Viral piggybacking: How to leverage almost-famous content to save time

You might be an entrepreneur hustling to grow your GCI—but that doesn't mean you have to reinvent the wheel. Besides, who said you have to be a rock star real estate agent AND a Pulitzer Prize-winning creative writer? There's a world of interesting, almost-famous content available to you on the interwebs that can be quickly and easily shared to make you look like the rockstar you are.

If you've ever seen an article on Facebook and instantly knew you needed to share it with your old college roommate... that's where I'm going with this, but with more intention.

Let's start with the basics.

What is viral piggybacking?

My definition? Smartly leveraging already existing, almost-famous content to make your life much easier (and #winning in the process).

How EXACTLY do I viral piggyback?

Buzzsumo is a pretty amazing tool that tracks highly performing content across the Internet. You can use it to search topics that interest you (and your sphere) and find the most popular pieces of content related to that topic.

If millions (or even just thousands) of people are viewing an article, chances are your sphere will love it, too! This takes the guesswork out of curating engaging content—and who doesn't love that?

Step #1: Use the Buzzsumo search feature

First things first—use the search bar to research topics that would be interesting to your audience. Sellers' disclosures? Staging trends? Market trends in Dallas? How to get my cat to love me more? (Okay, maybe not.)

PRO TIP: Keep in mind that the free version of Buzzsumo allows for three searches per day, so be selective.

And, if Buzzsumo isn't giving you the results you're looking for, consider these options:

Use realtor.com®'s new shareable content hub found here. You can share directly to your social media or you can copy/paste into your email.

Use a hashtag search on Twitter or Facebook. Simply put the hashtag in the search bar and hit search to see what people are talking about. Example: #realestate #Dallas #homebuying

Check out LinkedIn's "What people are talking about" section. It's located on the right-hand side of the platform when you log in using your computer.

Try out Scoop.it. The free version for individuals allows you to search via topic or interest, and it will send results directly to your inbox as new articles are matched.

Step #2: Share with your sphere

Now that you've got the content that will get your sphere's attention, it's time to share it. But, we're not only going to share this incredible, viral piece of content that will make them think you're so up-to-date and #trendy, we're also going to offer them something of real value.

Enter your neighborhood data reports! Simply include a link to your market report landing page where they can sign up to learn more about the value of their home. If your current market reports don't allow you to do that, check out Market Snapshot®.

Making it work for THEM

This strategy is all about giving to get. Not only are you showing your sphere that you've got the 411 on the latest and greatest industry news and trends, you're giving them something of real value. In return, you're getting the opportunity to win them over with your stellar real estate skills. It's a win-win for all!

What almost famous piece of content will you use first? Share it on our Facebook page!

To view the original article, visit the Realtor.com Results blog.