Smart Technology for Real Estate

Tuesday, February 24, 2009Tina Merritt

Twitter Users!!!!

Please tweet with the following hashtag during today's conference:

#ST4RE

I am @wolkia

How the Internet Has Changed Marketing

"Old Marketing" = Outbound Marketing With this old type of marketing, your are trying to reach a broad audience and hope a small percentage (1%-3%) respond.  In other words, at least 97% of your marketing efforts are wasted.

Examples of Outbound Marketing:                

• Newspaper ads• Ads in Homes magazines• Cold calling• Door knocking• Direct Mail

"Now the problem is to get people under 40 or so to pick up a newspaper. Damp or encased in plastic bags, or both, and planted in the bushes outside where it's cold, full of news that is cold too because it has been sitting around for hours, the home-delivered newspaper is an archaic object"... - Time Magazine

The Los Angeles Times has published it’s last real estate section. - July 30, 2008

"New Marketing" = Inbound Marketing

The way people shop for real estate has changed drastically.  People are much more in control of what information they receive & how they receive it.  By the time they reach the agent, they are much farther along in the sales process but we know much less about them. 

• Search engine optimization (SEO)• Pay per click (PPC) advertising• Blogging • Buzz marketing - Social Networking• Targeted landing pages• Conversion tools• Sophisticated analytics

Examples of Inbound Marketing:

"Finding new ways, more clever ways to interrupt people doesn't work"

“Selling to people who actually want to hear from you is more effective than interrupting strangers who don't”

Seth Godin Quotes:

Rules of Real Estate Internet Marketing

• The Internet = the Unselfish Sharing of Information• SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Means Nothing

Unless you have YEO (You Engaging Others)• Must be Consistent• Must not be Self-Promoting (it's about "we" not

"me")• The power is in the numbers

 

In general, you have 5 seconds to engage someone once they come to your site.

Advantages to Internet Marketing

• 80% - 90% of all Buyers Start on the Internet • 90% of Online Consumers Stick with the Agent they Choose

 • Cost for advertising/exposure is VERY low

 • Easily can be done at ANY time

 • Leads come to you

 • Did I say low $$$$$ ? 

Internet Marketing for Real Estate

• Website/Blog • Most Real Estate companies provide a website to agents

 • Blog on activerain.com, wordpress.com, blogger.com

 • A website is a waste of time without a Blog.

 • Search engines love Blogs so a blog helps increase Google

ranking. • Own your domain. No Subdomaining. 

A Few Real Estate Website Tips:

• Allow visitors to search the MLS without registering.  If you require them to register, they will leave.

• Offer community information, school data, parks & recreation links

• Don't make your homepage an "I love me wall"• Give visitors a reason to return• Offer buttons to "tell a friend"• IF you capture information, use that information

wisely!

Where to Start a Blog and How....

Activerain.com, Wordpress.com, Livejournal.com, Blogger.com, Trulia.com, Classifiedflyerads.com just to name a few.....

Blog about your community, what interests you, the current real estate market, etc.

1 - 2 paragraphs is plenty.

Write a post about 3 times/week.

Domain vs. Subdomain

www.onegreatagent.com   =   Domain

www.onegreatagent.abcrealty.com   =   Subdomain

Unless onegreatagent plans on being with abcrealty for the rest of his/her life, they should OWN their OWN domain.

Same goes for email addresses!!!!

Email Marketing

• NEVER EVER SPAM!!  • Have a professional email signature

 • Organize contacts

 • Respond promptly

 • Get email on your phone

 • Use a drip email campaign

Content is King

Create Valuable Content

• Be Interesting, Be Real, Be Humble• Commenting to drive traffic• Trulia Voices• Zillow Discussions• Neighborhood profiles• Use photos• Use videos• Use maps • Use market conditions/stats 

Syndicate Listings

Agents & Brokers should have a plan for syndicating listings just like they have a plan

for print advertising.

• Agents, not admins need to take an active role in syndicating their listings because THEY are the experts on the properties.

 • Syndication requires thoroughness, accuracy

and consistency. • An agent who does not check his/her email is

wasting his/her time syndicating listings.

Thoughts on Syndication...

Where to Syndicate Listings????

FREE! • craigslist • trulia• zillow• googlebase• localism• backpage• kijiji• roost• realseekr• realbird• oodle

More Places to Syndicate:

LOW COST!

• postlets• vflyer• classifiedflyerads• feature property• gumiyo• goomzee• realestatebook• homesandland

Enhance Listings to Engage Readers

• Professionally photograph & add LOTS of photos • Virtual tours OUT.....Videos IN

 • Interactive Mapping

 • Walkscore.com (neighborhood "walkability")

 • Neighborhood info., schools, shopping, parks

 • Text to Flyer

 • Click to Call/Instant Chat/Text Messaging

 

Creating a Digital Footprint

Think of social networking as leaving breadcrumbs all over the internet.

Be careful what you say because it will NEVER go away.

Professional vs. personal social networking.

• Facebook• Linkedin• Myspace• Activerain• Zolve• Pikasa• Plaxo

Video will be EVERYTHING!

• Do-it yourself - the public likes raw video because it is believable.

 • Low cost with MANY options.  Flip cameras are approx. $130.

 • Mobile videos allow a drive-by to "see the inside".

 • Beyond the headshot....showing your personality and

engaging. • Video blogging - how to videos, information, showings and

more. 

Video is NOT Just for High End

Rental properties

Neighborhood

Lifestyle

Commute

Out of Town Buyers

Document inspections

Youtube

WellcomeMat

Propertypreviews

Zipvo

Turnhere

Activerain/Mixpo

Analytics

The internet is TRACKABLE.

Ability to:  see results, modify strategies, know what works.

• Googleanalytics• Woopra• Listingnumber• Trulia/Realbird/Classifiedflyerads/Point2Agent• Lead conversion rate• Sign-up forms • Websitegrader.com

Final Thoughts.....

• ALL agents should have a listing inventory of 5-10 properties they are marketing on the internet.  These do not have to be their listings!

 "He who has the listings, controls the market."

• Google yourself regularly.  It's like looking into the "Mirror of the Internet".  

• Use Google alerts to track yourself, your competition, your farm, your sphere, etc.

• When someone mentions you, whether positive or negative, respond.

Use Google to Your Advantage

• Sponsor a neighborhood on Localism.com - $9/mo. and become the "expert" overnight.

• Create a Squidoo lens about your area• Become Mayor of your zipcode at

mayorofyourzipcode.com• Answer questions about your area

Become the Neighborhood Expert

• Everyone in real estate should be on Activerain.com - currently approximately 136,500 members worldwide.

• Lots of other places to network online:  Zolve, Realseekr, Facebook, Twitter to name a few...

• Join a local meetup and/or tweetup group!  www.meetup.com and network with others who share your interests locally.

• Help your peers, be social

Network and Share with Your Peers

• Keep up to date on all real estate news with Google reader.

Know What's Going On.....

Helping Real Estate Embrace Technology

www.wolkia.com