Property Ad Guru

Website Spotlight: remax-newengland.com

Alice Allan — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:45:31 +0000

remax-newengland.com has just renovated its blog, promising “a wealth of consumer and agent information.” Let’s take a look at what this blog does well, and what improvements could be made.

What works

- The blog offers a good balance of content, with local market information mixed in with “agent spotlight” features and recent news. There is also space for restaurant reviews and even a book club, however these are not yet populated with posts.

- It also highlights the agency’s YouTube videos right at the top, which is a great way to get users to stick around even if they don’t see any blog posts that interest them.

- Another plus for this blog is that it is well integrated into the rest of the website. Users can easily navigate to the listing search, “about us” page or any other section without having to go hunting or return to the main homepage.

Suggestions

- When next updating their blog, remax-newengland.com could tweak the layout to show more content immediately. A long list of recent posts, along with the strategy of showing a grab of the latest entry with a “read more” option, would ensure users have a reason to stay even if the first few entries don’t interest them.

- The “balloon schedule,” showing where the RE/MAX hot air balloons are going to appear next, is a great inclusion, but people may not understand exactly what it is from the title. Tweaking the wording to “follow the RE/MAX balloons,” for example, could encourage more people to click through.

- Another strategy remax-newengland.com could use is breaking up each blog post with lists and bold headings. This has already been done in some posts – the challenge is in applying it to longer, more detailed information to make sure readers stay engaged.

Keen for propertyadguru.com’s website spotlight to fall on your blog or website? Get in touch with us directly by emailing editor@propertyadguru.com.

How to Work Social Listing Options

Alice Allan — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:02:55 +0000

US real estate marketplace zillow.com has just plunged its listings into the social web with the addition of a “share” button on its home details pages. The question is, how should agents make use of this feature?

With Facebook officially passing 500 million members just a few days ago, zillow.com’s reasons for adding the share button are understandable. Facebook alone offers a huge potential audience, not to mention the other options included: Twitter and good old email.

Of course, the idea of sharing listings isn’t new – US market leader realtor.com offers this feature, as do many other portals across the globe. zillow.com is hoping people will hit the share button “liberally and often”. But is this a good strategy for agents?

Sara Bonert, director of broker relations at zillow.com, summed up the issue in a response to the original zillow.com announcement. The strategy of tweeting listings is “debatable,” she writes, before adding that “this is an easy way to get your listings into your Facebook news stream.”

As we heard from UK agent Edward Gailey earlier this month, “simply posting links to properties bored the public silly,” and that’s where the crux of the debate lies. On any social channel, there needs to be a balance between the listings you display and other information that people in your market are going to find useful and/or interesting.

To sum up, our advice on the listings share button is simple: use it wisely.

Agent Strategies: Focus on AdWords

Alice Allan — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:24:50 +0000

Crossing paths with a Google employee was the factor that focused Tom Branch’s online marketing strategy.

“I sold a property for a Google employee,” the Dallas-based RE/MAX broker associate explains. “I traded my services for an AdWords education!”

Branch says a “very focused” AdWords campaign gives him the best return on investment of all his online marketing strategies.

“AdWords can be really expensive unless you carefully build and monitor the results,” Branch explains. “I spend about $1500 per year and that generates $30k to $40k in revenue.”

But Branch’s strategy isn’t limited to AdWords alone. “Blogging helps with search engine ranking,” he adds. “I’m beginning to experiment with long tail keywords to see if I can take advantage of less competition.”

“I do almost no offline advertising these days,” Branch says. “There’s just no ROI.”

If you’ve been meaning to try out Google AdWords, but are unsure where to start, have a look at this simple how-to video released by the company earlier in the year. And for more on long tail keywords, read our guest explanation by Modern Search creator Joe Hanna here.

rofo.com Brings Listings to LinkedIn

Alice Allan — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:38:19 +0000

Real estate technology company rofo.com has just released a new application aimed at agents who want to showcase their skills and listings on LinkedIn.

The app, dubbed “Real Estate Pro,” can be used by any agent with a LinkedIn profile. Once installed, it displays listings as well as completed deals and recent market activity in an agent’s local area.

