Critical Reflection

This semester in my Writing For Business english class at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, we were given an applied learning project.  We spent the majority of the semester building up to this project, learning about effective ways to communicate and collaborate in a business setting, how to conduct and evaluate research, and the best ways to prepare business reports.  Our project required us to work in groups with a local real estate company, Nest Realty Wilmington, to analyze their social media presence and prepare a report on our research based analysis as well as provide suggestions for improvement.

Before completing this project, I wrote an intention essay on what I intended to learn from this service learning project.  I listed strategies to collaborate with colleagues in an online environment, and the best strategies to use (and not use) when writing to an audience on social media as my main learning outcomes.  Consequently, they both relate to the two learning outcomes from our course syllabus that I found to be most applicable to our project:

• “Employ fundamental rhetorical principles to analyze the persuasive and communicative strategies of business writing in multiple contexts, using multiple genres.”
• “Learn strategies for collaborating with colleagues in online and culturally diverse environments”

I learned that a large portion of a company or individual’s online presence revolves around the rhetorical choices they make. This includes the way their posts are written as well as the images associated with them.  Rhetoric includes logos (logic), pathos (feelings), and ethos (ethics).  Our group used what we have learned about rhetorical appeals to audience to evaluate Nest’s online presence.  We found that they created a strong ethos with their “new breed of broker” motto, provided market reports that built logos, and did exceptionally well at creating a fun and inviting pathos. Once we interviewed our client and explored their online presence, we gained a better understanding of the types of rhetorical appeals they were trying to make to their audience and offered suggestions for improvement, which you can see in our Nest report.  

To collaborate with the other students in my group, we created a Google Doc page which allowed us to communicate, stay up to date on deadlines, and add to the report on our own time.  We also created a group text message, which allowed for constant communication throughout the project.  We worked effectively as a group because we began the project by identifying our team goals and assigning specific roles to each member.  I think everyone knowing what they were responsible for and what they were working toward contributed to the success of our group.

I plan to pursue a career in operations management, which entails a great deal of collaboration and communication with colleagues and suppliers along the supply chain.  I feel that working on this collaborative project in an online setting provided me with the practice and skills to contribute and communicate effectively in future professional projects.  Additionally the new skills and knowledge I have gained regarding fundamental rhetorical principles will help me create effective and persuasive business proposals. When it comes time for me to suggest solutions to problems or needs in my company’s supply chain, this will be especially useful.

Slidecast Assignment

For the Slidecast assignment I designed a slidecast with an audience of real estate agents in mind, which I address in the title seen in Image 1. You can view the entire slidecast at this link: Wallis Slidecast

Image 1

Research from my Nest report lead me to discover something called the 80/20 Rule.  The rule states that 80% of content should be valuable or inspirational to followers and 20% should be promotional.  This balance of valuable and promotional content helps to increase followers and traffic to realtors sites.  

My goal was to create a pathos of professionalism as well as a strong ethos so that realtors viewing my slidecast would view it seriously. Our Business Communications textbook says that an effective slide deck needs to be easy to follow.  This is created by using content that supports the headline of the slide, effective use of blank space, and using images to help develop ideas. While these were all design elements I used, I found that using images to develop ideas was a significant tool in creating my rhetorical appeals. I was able to align my visual rhetoric choices with my written rhetorical choices by applying the CRAP design principles to my slides, which are outlined in detail below:

C: Contrast was created through bold and colored text, and semi-transparent text boxes. The semi transparent boxes allowed for the audience to see the background image as well as read the text clearly. The clarity allows for easy reading which boosts logos and the professional pathos I was hoping to accomplish.

R: Repetition was represented by the repeating font, text color, slide transitions and page layouts. This creates coherence throughout the presentation and gives it the polished look and pathos I was trying to achieve.

A: Created a visual connection between text boxes and images by aligning them opposite the main focus of each image. By aligning the text boxes properly with the images, I created a relationship where the images mimicked the same rhetoric as the written text.

P: Proximity was used in the placement of text boxes to create organized and easy to read slides. This allowed both the text and the images to be seen with ease, boosting logos.

In addition to the CRAP design, I used fair use and creative commons images that were high quality, polished, and that supported the text on each slide. I created links to each image at the bottom of each slide to further build ethos. Images 2 and 3 are examples of how I utilized CRAP and the fair use images to create a polished and coherent slidecast.

      Image 2 Image 3

After completing the slidecast project, I feel that I have a better understanding of visual rhetoric and how design choices make a huge impact on the way the audience is influenced. I now feel confident that I have gained the skills and knowledge to design an effective and easy to follow presentation in my future career of operations management.

Nest Realty White Paper Report

Analysis of Social Media Presence

November 24, 2015

Hannah Faircloth, Adam Lesniak, Kendal Wallis

Executive Summary

Social media is a great tool to maintain relationships with past, current, and future clients and to get involved with the community.  As Ryan Crecelius, owner of Nest Realty Wilmington stated, “You only get one chance to make a first impression.”  To help Nest make the best first impression possible, we have analyzed their current social media presence and have provided recommendations for change and improvement. We discuss ways to include promotional content that followers will find interesting, how to utilize Instagram more effectively, and the best ratio of inspirational versus promotional content for any  social media post.

