In this Live with Lisa: Candid Conversations Series, I interviewed **Colin Dart **as we reviewed the topic: Instagram.
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**Featured Speaker Biography
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Colin Dart’s* demeanor can be defined as stalwart. His style as a broker is approachable and personable, demonstrating empathy for clients’ needs while understanding appreciation trends and valuable investments.*
*Colin graduated from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder—his hometown—and his education contributes to his success as one of milehimodern’s first-rate brokers. As a Colorado native, he is a specialist in the Front Range market and has overseen a copious amount of property investments for his diverse sphere. *
*His expertise in negotiations and keen foresight is matched by an acute understanding of the beauty and extraordinary stories behind all architecture. Colin’s recent core competencies include: new development representation, bespoke + differentiated seller marketing strategies, and astute buyer advocacy in this ever-evolving and highly competitive Front Range Homes market. *
Professional Proficiencies
- Specialist in Denver + Boulder Sales
- Consecutively Granted the DMAR Excellence Awards
- *Chair of DMAR (Denver Metro Asscociation of Realtors) YPN (Young Professional Network). *
- Driven by Real Estate Investments + Empowering Client’s Through Home Ownership
- *Multiple recognitions for Social Media excellence and influence in 2020. *
- Winner of Colorado Homeowner Magazine’s “40 under 40 award”
*Originally from Boulder, the mountain lifestyle and familial roots are what keeps Colin in the Rocky Mountains. In Colin’s few spare moments, he enjoys decompressing at the gym, running and practicing hot yoga. Or, hosting friends at his newly renovated Chautauqua Tudor, along with his wife, Virginia, and cat, Little Dandy. *
Interview Q&A
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* Lisa: *You have been rated one of the top Instagram influencers. How did that happen?
Colin: I have received a few pieces of recognition for my account for which I’m very grateful. In honesty all of these ‘awards’ were a complete surprise to me but looking into it a little further I believe consistency has a good amount to do with this. While content has evolved over the last 5 years of my Instagram account (running concurrently with my entry into the Real Estate world) I’ve been posting fairly consistently since.
* Lisa: *How did you learn to be so good at Instagram?
Colin: I think being “good” at Instagram is very subjective. There are many Real Estate accounts both locally (a good example my colleague’s: @midmoddreamhomes) and nationally that I look up to and use to inspire my posts. Something I do more frequently (with measured success) than many accounts is to incorporate video. I love how video can amplify messaging.
* Lisa: *What inspires you to post?
Colin: My account has evolved over time and most recently I’ve been inspired to share passions/interests in a very honest way. Having a willingness to be vulnerable and sincere can be empowering and helps me engage with likeminded people. Since starting in Real Estate I’ve been laser focused to share the safety, security, and long-term wealth building potential home ownership/investing/developing property can have on a person/family. I’ve always enjoyed sharing my story and the stories of clients who have found tremendous financial success through buying/selling.
More recently as I’m becoming more comfortable with being fully transparent my posts have evolved into longtime interests of mine including design, fashion, art, fitness, travel, and always my wife.
* Lisa: *How do you integrate both personal and professional in your posts?
Colin: A balance is important. Instagram for me isn’t about earning more business. Instead it’s about sharing how I am, things that I find inspiring, and general perspective. Publicly, my main focus is for followers (or anyone just checking in on photos/video) to get a sense of how it might be to work/collaborate with me - a passive interview of sorts. Personally, I view my account as a library of content that I can reflect back on to see where I’ve been so having family, vacations, and memories on there are also important (I do have a separate account that is also solely dedicated to those endeavors).
* Lisa: *Do you take your own photos?
Colin: The content is a collaboration of personal photos and professional photos (@milehimodern listings - many taken by @kyliefitts). My wife seems to take some great shots as well!
* Lisa: *Do you plan your posts or does it come more organically?
Colin: I plan posts when I’m really busy in my normal work routine, but find the most engaging posting is on the fly.
* Lisa: *How do you use stories?
Colin: Stories are my favorite. They allow you to create a more cohesive narrative, compile themed postings into one block of content, and in general allow more flexibility/creativity to shine through. Love Stories.
* Lisa: *Tell us how you engage your followers?
Colin: Out of courtesy I always respond to comments and messages. Proper engagement takes committment and in full transparency its something I could always improve on.
* Lisa: *Do you receive real estate leads from your Instagram posts?
Colin: The main goal for the account is to facilitate a forum for me to present my style authentically and allow the public to evaluate accordingly. The gallery is like a colorful and interactive online resume and is a qualifying tool to allow clients to passively interview my expertise + style. Direct leads aren’t as common but I hear from many clients who did ‘check me out’ on Instagram before meeting. Perhaps my greatest success in all of my Instagramming days was seeing an old friend at the grocery store after years of not talking and him referencing a recent market update video I put together - that’s what its all about for me - providing value through content - everything else is icing on the cake.
* Lisa: *What advice would you give those who want to be better at Instagram?
Colin: Be honest - be yourself - be authentic - post frequently - think about how you can improve/enrich + provide value daily. Repeat.
**Let’s Connect!
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