Neighborhood Demographics Tool
Looking for AWESOME data to give your clients? How about demographics from income to diversity per zip code from the US census. Here the US Census meets Google Maps thanks to the New York Times. They use census data samples from 05-09 to give us an idea of the neighborhood demographics are.
You’ll love how easy it is to navigate through this site. Just enter your zip code and it will zoom into that area- you can search down to specific neighborhoods and streets even to find detailed information on Income, Race and Ethnicity, Education Level, and Housing information.
This is a great place to send your buyer clients to find more information about the areas they are considering. It’s great information for you to use in your listings as well. It will give you and your sellers insight into who will most likely be interested in the home based on neighborhood demographics to help you better target your marketing.
I think this is a must use in your arsenal of resources to educate your clients!
Be On TV!
How REALTORS can get on HGTV
Thinking of revamping your marketing for 2011~ try getting on TV to spice things up! From HGTV to the Amazing Race. It’s not as hard as it sounds, and there are some fun ways to get your client’s involved too. Being in real estate the obvious channel’s to explore first would be HGTV or Bravo- they have tons of real estate related shows for you to apply to. Here are the links to the show’s they are casting right now: HGTV BRAVO. Check back often as the lists are always changing. All you need to do is apply- but first you need to find the perfect client to take on the show with you. They want SPUNKY, and a good story line. It helps to have the application written from the client’s perspective (the show is really about them, not you!) Below is a short video I created on some tips for Reality TV.
Get your client’s involved! Looking for a fun client event- look at family game show websites like Wheel of Fortune, or The Price is Right- they often travel around the country- you could create a car pool and encourage your clients to play hooky from work to go with you! If you’re in So. Cal there really is no reason you don’t do this at least once a year anyways. If you’re near a major metropolitan area you could create multiple teams to try out for a show, like Wipe Out or Amazing race- send out an e-mail invite and have all your clients meet you at the traveling location. (They go all over the country for these shows) Be prepared for a long day and long lines- but it’s a great way for you to hang out with your clients. And who knows maybe someone in your group will be picked for the show! Then you can have a client viewing party when it airs. The sky’s the limit to having fun and getting on TV. It’s an outside the box way to market yourself uniquely to your clients, and if you’re on a real estate show like House Hunters you might possibly pick up a few new ones!
Enjoy!
Latest Craze on Facebook!
Checkout the latest craze on Facebook. Branchout is a bit like Linkedin but in my opinion way cooler and easier to use because it’s built into Facebook where all your clients and friends are already. It’s a great way to prospect for clients and to show case your resume.
As you know Facebook is a social network. That means you really shouldn’t be promoting yourself all the time, but rather engaging with your clients. Branchout does the bragging for you through their endorsements and resume feature!
It’s an app inside Facebook. It’s free and super easy to use. All you do is sign up here. You’ll notice from the picture I have in this post that I have 45 friends on Branchout- but from their connections I have 66,000 2nd degree connections at 46,000 companies.
Now why is this important? Think about if you know of a company moving to your city- you may want to help all of those relocating to buy a house. With Branchout you can see who in your sphere knows someone at that company. As you can see out of 45 people I have contacts at 46,000 companies- now that’s a lot of opportunity! Beyond connecting the dots between friends Branchout is great for giving recommendations. The more you give, the more you’re likely to receive from your clients. This is your bragging page, your resume page, your I’m AWESOME page. Branchout is the perfect place to talk about your accomplishments.
So what are you waiting for? Hurry up and connect with me on Branchout! You’ll love it.
Most Creative Presentation Tool Out There!
Brainshark! Looking for a way to send effective communication that your clients will pay attention to - check this out! You’ll love the endless possibilities with this cool easy to use FREE technology. Just think from welcome e-mails to online homebuying seminars. On your website you can have an “about us” presentation, or highlight your listings. You can even walk your clients through the contract writing process, or send your seller’s a monthly marketing update that you walk them through showing them stats and the new listings in the neighborhood. Broker’s it’s a great way to recap your meetings your agents missed. The sky’s the limit on this one- best part it’s easy and it will stand out- as there is nothing else out there like this!
It only takes you a few minutes to set it up. To see a sample of one I did click here. All you need is a computer, your presentation and a phone. To set up your own to test it out click here! (for the test run it provides the powerpoint for you!) You’ll love the tracking on this too- when someone views your presentation you’ll get an e-mail with their information so you can follow up with them. That’s why you had to input your info- I promise I won’t e-mail you though. It’s just to show you the tracking feature.
Check it out and let me know what you think- and better yet- share with us how you use it!
My New Book is out!
REAL ESTATE ROAD WARRIOR: 101 Technology Tools for Business on the Go
$17.95 Purchase Here!
I’m super excited about the launch of my new book! In it I share how to set up your office to be more of a virtual office so you can access all your documents and transactions from any where at any time.
I discuss virtual assistants, cloud computing, electronic signatures and paperless transactions.
There’s an entire section dedicated to marketing using inexpensive ways to get your brand noticed using technology, social media and video!
And my favorite, a Mobile Apps section – where you’ll find a robust description of the tools you need to transform into a truly mobile agent- it’s like turning your car into your office!
Overall, there are 101 tools you can implement into your business to help you become more productive, profitable and efficient.
If you’ve attended one of my classes- in an hour I’ll typically cover 20-30 tools. Most of the tools mentioned in this book are new! It’s a perfect resource guide to help you achieve the change your want to see in your business. Hope you enjoy!
$17.95 Purchase Here!
