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Mari Arellano moved to a new city with no sphere, no network, and no local connections in 2018. She started posting on social media and built her entire real estate business from scratch. Today she runs Momentum Real Estate Group at eXp Realty in Southern California, raises six kids with her husband and business partner George, and has been generating real clients from social media every single year. In this episode, Mari breaks down why visibility builds trust, how she turns comments into CRM contacts, why human response always beats automation, what her full conversion system looks like from post to closed client, and how she manages all of it with a 4:30am alarm and two school drop-offs before 8.
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro: Mari Arellano, CEO, Momentum Real Estate Group
0:45 - Where You Start Does Not Determine Where You Finish
1:30 - A Day in Mari’s Life: 4:30am, Six Kids, Two Drop-offs, and a Business
2:15 - Why Time Blocking Is Non-Negotiable
3:00 - Starting Social Media in a City Where She Knew No One
3:45 - Her Very First Client From Facebook
4:30 - You Are the Business. You Are the Product.
5:15 - Brand Building vs. Lead Generation: How to Think About Both
6:00 - What Actually Works in Her Market (Ranch Homes and Unique Properties)
6:45 - The Call to Action System That Turns Comments Into Clients
7:30 - Why She Stopped Using ManyChat and Kept Humans in the Loop
8:15 - How to Move Someone From Instagram DM to CRM Contact
9:00 - The Misconception That Social Media Alone Is Enough
9:45 - Getting the Phone Number: The Most Important Step
10:30 - What Happens When a Post Gets 200,000 Views
11:15 - Being a Trendsetter Instead of a Trend Follower
12:00 - Husband and Wife Content That Converts
12:45 - Her X Factor: Building Genuine Relationships at Scale
13:15 - How to Find Mari and Follow Her Work
13:30 - Final Advice for Agents Feeling Discouraged on Social Media
Key Takeaways
You are the business. You are the product. Treat your personal brand accordingly.
Stop chasing views and viral moments. Focus on connecting with the right people.
Social media is the front door. Your CRM is where the business actually lives.
Human response beats automation. People can feel the difference.
Every post needs a call to action. You are not posting because you have free time. You are posting to find out who is watching.
The goal of every comment conversation is to get a phone number.
Building your brand is building your business, even when the results are not visible yet.
Don’t get discouraged. It can take years. Keep showing up.