About This Episode:
When CEOs ask how to make social media actually matter for their business, this episode answers it in full.
Social media today is crowded, noisy, and often feels like a chore. So how do you stand out and actually connect?
That’s exactly what we unpack in this conversation with Kendall Guinn, Chief Marketing Officer at LV Collective, and Bob Ruffolo, CEO of IMPACT.
LV Collective isn’t just another real estate development company. They’ve built a brand people recognize and trust by showing up differently online. Kendall walks us through how their team uses social media not as a promotional tool, but as a trust-building asset.
Real stories.
Real people.
Real conversations.
This episode pulls back the curtain on what it means to be human as a brand in a world of likes, shares, and endless scrolling.
The takeaway? Brands that show up authentically and consistently on social media are the ones that win. It’s about showing the people, process, and purpose behind the business.
What makes LV Collective's social media strategy different
Kendall didn’t walk into LV Collective looking to blend in. Her background is in sales, and she brought that perspective to marketing from day one.
"At my core, I’m a salesperson," Kendall said. "So when I took over marketing, I wanted us to stop thinking like a brand and start thinking like a buyer."
For LV Collective, that meant social media couldn’t just be a branding exercise. It had to be a trust engine. Every post, video, or caption needed to reflect what their buyers genuinely wanted to know, not just what the company wanted to say.
This shift meant rethinking everything. Instead of focusing on corporate polish, Kendall pushed for clarity. Instead of worrying about fitting into a grid, her team focused on storytelling that actually served their audience. Instead of outsourcing their voice, they brought it in-house.
Here’s what that looked like:
- Sharing behind-the-scenes content from job sites: Because people want to see how the sausage is made. Even the messy parts.
- Featuring team members and their stories: To highlight the real humans behind the buildings and deals.
- Talking openly about pricing, process, and even challenges: Because buyers don’t trust what feels too perfect.
- Prioritizing storytelling over slick promotions: Because connection beats conversion-focused fluff every time.
This wasn’t just a tactical decision. It was a cultural one.
"Social media is the front door to your brand," Kendall explained. "If you want people to walk in, you have to make it feel like there are real people inside."
And it worked. Engagement grew. Conversations got more real. Prospects came in with fewer questions because they’d already seen the answers online.
What happens when you humanize your brand online
At IMPACT, we’ve coached hundreds of businesses on how to stop sounding like robots online. This episode is one of the best examples we’ve seen of that principle in action.
LV Collective’s content doesn’t try to impress. It tries to connect.
"We had this idea that the brand had to be sleek, serious, buttoned-up," Kendall said. "But then we started showing the team, the process, and just being ourselves, and engagement skyrocketed."
The lesson? People don’t fall in love with logos. They fall in love with people. When a brand opens up and shows what really goes on, whether that’s in a team meeting or on a job site, it becomes relatable. Trustworthy. Even likable.
The shift wasn’t about abandoning professionalism. It was about adding personality. And when that happened, the metrics followed. More likes. More shares. More meaningful comments from people who wanted to talk, not just scroll by.
That shift did more than earn likes. It built trust.
And that trust? It started to show up in the sales pipeline.
"People were referencing our content in meetings," she said. "They’d say, ‘I saw your video about what happens during development, and it made me want to work with you.’ That’s when we knew it was working."
In other words, the content wasn’t just being seen. It was being remembered. And more importantly, it was being used by potential buyers to make decisions. That’s the real ROI.
This is the power of being human on social. It changes the conversation. It changes the relationship. And it changes the outcome.
How purpose-driven social media converts leads
There’s a misconception that social media is about going viral. Kendall couldn’t disagree more.
"We’re not trying to be influencers," she said. "We’re trying to be helpful. We’re trying to be known."
At LV Collective, social media isn’t a marketing afterthought. It’s a purposeful way to serve their audience before they ever pick up the phone or fill out a form.
That purpose drives every content decision. The question is always: "What do our buyers want to know? What would help them understand us better?"
As a result, their content strategy is:
- Educational: They break down complicated parts of the real estate and development process, explaining things like financing, timelines, and approvals in plain language.
- Relatable: Day-in-the-life videos from construction crews and office staff give followers a real sense of who makes the magic happen.
- Transparent: They answer pricing questions, outline project risks, and talk candidly about lessons learned.
- Community-driven: Resident features and local highlights help connect their brand to real people and real places.
And the best part? It all comes from inside the company. The voices, the videos, the stories, they’re created by the people doing the work. That authenticity is impossible to fake.
"Your audience can tell when content is written by someone who doesn’t get your business," Bob added. "That’s why we always push for in-house content creation."
It’s not just more effective. It’s more believable.
This kind of purposeful content doesn’t just get attention. It builds understanding. And when people understand what you do, why you do it, and who’s doing it, they trust you enough to say yes.
How to stay consistent with your brand's voice on social media
One of the hardest parts of social media is keeping it going. Kendall didn’t sugarcoat that.