Introduction

Nest Realty is a new breed of broker. They take a customer-centered, transparent, and innovative approach to realty that helps them stay ahead of the competition and provide a uniquely satisfying experience to their customers.  Ryan Crecelius says, “obviously we want people to hire us, but we want them to trust us first.”  To gain client’s trust realtors need to get to know your clients on a personal level, become familiar and involved with their community, and get connected with the local market.  Social media is a great way to do this because it allows you to make a lasting first impression as well as advertise your business to the world. Nest Realty already utilizes Facebook to effectively communicate and advertise themselves in a positive manner.  Through other social media platforms, Nest’s online presence has the potential to grow and assist them in reaching a wider customer base.

Nest Realty’s Current Social Media Use

Nest Realty currently utilizes several social media platforms to connect with the community and potential clients.  Facebook is Nest’s primary use of social media. Facebook is ideal for real estate agents because it allows for both personal and professional pages to be made.  Since realty is a “personal business”, it has become one of the most popular forms of social media for real estate agents to use.

Graph shows that Facebook is definitely Nest’s most used social media platform.

Suggestions for Nest’s Social Media Presence

Social Media Icons

The Nest website has links to their social media pages on the bottom of the homepage and at the bottom under the “More” tab.  We suggest making these a more prominent part of the website by placing them closer to the top or sides of the page.  According to Tom Ewer of the Designer’s Guide to WordPress, “the header is what attracts the eye of site visitors first.” This makes the top of the webpage a great space for social media icons. Additionally, the Nest social media toolbar provides a link to Vimeo.com, but there is no content.  Consider removing this link or replacing it with a link to another social media website.

80/20 Rule

Ryan mentions taking the “anti-pain in the ass” approach to social media.  Matt Bushery, author of 30 Real Estate Social Media Etiquette Rules for Agents refers to this as the 80/20 Rule.  This rule states that 80% of posts should be valuable or inspirational to your followers and 20% should be promotional (Bushery).  A great example of how Nest utilizes the 80/20 rule is through valuable content like the market report posts, links to blogs, and their ranking in Inc. Magazine’s Fastest Growing Private Companies.  Remember, for posts about real estate news it is important to make sure you summarize key points and contribute Nest’s insight on how it could help buyers or sellers (Pontacoloni).

Example of Nest utilizing the 80% of the 80/20 rule.

While keeping promotional content to a minimum is important, we encourage Nest to think about boosting the promotional content on their online presence.  Promotional content doesn’t have to bog down your followers- it can be fun and interesting! Has a broker hit a certain amount in sales this year that shows they are going above and beyond the rest?  Give them a shout out on social media. Not only will it give friends and past clients a chance to congratulate them, it will allow future clients to see how outstanding Nest brokers are.  An example from Realty World Cape Fear is below.  Most people find real estate interesting (think about all of the popular reality TV shows based on the industry) and want to see behind the scenes.  Is there a beautiful new listing that followers will find interesting?  Post it!  Encourage your followers to daydream about a house in the beautiful ILM and they may actually end up buying the house.

Realty World Cape Fear showing off their agent of the month and their agent with top sales.

Instagram

Instagram is an increasingly popular form of social media.  With over 300 million users, it is close to being on of the largest advertisers in the world (Sigmon).  In Ryan’s interview he mentioned not wanting to spend a lot of time keeping up with social media engagement.  Instagram is a great way to reach several social media platforms with one post.  The “Share to” feature allows users to share their post on Instagram as well as Facebook, Twitter and others.  Using Instagram to share on Facebook and Twitter will cut down the time needed to engage with online users while increasing the number of users reached.

Nest already provides followers with unique aerial views of properties and Wilmington’s beautiful landscape.  To play off of our society’s interest in real estate, we suggest further utilizing Instagram’s video feature and providing followers with short behind the scenes clips.  Justin Levitch, VP of business development at Real Living At Home and youngest managing broker at Coldwell Banker NRT in Texas, suggests posting 15 second video tours to get people interested in the property as well as your business (Levitch).  Justin also suggests using the Flipagram application which allows you to create videos from previously taken pictures with added sound. Flipagram allows you to post the video not only to Instagram, but to website and blog as well.  These videos could include walk-throughs of houses, “A day in the life of…” various realtors, or clips from Nest’s YouTube video.

Example of realtors using Fipagram to give virtual tours of homes

Twitter

Twitter is a great social media tool and is the most famous user of the #hashtag in order to group posts together where users can look specifically at a topic in one convenient location. This form of social media forces user to condense what they need to say to 140 characters, which allows potential clients to get the message without feeling overwhelmed by tons of text. The following are some suggestions on how to utilize Twitter for Nest Realty.

