CMN is Maximizing Social Engagement – and You Can Too

No doubt Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals is king of inspiring stories. After all, who doesn’t love hearing about sick kids who recover, thrive and live life to the fullest? But our charitable partner of 26 years is also starting to rule a new territory: social media. At the beginning of March I joined RE/MAX Senior Vice President Mike Reagan at Children’s Hospitals Week in Orlando, where I saw a bold approach to social media and content marketing that would make R4 speaker Gary Vaynerchuk proud.

Here are four things CMN Hospitals is doing right on social media, and how you can apply it to your real estate business.

1. They leverage Facebook Live

What do you do in the age of cord-cutting when one of your primary fundraisers is a star-filled television-event? Go where the audience is – online.

The annual CMN Hospitals telethon is now the CMN Hospitals Live-a-Thon, a two hour broadcast on the world’s most popular social network using Facebook Live. It proved the perfect platform to have Miracle Children share their stories and to feature surprise visits from celebrities. One unforgettable moment? When world-famous violinist Lindsey Stirling appeared magically behind a curtain for an energetic duet with Miracle Child Nathan.

What’s stopping you from going live on social? Try taking a page out of CMN Hospitals’ book and interview the kids of your clients. As the Live-A-Thon shows, kids are natural comedians and have great stories to tell.

2. They make their audience the star

Throughout the conference, 25 Miracle Children from the U.S. and Canada received the red-carpet treatment. From meeting country music star Hunter Hayes to starring in their own segments during the Live-A-Thon, in a week filled with celebrity appearances it was clear who the real stars of the event were. The highlight was a meet and greet between the Miracle Children and their adoring fans (corporate partners and hospital representatives), where the kids were asked to sign autographs and pose for pictures.

What happens when you create a truly unforgettable experience for your clients? They take to social media. Not only did the meet and greet make the Miracle Children feel special, it provided attendees free content to share – photographs with inspiring kids – and a great story to go with it. Just follow the hashtag #childrenshospitalsweek to see the results.

3. They provide value for their partners

Another genius idea from Children’s Miracle Network was the “Live Lounge,” a mini television studio built right on the conference floor. CMN provided the lighting, backdrop, celebrity entertainment and microphones. It was a can’t-miss opportunity for attendees to stop by and film a quick segment with NFL quarterback Steve Young or Miss America Cara Mund. Chantelle Limón, Director of Marketing for RE/MAX Integrity in Camarillo, California, used the opportunity to thank her agents for being Miracle Agents – that means they make a donation to CMN Hospitals at every closing. (Learn more about becoming a Miracle Agent by visiting the RE/MAX Miracle System).

Once again attendees were provided with a shareable moment to record and post to social media. And as a corporate partner, the videos we filmed will help us provide a steady flow of social content all year (keep an eye out for them on the We Are RE/MAX Facebook page -link to video). Of course, each video also promotes CMN Hospitals to all of our followers.

Providing value for your clients is the best way to create authentic video content for your social channels. Perhaps you’re filming a message to their families announcing the deal on their new house finally closed, or you’re taking their last photo in their childhood home before handing over the keys to the new owner. Find out how your piece of content can be personally valuable to your clients, and the result will be something authentic they’ll love to share.

Looking for more social media tips? Here’s great advice to be more visible every day.