Those agents who already list with rofo.com will find their listings are displayed automatically. Other listings need to be added manually. Once added, listings can be shared with selected connections within an agent’s LinkedIn network.

The following video shows how the app works:

rofo.com suggests that Real Estate Pro will also be useful to home hunters, who can use it seek out agents and brokers in their local area and in their own LinkedIn network.

Social Media Takes the Shine off Print

Alice Allan — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:50:29 +0000

Sobox CEO Kelly Millar recently spoke to Sold Magazine about the way social media is changing real estate advertising, and where print fits into a social future. Here is their article in full:

The ‘glossies’ lose their shine

The stratospheric rise of online behemoths like Facebook and Twitter is changing the way that smart agents market and list their properties. Social Media is rewriting the rules in the real estate industry and the future of print-based advertising is looking less glossy. Kelly Millar shares her opinion.

“The report also estimates that 57.5% of all internet users – or 127 million people – will use a social network at least once a month in 2010.”

The great writer Mark Twain once stated “The report of my death is an exaggeration”. This famous (and often misquoted) line has become a sort of rallying cry for any industry, brand or product that is facing obsolescence.

The publishing industry is the latest group defying a premature obituary. With the emergence of low-cost/high-ROI internet advertising and marketing tools, the world of print-based advertising is facing an uphill battle, with many publications either facing significant drops in ad revenue, or closing up shop altogether.

So is print media really dead? Of course not. If it were dead, you wouldn’t be reading this article in a printed magazine! The fact remains that newspapers and magazines with informative and respected content are continuing to survive. And the ones that adapt – and successfully marry their online and offline components (via websites, mobile applications and even iPads) – will likely flourish well into the future.

That concept of the online/offline “marriage” is equally critical to your real estate business. While print has long been valued for its branding quality and its ability to reach the masses, the truth is that it’s no longer the ubiquitous medium that it once was.

Agents who rely primarily on costly brochures and print ads may soon begin to feel the pinch from customers. As more sellers realise that the ROI for print is far less than today’s online offerings, they will become less likely to subsidise the glossies, and instead look towards social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and even YouTube.

A solid social media component has become a critical element of any marketing and advertising strategy, and is often used to complement other activities like print, TV, radio and online activities.

Yesterday’s stodgy newsletter has been replaced by today’s interactive Blogs. Announcements by the old letterbox drop are now broadcast via Twitter. And word-of-mouth campaigns are now shared globally via Facebook. In truth, brands and businesses worldwide are embracing social media as a fresh and effective channel to communicate with customers, elicit feedback and improve the product.

Now, before you assume that social media is the domain of tweens, teens and anyone who hasn’t heard of The Beatles, consider the following: According to a recent report by eMarketer, this year an astounding 60% of Internet users aged 35 to 44 – and one-half of those in the 45-to-54 age group – will use social networks at least once a month. The report also estimates that 57.5% of all internet users – or 127 million people – will use a social network at least once a month in 2010. It goes on to predict that nearly two-thirds of all Internet users will be regular users of social networks in 2014.

Those numbers represent a significant shift from the current stereotype of a social network user as being primarily from the Generation Y segment. It seems that as more of the Gen X and Gen Y users begin using social networks, then their parents (i.e. Baby Boomers) will begin to log on as well – to view photos of their grandkids, share status updates and just “keep in touch” with members of their family.

As these people become accustomed (nay, “addicted”) to social media, they will be far more likely to seek out and/or trust the people, brands and businesses that are already in their social media “community”. Thus, when it comes time for them to, say, buy or sell a house, they may eschew the glossy liftout in favour of a more modern approach. Maybe they will first browse for agents among their Linkedin connections, or perhaps do a search in Facebook for “Real Estate”, or even check Twitter for tweets or tags like “Aussie Property”. The possibilities are endless.

Regardless of what the future holds, one message rings true: to thrive in today’s (and tomorrow’s) property world, smart agents will need to look beyond the glossy, and embrace the evolving world of social media.