• Be sure to promptly reach out to people who interact with your page. Studies have shown that 50% of customers want companies to respond to their twitter posts or questions within an hour (Bushery).  
• Utilize the limited characters to get your point across. Less text means less to focus on and comprehend.
• Promote account via Twitter advertisements
• There are currently only 12 posts, 5 of which are not directly related to realty
  

It’s important for companies to express their personalities on their social media profiles, but it is also important to retain a professional image.  Nest could benefit by weeding out some of the less relevant posts on its current Twitter profile and posting more valuable content. This is especially important because there are currently so few posts that anything gratuitous can go a long way to detract from the company’s professional reputation.

Hashtags

Hashtags are also a great way to facilitate conversations with your followers.  Ask followers to post their favorite room in their new homes with the hashtag #myfavoritenest, or use hashtags to start a discussion about the Wilmington community.  “Keep in mind Facebook isn’t as transparent with hashtag activity and Linkedin doesn’t yet recognize hashtags” (Murtagh).

The use of hashtags creates searchable links that allow users to find posts on specific topics (Drell).  We suggest a new hashtag: #newbreedofbroker.  It looks as though Nest has utilized this hashtag a few times on Facebook and Twitter, and we encourage this to be a regularly used hashtag. When searched on the three social media platforms, it appears no one else has used this hashtag. This will allow Nest to stand out against the rest of the realty companies in the area… and all over the internet! This approach could be applied across all forms of social media.

Screenshot from #newbreedofbroker Instagram search

Conclusion

Nest Realty has a significant online presence and does well at promoting itself through various forms of social media. Increasing their regular social media usage on Instagram and Twitter, implementing the 80/20 rule, and creating a hashtag that can be used regularly will help them connect to a wider network of potential clients and promote Nest through even more platforms.

Works Cited

Bushery, Matthew. "30 Must-Follow Real Estate Social Media Etiquette Rules for Agents." Placester. 22 Apr. 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

Drell, Lauren. "Hashtags, and Infographics, and Videos! Oh My!" Marketing Research 26.2 (2014). Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

Levitch, Justin. "5 Little Known Ways Instagram Can Drive Traffic to Your Business | Inman." Inman. 11 Nov. 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Murtagh. "The Role of #Hashtags in Social Media and Search." Search Engine Watch. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Sigmon, Ethan. "4 Tips for Using Instagram as a Real Estate Agent | Inman." Inman. 8 Oct. 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

Pontacoloni, Mike. "3 Tips for Capturing Friends of Friends on Facebook | Inman." Inman. 24 Sept. 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

Ewer, Tom. “Determining the Best Place for Your Social Media Icons.” codeinwp.blog. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Purpose

          

       In my Writing for Business class this semester we are working on an applied learning project.  For this project, we have assigned groups in which we use what we have learned during the semester to analyze the online presence of a local business, Nest Realty. Together we will create a report on our findings and suggestions for improvement.  Upon finishing this project, I will transform my blog into an online portfolio where I will showcase my work in this class and the knowledge I gained.

Our professor has outlined several course outcomes for this class, but the one that I think will be most relevant to my professional and academic interests, as well as the project, is to learn strategies for collaborating with colleagues online and in culturally diverse environments.  Since this project is group and online-based, I think it will help me to better navigate similar situations when I encounter them in my professional life.  

Moving forward in this project, I expect to learn more about strategies to use (and not use) when writing to your audience on social media.  A couple of the concepts we have learned so far include the best ways to use social media to build goodwill in businesses, and how to apply persuasive strategies into your social media communication.  I think these concepts as well as tools like visual rhetoric and what we have read about preparing reports in our Business Communication textbook will also be useful in analyzing Nest Realty’s social media presence.

         Collaborating in an online context can be difficult because it is not very personal and can cause team members to feel more isolated than in face-to-face context.  Also, planning a time to get online and collaborate can be difficult since each team member is in a different place.  This may mean having to schedule around different time zones, work schedules, etc.  To overcome these kinds of obstacles in this particular project, I think it is a good idea for my group to schedule meetings and due dates well in advance.  This way everyone on the team has time to plan for these events and won’t feel pressured last minute.  Maintaining a constant form of contact will also help the team to stay connected and on the same page.  

         Because I have spent a great deal of time researching and learning about visual rhetoric and the best ways to apply persuasive strategies to social media, I think I will be well equipped to analyze Nest social media posts.  I personally have an interest in real estate and can use the knowledge I have gained so far to help my team provide better recommendations.  When it comes to providing an analysis I excel in the research part, but sometimes need help diving in deeper with the actual analysis.  When it comes to this, I may need my group to help push me and provide helpful ideas for a successful analysis.  

         

         So far, I have a great group lined up and I am looking forward to what we accomplish together on this project!

         

Resume

In this post you will find a link to my resume in Google Docs as well as a short video resume and a link to my LinkedIn account.  Please feel free to contact me at the listed email address.

Kendal Wallis Resume 

Kendal Wallis LinkedIn account