him. He is in the ecosystem uh in team plus. And then he sent me a client and i go like um. So why did you choose me and he goes like well i post on the team plus.

Which i'm 19 plus uh. I posted on the team plus side that i needed someone in miami and everybody said your name that's the power of building a brand right because i think it rings true with a lot of other things you said like you talked about your highest best use your priorities are your past clients. I'm talking to my clients you seem to have a special skill of realizing my people are my people and i will with everything at my fingertips. Whether it's through facebook groups or video on social media or emails.

Or whatever. It is you're going to simply love on and build relationships with your past clients your sphere and also your agent network through the tom ferry ecosystem. I think that's just 100 just thinking back on this interview. A couple of things i hope people are hearing is how you felt like you decided to go all on a video.

I think you did what a lot of people do they get afraid of it and so they buy a bunch of gear and they try to i don't know bolster themselves up reinforce themselves to have the confidence to go do the thing. But then you're like you hit a point pretty early on where you're like you know what editing video filming video is not my thing. But talking to my clients is my thing and it seems to me like you just like to have fun. And i talk to so many agents who are stressed out with marketing and social media and all these things because they feel the burden of doing more things and i love your mindset because it's like i just want to have fun doing what i'm doing and of course.

Because if i'm not if i don't enjoy it what is the purpose. I agree like i like the gear side of things. But i'm a that's kind of who i am. I think you should do what makes sense for you and your niche.

And what you're trying to build all right last question before i let you out of here last. Question is imagine you're talking to an agent who's maybe at the starting point or the starting blocks of building their brand. What sage wisdom would you share with them well number one i will tell you to be authentic to decide exactly who is your niche. What is the message that you want to share with the people that love you and trust you at the moment that you take yourself out of the question.

And you know that i'm talking to you as my client because i want to serve you i want to be uh to contribute to you to your life to your financial goals to your uh whatever you know if you want to buy houses. You understand like what are those goals that you as my client have so i'm taking myself out of the question and focusing focusing myself on you my client. The person that trusts me the person that will refer me business. So how he said that i need to show up to you forget about me as a person and then focus all your energy and intention into being a service to your clients.

When you do that then you just go like okay. Let's have fun let's go to showing let's go to joy house. Let's go to a listing. Appointment and then you feel all the pressure of doing videos and being in front of the camera will go away little and i've been doing videos for four years.

And i still get some kind of bubbles on my stomach every time that i'm going to record that's natural that means in my way of thinking that i care that i wanted to do the things the right way. And that i'm getting myself prepared to do the things that matters to my clients because at the end my only purpose is to serve my client. The best way possible and that will is a package is my energy is what i say is everything like people love me the way. I am and that's my tribe and that's the person that i need to connect with so if you are thinking about it you are way too late get on because like i said all the time.

Oh my god thanks god that i started four years ago. I that will be you four years from now bingo you know what get on the train ride the ride. And i i gotta tell you i love your passion. I love your mindset around how you're approaching marketing and i know the viewers watching are getting tremendous value uh so if that's you watching viewers.

We'd love to hear from you give us your feedback drop a comment let us know what's on your mind. And how we can help and tell all the fun people where they can connect with you on social before we sign off here well my name is luz abreo and then in social. I am. Luz luc v.

All right and we'll tag it up on the screen for them to watch. It and follow you uh. I love your passion. I love your advice.

This has been an amazing interview. Thank you thank you thank you and i wish everybody a powerful day and success in their business. Thank you and we will see you at summit indeed. We will where could you go to get tuned up to get your mindset right to get an unlimited number of marketing and lead generation strategies to win even more listings.

The answer. My friend is obvious the success summit in dallas august 23rd through the 25th. If you want to be surrounded by thousands of like minded individuals that are not buying into the noise. But instead staying mentally tough.

And most importantly earning the money that they desire then you need to join us so to make your reservation just go to tomferrycom. Forward slash summit make sure you put in the promo code summit15 that's summit15 to get 15 off your ticket. I can't wait to see at this year's success summit you.