Kelly Millar is the CEO of SOBOX. She recently joined the business following five years experience in online real estate marketing. Kelly was Consumer Marketing Manager Aust/NZ for realestate.com.au and also held international marketing roles in the REA Group. Previously she had a long and successful career in advertising communications.

Sobox was created by Classified Ad Ventures, the publisher of propertyadguru.com.

Google: We’re Not in Real Estate

Alice Allan — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:42:36 +0000

“We are no more in the real estate business than we are in the cafe or the museum business.” That’s the contention of Carter Maslan, Google’s director of product management, who attended the Inman News Real Estate Connect conference in San Francisco last week.

As inman.com’s Matt Carter reports, Maslan is keen to put the emphasis on Google as a search tool. “What we are doing in real estate is really [no different than] what we are doing in [other areas of] local search,” Maslan is quoted as saying.

Google’s emphasis may be on search rather than real estate, but that hasn’t stopped people speculating on how the search giant could impact on established real estate websites. As we’ve just reported on propertyportalwatch.com, one financial analyst recently went so far as to downgrade their recommendation on the REA Group – owner of Australian market leading portal realestate.com.au – to a “sell” based on the potential impact of Google.

At the same time, much of the initial panic sparked by Google’s entry into real estate search seems to have been replaced with a “watch and wait” strategy. As our wrap-up from the Inman Connect conference shows, none of the property portal owners in attendance have seen any decrease in traffic due to Google Maps’ real estate search, but most are still aware that the company could eventually have a big impact on online real estate search.

But at least one industry commentator thinks that day is still a long way off. homethinking.com founder Niki Scevak recently wrote that “Google will never be successful in real estate until they recognise that maps are a poor cousin to other types of user interface designs for real estate.”

Clearly, there are plenty of views on how Google’s real estate search will change the industry, and we’d like to hear your take as well. How have you seen real estate listings on Google Maps change things in your own market?

Email Newsletters: How Does Yours Stack Up?

Alice Allan — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:31:40 +0000

In an era when social channels such as Facebook and Twitter are growing at such phenomenal speeds, the humble email newsletter might sound like an outdated concept. But while social media is important, it can’t reach everyone, and tools like email newsletters still have a role to play. That is, as long as they are well executed.

At propertyadguru.com, we receive nearly a hundred email newsletters a month, so we know the range of quality that’s out there. There are some common mistakes that plenty of email marketers make, most of which have easy fixes. To find out how your email newsletters stack up, consider these questions:

1. Does your newsletter make sense, even if pictures are blocked? Many people will choose not to display email images by default, and if you don’t offer something else to grab their attention, chances are they won’t turn on the images to see your whole message.

2. Are you writing too much? Just like a blog post, email newsletters need to be structured with scanning in mind. Long blocks of unbroken text will make readers’ eyes glaze over, so break things up with plenty of headings and links.

3. Are you writing too little? Readers will switch off if shown too much information at once, but they will never engage in the first place if your message isn’t clear. State who you are and what you’re offering within the first few lines to ensure people don’t give up in sheer confusion.

4. Are you going overboard with colour and/or bold text? It’s true that breaking up text with bold and colour will keep people scanning, but use too much of either and your readers won’t know where to look. Keep things consistent, using bold text sparingly and just a few well chosen colours.

5. How are you using subject lines and snippets? A good subject line will obviously help your email stand out in the inbox, but the snippet of text that tells readers what’s inside the email is also key. Make sure you’re telling people enough to get them to open the email in the first place, or it could end up in the trash, unopened.

For more email tips, check out our in-depth look at email newsletter creation, along with our Top 10 Tips for Email Newsletters.

Website Spotlight: Florida Agent Tries Live Chat

Alice Allan — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:38:13 +0000

“I don’t believe in high pressure sales,” says Florida real estate agent Christina Miller. “I think people have had enough of the hard sell.”

Miller, who runs Sarasota Real Estate Services, is attempting to avoid the “hard sell” by adding the ability for prospective buyers to ask her questions without giving out personal details. She’s achieving this with the addition of a live, anonymous chat option on her website, mysarasotafloridahomes.com.

