As a solo agent in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Jennifer DeLawter developed a manageable lead generation strategy that has cemented her place as a community influencer and doubled her production volume and units sold in the process.

Her approach?

Going all in on local businesses.

Jennifer began focusing on this strategy during Covid, when the combination of seeing small businesses in her area struggle and her own profession of real estate not being considered essential hit the area hard. She saw many just trying to stay afloat in her community and she wanted to help. As a result, she created local community pages.

Jennifer admits she first took on this role as a “secret agent.” She wouldn’t tell the stores what she was doing. Instead, she would buy or order something and then take pictures of it and tag the business on social media. However, she realized this approach wasn’t doing anything to help the community get to know who she was. So she changed her strategy. She will go into a business, introduce herself, and provide a business card that has information about her community pages on the back. She’ll explain she’s a realtor and ask to talk to the owner with the purpose of featuring an aspect of the business, whether it’s a sale, an event, or something else that can be highlighted.

Once she gets permission to feature them, Jennifer takes pictures and videos, writes a caption, and tags the business on social media, alternating what she posts online between reels and stories. An added bonus? If the owner is savvy enough to become a social media “collaborator” – it widens her reach. And if they aren’t tech savvy, it’s not a problem for Jennifer. She’ll simply walk them through how to set up their social media and follow her so they can see the post. Jennifer also highlights these businesses in the newsletter to her database, which she ensures is very community-focused. While Jennifer doesn’t like to cold call, she doesn’t mind going into a business and complimenting them on something they do well. This type of lead generation feels more comfortable for Jennifer and makes it easier for her to connect with them. And businesses have been so receptive to her coverage that she has now expanded her posts to craft fairs and farmer’s markets too.

Follow-up, like with all lead generation strategies, is key. Jennifer responds to all the comments that people make on the posts.

While this isn’t an overnight success strategy, it’s a great way to dig into your community in a meaningful way. With her authentic coverage of local businesses, she’s met new people, gained

followers, deepened relationships, and been able to truly support her community. And because Jennifer has a huge amount of knowledge about local happenings, she has naturally become the go-to person for questions about businesses and the community.

Businesses appreciate her approach as well. They’ll often ask her to cover aspects of their business, such as if they are hiring or having a special event. And in return, they become her clients and send her referrals. Jennifer has truly become a community influencer in her hometown.

Getting to know and feature the local mom-and-pop businesses in your community is a great strategy for growing your sphere and strengthening the relationships you have with other local business owners in your area. If you’re interested in going all-in on your community, making connections with other small businesses is a great place to start. Inspire members: get a jumpstart by downloading Jennifer’s social media plan for her community approach and the Thrive Challenge small business collab playbook. Not an Inspire member? Find out more here.