PS- the image online to purchase is a bit florescent – the book will come out the way the image looks on this page- I’m still working on a few bugs! :)Leadership Summit Recap
One of the biggest honors so far in my Volunteer Career with NAR was being a guest speaker at the Leadership Summit on the Social Media Panel moderated by Todd Carpenter Social Media Director for NAR. Talk about nervous- I was a ball of jitters- and have no idea what I said. I do know that Matt Phipps, Laurie Janik, and Lucien Salvant were wonderful.
My biggest take away from the panel- HAVE A PLAN- a social media plan that is, and have it in writing so your agents, employees and association knows what your expectations are. You know…what you can/can’t say when using Facebook, Twitter and Blogs.
STAY TUNED- if you’re going to be using social media you need to pay attention to what’s being said about you and your company. Set up Google Alerts to notify you when you’re being talked about. Pay attention to twitter mentions and any time you’re tagged in a facebook post/picture/video. You want to stay on top of these so you can respond quickly if need be.
CARPE DIEM- Ron’s theme for this year- the way I see it relating to our panel- with technology and social media changing the landscape so quickly it’s time for us all to jump in. It’s here to stay. I kind of equate non facebook adopters to those who refused to use e-mail. It’s inevitable so you might as well Seize the Day!
How Does the iPad Really Stack-Up in Real Estate?
I’ve been forced to use the iPad as my main source of doing business for an entire week. Not by choice, but rather technological failures. Yes, my computer crashed (right before presenting at the Florida Convention none the less.)
No fear I thought- I have an iPad- I can survive!! And Survive I did- but that’s about it. I realized just how important a computer is to conduct business- and how the iPad compliments your computer. ”Compliments” being the key word there- it’s just a side, a really cool toy to have- but not vital.
In a nut shell, you can’t sell real estate on an iPad alone. For starters- you can’t really create documents or save them on iPad- you can’t download programs you need to run your business like MLS, Zipforms- nor can you watch any videos and you really can’t update much more than your Facebook Status- forget your blog.
Ok, so watching videos isn’t part of the MUST haves to sell Real Estate, but it’s amazing how many videos are out there and with just the iPad, you’re out of luck. It’s not Flash compatible- so any videos on Facebook, You Tube, or websites are pointless on an iPad.
As for the Facebook and Blog updates- I found that I couldn’t update my Facebook Fan Pages in the notes section like I typically do. Instead I had to update through the status section which is fine, but not preferable. WordPress gave me an issue on the ipad- it was impossible to actually write a blog. I could login to WordPress and start a new post with a title, but the actual field where you write- I couldn’t tap on the screen to activate it.
Don’t fret though, I’m not saying don’t get an ipad. I quite like my iPad, and am so thankful I had to it to stay in touch with the world while my computer was out of commission.
iPads are perfect communication tools, especially if you by the nifty $69 keyboard- it makes e-mail and basic social media updates on the go a cinch.
iPad applications are out there to make the ipad more usable- like keynote for presentations, and dropbox for file storage. But these apps really just make the ipad more compatible to your computer- they don’t make the iPad a stand alone tool for doing business.
So if you’re looking for a replacement computer- it’s not the iPad. But if you’re looking for a smaller device to carry around for a one day business trip, or conducting business via e-mail, connecting with friends on facebook/twitter and the added bonus of looking cool then I suggest you go get one!
I do love my iPad- but it’s not a computer!
Tune into WIFM – What I learned at the FL Convention
What an event! From the YPN Launch, the REBarCamp, to the people I met in the Road Warrior session- you guys in Florida really know how to have a good time. Kudos to the State Leadership- Dean Asher and Summer Greene for supporting the YPN and making sure this launch occurred.
My aha moment of the week came while speaking to the YPN Chair, Patrick Hurley- “Tune In to WIFM.” Sounds like a radio station call sign- right? Well it’s more like a REALTOR Call sign. We all need to tune in to WIFM- “What’s In it For Me.” That’s what your clients, your agents, your friends and yes your kids all want to know… what’s in it for them.
In today’s ever changing technology world, we’re always speaking in new acronyms, through new mediums- but at the end of the day if we’re not speaking the same language- they’re not going to hear us. Their Language is and always will be “WIFM.”
So my challenge to you- tune in!
San Antonio Road Warrior May Event
As always I enjoyed my brief day in San Antonio- you guys always energize me, thank you! In today’s class one of the students downloaded Zosh right after hearing about it, mid class to sign documents. It’s great to know you’re putting the ideas and apps to work
Most of you contacted me after the class asking for the presentation.
Please let me know if you need anything else and let me know what you’re using that works and you love!
NAR Midyear DC Highlights
What a fun meeting! Congrats YPN on becoming an official committee, and to our future President Moe Veissi for challenging us to think outside the box. Kudos on another successful YPN event. Thank you RPAC for sponsoring the evening, and to all of you who showed up to support RPAC. Koki’s $25,000 donation was impressive, but just think if we all matched it $1000/year for 25 years. We can make a huge impact together.
Thank you Brian Copeland, James Nellis, and Ian Phipps for taking part in the Marketing Forum on using Video to Promote yourself. Rumor has it, it was most people’s favorite session. You guys did a fantastic job.
For those of you who missed the event you can catch up through Midyear Live- a cool idea implemented for the first time using Pegshot- REALTORS were able to post what was going on when, from videos to pictures. Really cool technology. Checkout the aftermath and see what went down: Midyear Live
Here are some of my favorite highlight pictures from the event! Hope to see you in N.O. for Convention!