“Internet marketing is about building trust,” Miller says in a press release. “There are a lot of shady agents out there who don’t do a very good job and give the rest of us professionals a bad reputation. I have added an anonymous way for home buyers to interview me online or get any questions answered that they may have without fear of a sales pitch.”

There’s something to be said for the immediacy of the tool, with at least one study showing lead response times over even five minutes cause the value of the lead to drop dramatically.

One the other hand, knowing people only as “visitor” via the chat system could mean Miller loses the chance to collect contact details she could potentially use later on.

We’d love to hear readers’ take on this tactic. Have you tried this kind of tool on your own website? What were the results? If you haven’t tried it, do you think it could work to bring in more leads?

What We Can Learn from Old Spice

Alice Allan — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:11:12 +0000

The idea must have sounded ridiculous at first. “Let’s get the Old Spice guy to answer random questions from people on YouTube. It’ll be huge!”

Social media doubters take note: it was huge. So huge, in fact, that Google CFO Patrick Pichette described it as ” a glimpse of where the world is going,” according to techcrunch.com.

readwriteweb.com has a fantastic insight into how the campaign was created, but the idea really was as simple as putting actor Isaiah Mustafa in front of a camera and having him answer questions as the hyper-macho “Old Spice man” character. In the few days the campaign ran, these 180+ videos were viewed 5.9 million times, mashable.com reports.

So what can real estate marketers learn from this campaign? Probably the biggest lesson is that a sense of humour will bring you a lot closer to your audience – the main reason people are watching these videos is that they simply want a chance to have a giggle.

Can’t think of anything funny to say about real estate? Then take another leaf from the Old Spice strategy book and target the influencers.

Iain Tait, the creative director who led the campaign, told readwriteweb.com that the process of choosing which comments to respond to was extremely calculated. “We’re looking at who’s written those comments, what their influence is and what comments have the most potential for helping us create new content,” Tait explains.

This is a tactic anyone with a grasp of social media can employ. It might feel good to have over 1,000 Twitter followers, but how many of them have an influence on their own followers? Tap into the right networks, and you’ll ensure your content doesn’t simply end up in a closed loop.

Of course, we’ll give the final word on this campaign to Old Spice himself:

ListGlobally Launches Giving Agents and Developers Global Exposure

Simon Baker — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:26:51 +0000

ListGlobally, a new and innovative global marketing tool for agents and developers around the world, has just been released. Backed by Simon Baker, the ex-Managing Director of the REA Group (realestate.com.au) in Australia, ListGlobally allows all agents and developers globally to market their listings to over 25 million buyers around the world through a network of leading property portals.

With a few simple clicks, a property listing is uploaded and displayed on 10 leading property portals in key markets. This will shortly grow to 25 leading portals. There are no contracts or set-up fees, just one low price for each listing which is active for 90 days.

ListGlobally currently publishes to leading sites in the United Kingdom, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Japan, and India. In the next few weeks, ListGlobally will also publish to leading sites in Mexico, Russia, and South Africa.

Country	Partner
United Kingdom	Rightmove.co.uk
Germany	Immobilienscout24.de
Malaysia	iProperty.com.my
Singapore	iProperty.com.sg
Hong Kong	GoHome.com.hk
Japan	Realestate.co.jp
Global	Enormo.com
India	99acres.com
Canada	Canadahomeguide.tv
United Arab Emirates	Propertyfinder.ae
Coming Soon
South Africa	Privateproperty.co.za
Russia	Domavin.com
Mexico	Metroscubicos.com

More partners will be announced shortly in markets including Australia, Spain, France, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Brazil and the US.

Announcing the launch of ListGlobally at the Real Estate Connect conference in San Francisco, CEO Simon Baker said: “Most agents and developers have sold properties to overseas buyers without any international marketing program. With ListGlobally, agents and developers everywhere can now effectively market selected properties on real estate sites with a combined audience of over 25 million visitors each month. On rightmove alone, there are 1.6 million international searches conducted each month by UK house hunters.”

To find out more, go to www.listglobally.com or if you have any questions, send an email to info@listglobally.com

ListGlobally is owned and operated by Classified Ad Ventures, the publisher of Property Ad Guru.

Looking for Realtors to Test a New Application – ListGlobally