"It’s easy to get discouraged," she said. "You post something you worked hard on, and it doesn’t perform. But if you stay consistent, the results compound."
That consistency doesn’t happen by chance. At LV Collective, they’ve built a system where content is a shared responsibility. It’s not just the marketing department pushing out messages. Everyone from leadership to construction teams contributes ideas, photos, and stories.
It’s more than a workflow. It’s a mindset.
"You can’t scale authenticity from a silo," Kendall explained. "It has to be everyone’s job to show up."
They hold regular content meetings to gather ideas, spotlight internal stories, and brainstorm new ways to highlight their people and projects. When new hires come onboard, they’re introduced to the role content plays in the company. Everyone understands that what happens inside the company can, and should, be shared outside.
This collaborative approach keeps the voice real, the tone grounded, and the content consistent. And when that consistency is sustained, it builds trust over time.
And trust, as Kendall and Bob both know, is the foundation of every deal.
Why transparency on social media builds trust
Kendall also talked about how the Endless Customers System™ helped her team get comfortable being radically transparent.
"We talk about things most companies hide," she said. "Cost. Delays. Mistakes. But people respect honesty. They don’t expect perfection."
Transparency isn’t just a buzzword at LV Collective. It’s a standard. That openness shows up across their entire marketing ecosystem, from their website and emails to what they post on Instagram.
They treat transparency as a form of service. If someone is thinking about working with them, that person can find out what it costs, what could go wrong, what timelines look like, and how decisions are made. No hiding behind vague messaging. No passing the tough questions to sales.
This kind of clarity makes buyers feel more confident. And confident buyers are far more likely to convert.
That mindset shift, toward openness and education, turned social media into a true business asset.
Now, their channels:
- Attract better-fit leads who are already well-informed
- Help close deals faster because trust is built earlier
- Support hiring and recruiting by showcasing the team and culture
- Position LV as a thought leader in the real estate space
Not bad for platforms most companies treat like a side hustle.
Authentic social media drives better leads
This conversation was about the shift in mindset that happens when a company starts treating social media like a conversation, not a campaign.
The lesson? Stop trying to sound like a brand. Start sounding like a human. Share your stories. Talk openly about the stuff most people avoid: costs, problems, and the process behind your product or service. Stay consistent, even when it feels like no one’s watching.
And most of all, make it everyone’s job. When people across your business are involved in creating and sharing content, what you publish becomes more honest, more helpful, and a lot more interesting.
If people can’t see who you are online, why would they trust you in person?
That’s the shift. That’s what social media is for.
Ready to start showing up more human and turning your content into a lead-generating asset? Learn how the Endless Customers System™ helps your whole team get aligned and create content that actually drives revenue. Talk to us today to see how it works.
Connect with Kendall Guinn
Kendall is the driving force behind LV Collective’s marketing machine and an innovator in the commercial and residential real estate marketing space.
As CMO, Kendall oversees the firm’s go-to-market strategy, including all corporate and property marketing. Kendall’s deep background in branding and digital and inbound marketing for real estate gives LV and its investors a cutting-edge advantage over the competition.
Prior to joining LV, Kendall served as Chief Marketing Officer for AQUILA Commercial, where she directed all corporate marketing, communication, and market research efforts for the commercial real estate services firm. At AQUILA, Kendall led the creation of the industry’s most-read resource for commercial real estate services information and Austin market data in the country. This pioneering content marketing initiative drove an influx of leads, new business, and revenue.
Check out LV Collective
Connect with Kendall Guinn on LinkedIn
FAQs
How can I make my business feel more human online?
Show the faces behind your brand. Use short videos to introduce your team, explain what you do, and answer questions. Speak in a way your audience actually talks, not like a press release.
We don’t know what to post. What do we even talk about?
Start with the questions your buyers are already asking. What’s confusing? What do they wish they knew sooner? Then post real answers. Behind-the-scenes clips, FAQs, team spotlights, those are gold.
Is it really okay to talk about our pricing or mistakes?
Yes. Transparency builds credibility. Your prospects are already Googling this stuff, or asking ChatGPT. When they hear it from you first, you earn their trust, and likely their business.
We’re a small team. Can we actually pull this off?
You don’t need a media department. Start small with someone who’s good with a camera and someone who knows your customers. LV Collective did it with just a content lead and a videographer.
Where do we even begin?
Pick five questions your sales team hears every week. Answer them on camera or in simple posts. Publish consistently for 90 days. That’s how the shift begins. And if you want a proven framework, that’s what the Endless Customers System™ is built for.
Keep Learning
- Watch: Why Winning New Customers Is Harder Than Ever (And How to Fix It)
- Read: Why Buyers Now Control the Sales Process (And What You Should Do About It)
- Free Assessment: How Does Your Sales and Marketing Measure Up?
Author: awinter@impactbnd.com (Alex Winter)
* This article was originally published here
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