Archive for Realtor Tools & Tips
Lie to Me. Your brochure says you are lying!
I've recently been sucked in to a new TV drama called "Lie to Me". If you haven't seen it, it's about a guy who is supposed to be the world's leading deception expert. He can read you like a book using your facial expressions and body language. They cut in real footage of well known liars in the act of lying and show you how the facial expression or gesture is exactly the same. Fascinating!
While most people don't have PHD's in this field they are intuitive and can detect lies or sense that someone is saying one thing but telling another with their non-verbal language. We call it intuition but an expert will tell you it is not intuition, it's a scientific fact - the difference is that you and I can't name what it is or why we know it. We aren't trained - we just know.
This same concept is true with your marketing materials. Website, brochures, fliers, postcards, newsletters, etc. The personal computer has given everyone the tools to make cool stuff. The problem is that not everyone has the design training or the intuition to use design to effectively support their message. Your brochure copy may be saying you are a waterfront luxury homes specialist while the actual brochure is telling people you are a used car salesman. Or maybe your marketing materials are saying you are lazy, unorganized, downmarket - whatever. The point is your brochure is NOT supporting your message.
An example of this would be a brochure about Home Stageing & Decluttering. This brochure tells us that decluttering will make our home more attractive to buyers. We should agree it's absolutely a good investment to hire an expert to declutter and showcase our home BUT this brochure is putting doubt in our minds and we are not fully sold. Why? Because the clutter and mess on this brochure is even worse than our most neglected spare room! We don't have the design degree or training to name it - we're just not sold.
Consider that having your admininistrative assistant design your marketing pieces may not be in your best interest. Their time could be better spent performing tasks they are proficient with. Designing brochures and ads will likely take them longer than a professional and with sub par results. A more cost effective solution would be to hire a professional to provide you with templates that you can re-use for new brochures, newsletters and so forth. This will cut down costs and give you the added benefit of all marketing materials being professional and consistent.
If you are a die hard DIY person then I would suggest purchasing a professionally designed template or use one that comes with your publishing program which you can modify. There are resources available that will help you improve your layouts by helping you learn to identify what needs improvement and to call out many of the usual amateur pitfalls:
Non-Designer's Design Book, The (3rd Edition) (Non Designer's Design Book)
The Non-Designer's Design and Type Books, Deluxe Edition
Realtors choose to be inspired and successful
I recently came across two quotes from Abraham Lincoln that remind me of how I approach my own work:
"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."
"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe."
My creativity and enjoyment for my work sometimes requires a jump start. No matter how busy I am with work, I incorporate time for what I call "building my toolbox".
This involves researching new technologies, checking out what's new in my field (web development, marketing & seo) and in yours (real estate technology and marketing). I do this not only to keep on top of the latest trends but because it inspires me. I love learning new things and I love sharpening my skills and challenging myself.
Enough about me. My intention is to share some ideas that may help inspire you. Listening to news about the economy and the mortgage crisis could leave even the most enthusiastic Realtor somewhat discouraged. If you are feeling discouraged or disheartened about real estate, your profession, your marketing efforts etc. This would be a great time to do some axe sharpening. Times are changing, the way we market our services and do business are changing. This can be frightening for some but others who are willing to embrace change will surely benefit.
Spend some time on the internet looking outward, not just at other Realtors but also other industries to see how they are embracing social media, blogs and other technologies. Think about ways to connect with clients and industry peers in terms of your ability to fulfill their needs and answer their questions. Realize that in the tough times your services are even more precious to home buyers and sellers. Anyone can sell a house in a seller's market.
Do you need to sharpen your skills by learning more about short sales? Are you attracting and can you be of service to first time home buyers? Their number will be increasing due to low interest rates, higher inventory, tax credits and FHA loan programs. Does your website have any information for foreign buyers? I have read that international investors are interested in US real estate.
See how successful real estate blogs are evolving, shifting their focus as the real estate market changes:
- And the Blog Goes On - The NY Times
- ActiveRain - A community of real estate bloggers.
- Why Real Estate Blogging Makes you a Better Realtor - The Real Estate Tomato
- How to Create the Abundance Mindset - Zen Habits
What is a blog?
Star Position Search & Navigation Solutions
Everyone who has a website receives these types of messages sooner or later. If you receive an email offering a service from a company or person that you do not know, it’s called spam. Delete it. (more...)
Google top ten? Re-think your website goals!
If your main website goal is to be found in the top 10 search results on Google then you will want to consider re-defining your goals.
I have many clients who enjoy an enviable top 10, #1, top 3 etc. search engine position. This was their goal and a key reason for hiring me. These same clients now want to increase their results to include additional search terms and generate even more traffic. They are convinced that even though they are prominent for the search terms of their market area it just isn't good enough and they need more. Well sure, who doesn't want more traffic?
There is a flaw in this strategy, ask yourself this; What is this great flow of traffic going to do when they get to your website? Call you? Hire you? Send you money, buy your stuff or just surf on to another search result? Check your web stats, if your visitor's are moving on then you need to consider why.
Admittedly, just a few years ago, having a web presence and being found in a search was novel enough to generate leads. This is no longer the case. The web isn't new, it has evolved and so have the people who use it.
