20 Best Marketing and Technology Tips

Cathy Harrington, Director of Marketing

2009

20 Best Marketing and Technology Tips

Cathy Harrington, Director of Marketing

2009

#1: Learn how to attract Gen X and Gen Y Business

#1: Learn how to attract Gen X and Gen Y Business

• Don’t claim to be an expert – position yourself as a great ‘source of trusted information’

• Can the me me me show – substitute ‘me’ with ‘you’ and listen

• Send them interesting photos and videos of any properties that you have previewed for them Become the lifestyle expert in the market you serve – know where to get the best dog groomer, or best homemade desserts.

• Get online!• If your clients text, learn to text

First-time buyers are young, and embrace technology

First-time buyers are young, and embrace technology

#2: Embrace the paperless transaction

#2: Embrace the paperless transaction

It meets consumers’ needs:• Log on anywhere, anytime• Auto posting of docs 24/7• Saves time…get info immediately• Green - saves paper, is responsible• Completely mobile – handheld• Transaction control from start to finish• Litigation barrier

#3: Buy a smartphone – never be out of range of your email#3: Buy a smartphone – never be out of range of your email

Home buyer and seller trends:• 81% named high speed Internet access as

the #1 amenity they want in a home (WSJ subscribers) = connectedness

• Responsiveness is the #1 factor in choosing an agent (WSJ subscribers) = immediate gratification

• 84% of home sellers consider the Internet to be integral to the home selling process (CAR) = immediate access to information

Source: CAR

#4: Get Short Sale/Foreclosure Certified (NAR)

#4: Get Short Sale/Foreclosure Certified (NAR)

• We are having trainings in December and January

• Register for SAM Program

• Position yourself to capture short sale business

#5: Market yourself as short sale specialist (certified)

#5: Market yourself as short sale specialist (certified)

• Materials on WebTop/Short Sales: letters, Toolkit, articles

• Send out Short Sale postcards -- get list of NOD homeowners

• Add certification to email signature, website, all marketing materials

• Add short sale content to your website and drive homeowners there to learn*

• Join RealtyTrac - $19.95/mo – get NODs

* Distressed Property Institute, LLC, www.cdpe.com

#6: Do a monthly card to your sphere

#6: Do a monthly card to your sphere

• Keep in touch

• Don’t be afraid to tap into your rich collection of contacts

• Educate with value-add material, i.e. market reports, short sale info

#7: Advertise your Open Houses online

#7: Advertise your Open Houses online

• Enter your Open Houses to WebTop, and they get fed to: Realtor.com, Trulia.com, Google.com, Prurealty.com

• Coming soon: Frontdoor.com

• Enter OH into Craigslist.com

• Track where people come from

#8: Create a LinkedIn profile#8: Create a LinkedIn profile

• Get immediate SEO benefits!• This is your online resume • Get recommended by clients• Join groups and participate, then over time

ask other participants to be connected• Don’t be passive – dig into your connections

and ask to be connected to their connections

• Win business!

#9: Build a Facebook Business Page

#9: Build a Facebook Business Page

• Frequent status updates – be professional, but interesting and fun

• Invite past colleagues, friends• Add a Facebook Link To Your Website – Add a

link to your Facebook account on your website. You can do this by using the Facebook Share Option. To access this feature for yourself, click on Advertising at the bottom of your Facebook page, then click on the share icon.

• Manage your reputation. Go ahead and Google your name and city. I bet your Facebook page is on the first page of the search results. Your potential clients will do the same thing.

#10: Get recommended on Yelp

#10: Get recommended on Yelp

• SEO advantages

• Choose your city

• Ask clients to write recommendations

• You are ranked by # of recommendations

#11: eMarket to clients and prospects

#11: eMarket to clients and prospects

• Build a consistent, high quality email marketing campaign

– Quarterly market reports– Drip emails– Holiday ecards– ‘Fall back’ + other events– Just listed ecards to agents

#12: Cultivate your farm#12: Cultivate your farm

• Do monthly newsletter, postcard, market report or some touch to your farm.

• Over time, this will pay off

#13: Create and track your marketing budget

#13: Create and track your marketing budget

Use www.mint.com to develop your marketing budget

• Easy budgeting tools• Auto-expense categories• Mobile access• You get weekly email with summary of

spending• Easy budgeting tools

#14: Use e-Invites#14: Use e-Invites

Invite people to your Open Houses or Buyer Seminars using:

• Anyvite is an easy tool to use when promoting and tracking anticipated participation in your open houses and other events

• eVite• Free, trackable, easy follow-up days before

#15: Make a great impression by sending personal notes#15: Make a great impression by sending personal notes

• www.sendoutcards.com – prints it, stuffs it and mails it, all for less than a greeting card at the store.

• Notecards you write – available at Lasting Impressions

#16: Always be Learning #16: Always be Learning

• Attend seminars

• Listen to blogs

• Dial into webinars

• Read industry news

• Know your market better than anyone

• Keep learning!

#17: Become a better writer#17: Become a better writer

Use http://www.copyblogger.com/ for your blog or any writing you do:

– 7 bad writing habits– Copywriting 101– 7 deadly sins of blogging– How to be interesting– 10 steps to becoming a better writer

#18: Become the expert online#18: Become the expert online

Share your knowledge and collaborate with your community!

Answer consumer questions, get branded:

• Google Knol

• Trulia Voices

• Yahoo Answers

#19: Visual Sharing#19: Visual Sharing

• www.youtube.com• www.flickr.com• www.slideshare.com

Why use?Share photographs, videos or presentations with others. Post virtual tours, photos of properties or presentation material. In addition, post instructional or marketing videos.

#20: Go Mobile#20: Go Mobile

Smart phones are driving communication• 35% of US HH will access their bank accounts using

mobile phones in 2010.• Forty percent of people with mobile phones also use

them for: email, text messaging, Web browsing, picture sharing, GPS driving directions, TV watching and music listening.

• iPhone: 70 million apps were downloaded on the first weekend they launched.

Brand yourself on Mobile – Smarter Agent – coming in Q1 2010

Thank You!Thank You!