People using a search engine or "googling" are researching, looking for an answer, looking to purchase something specific or maybe want to be entertained. The website that answers the question, fulfills the need, engages the visitor, earns trust, makes a connection, builds a relationship etc. will generate the lead. And this of course, should be the goal of your website.
You need to take responsibility for your web success by building relationships and trust with your visitors. Define your your audience and give them what they want. Re-focus the time, energy and money you spend on search engine positioning and direct it towards content for your audience.
Incidentally, acheiving this goal will also greatly improve your SEO.
What is RSS and How can Realtors use it?
RSS in Plain English
RSS (really simple syndication) is a feed that allows your subscribers to receive your “feed” automatically through a feed reader or email. RSS feeds can also be displayed as dynamic content in web pages. A feed will generally consist of a short summary which when clicked will bring you to the full article or detail page.
You can use an RSS feed for any area of your web site that you would update frequently: new real estate listings, price changes, open house schedule, mortgage rates, community news, real estate market statistics and so forth. The feed will allow people to subscribe to your latest updates and can also keep your latest updates posted on your web site and perhaps even posted on other web sites and blogs.
vFlyer Automatic Generation of RSS Feed of all active listings
I’m sick of hearing about real estate blogging!
The main concern I've been hearing from realtors lately is getting to the top of Google. They were there and they are losing position or they are positioned well but not getting any "hits". "Hits" being a term my clients use loosely. What it really means is that they are no longer enjoying a steady stream of inquiries generated from their web site. "Conversion" would be a better word.
Web site owners are looking to me for the magic SEO pill. The good news is that there is a solution, the bad news is that it takes some effort on the part of the website owner. I understand their frustration; I use the diet analogy. If i could pay someone to lose weight for me I would hand over my checkbook. Unfortunately diet and exercise is the simple solution to my problem.
Quote from Wall Street Journal article No Sale: A Bad Agent, or a Lousy Market?...criticizes agents who spend a lot of money to drive traffic to their Web sites, but fail to provide enough "content rich" material when they arrive.
The simple solution to a successful real estate web site is "content". The simple way to add fresh content to your web site is by blogging. I know, "you're sick of hearing the word blog"!
The blog platform not only helps your search engine ranking but equally important it can help your conversion rate. It is no longer enough to just have a website and expect people to be impressed enough by that fact alone to fill out a form and contact you. Being in the Google top 10 and driving traffic to your site isn't going to get visitors to pick up the phone and make an appointment.
Agents expend significant sums on driving traffic to their websites – search engine optimization, keyword purchase, pay-per-click, etc, - but when the consumer arrives at the site there isn’t any pertinent or targeted information waiting for them. You need to target a specific or niche market such as first time buyers. Your website needs to be very content-rich with material answering their specific questions. It is critical to fulfill the promise being made in your marketing efforts. National Realty News
Your real estate blog is the place where you can demonstrate your expertise in the real estate market. This is the way to begin to have a relationship with your site visitor. Trust can be established, questions answered, your personality is shared through honest expression.
Think of it this way. If you get an appointment for a listing presentation you usually get the listing. Why? Because you have a conversation with the seller, you show them that you are a professional, you show them how you are going to market their home and they like your personality, your professionalism, your track record, whatever. Give the same attention to your website content. It is the important first impression and it will be the deciding factor for converting a visitor into a lead.
Testing BlogJet
I have installed an interesting application - BlogJet. It's a cool Windows client for my blog tool (as well as for other tools). Get your copy here: http://blogjet.com
"Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid; humans are incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant; together they are powerful beyond imagination." -- Albert Einstein
Google AdWords Renewal Phishing Scam
Don't fall for Phishing Scam emails. A reputable web site would not send you an unsolicited email message asking for your password, user ID, account number etc. through an email link. When you receive these scam mailings they may look quite convincing at first glance (more...)
Yes! Email Marketing really is that simple.
During the past few months I have been inundated with "fancy" emails forwarded to me by my clients. Each with the same question: How do they do that? I want to do this!
Email Marketing is an easy, effective, and highly affordable way to get your message out, and build strong, successful, and lasting relationships. It is also a great way to reduce the cost of printing and mailing your monthly, quartery newsletter. I am not suggesting that you stop sending newsletters to your farm area but you could certainly invite people to subscribe to your email list the next time you send your mailing. This way you can start to reduce the amount of paper mail you send and build a targeted opt-in mail list.
I recommend Constant Contact to my clients as it is a very simple and affordable way to get started with your email marketing campaign. It helps you create professional-looking emails-fast and with no technical expertise-and build strong, successful, and lasting relationships with your customers, clients, or members. With more than 160 easily customized HTML email templates, a step-by-step Email Wizard, and point-and-click interface-you can create highly visual, compelling email newsletters and promotions in just minutes. Email Marketing makes it easy for you to manage your contact email lists...measure email campaign results from clicks to open rates...and review who joined your email list.
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CMLS rDesk SearchPoint IDX
I have been receiving many inquiries about rDesk IDX, the CMLS realtor IDX solution, which I've integrated in several realtor web sites since it became available in February 2008. If you are are having trouble finding this information on the CMLS web site, what you are looking for is here:
rDesk & rDesk SearchPoint IDX Quick Start Guide
The guide contains the order form which you will need to have signed by your broker. Fax your completed order form to: Greater fairfield County CMLS 203-840-6678 (more...)
