Archive for real estate marketing
Free Online Training for Brokers and Agents
· CommentsThanks to Sam Chapman, I was introduced to a website that offers free training videos for real estate professionals.
You’ll find the site at www.CKGTV.com. It was started by a firm called CKG International out of Ontario, Canada. I’ve not heard of that company before, but I think they’ve done a good job of pulling together some helpful resources you can take advantage of at your leisure. At least you could if you had any leisure time!
Address a Variety of Issues with Top Professionals and Consultants
The site has several “channels”:
- Coach’s Corner
- Special Feature
- Skills
- Inside a Mastermind
- Luxury
- Brokers
- Teams
- Foreclosure & Short Sales
- H.R.
- Technology
- Marketing
Each Channel is populated by videos on the specific topic. So, it’s a great way to learn something if you’re a visual person. You can see the person doing the talking and get a good feel for the subject. That is especially helpful since several of the topics have to do with communication skills, so you can see role-playing sessions face-to-video.
The Coaches Corner is hosted by Ken Goodfellow who is the CEO of CKG International, and a professional real estate coach. There are other videos about how to manage short sales, scripts for FSBOs and Expireds and interviews with top luxury agents.
You’ll also find videos from Michael Russer on Internet Marketing and Brad Carroll talking about technology issues.
I sampled a few of the videos and found most of them interesting and informative. There was only one series that seemed to be more sales pitch than anything else. Not to mention any names, but it was from a principal from TheShortSalesCompany.com. Guess it would be useful if you were looking for a firm to handle your short sales.
Check it out. Feedback would be appreciated.
We all know there are a lot of foreclosures out there today. In fact, it seems that in some places, if you aren’t selling foreclosures, you’re not selling anything. A question that comes up fairly often, though is, “How can I identify the homes that are in foreclosure or getting close?”
If you have, or are thinking of establishing, a niche in foreclosures, here are a couple pieces of technology that will help.
Foreclosure.com
Foreclosure.com is a place where you can find information about foreclosures, pre-foreclosures, tax liens, FSBO and bankruptcy property. It is a nation-wide service. You can post a widget like the one below on your website to help your visitors determine if there are foreclosures in their area of interest. You can also get a desktop version that provides more functionality.
Of course, the listings don’t give complete information, but you can establish an account at Foreclosure.com that gives you complete access to all property information. The fee is $9.95/week after a trial period. Keep in mind that your account will auto-renew after the trial, so make sure you cancel promptly if you decide not to keep the service.
When a visitor on your site wants more information about a property they are prompted to join Foreclosure.com. That isn’t the best alternative. So, make sure it’s clear on your site that you can supply additional information to your visitors at no charge.
ForeclosureRadar.com
ForeclosureRadar.com offers a similar service, but they are only active in California right now, although they have plans to expand their coverage area. Their fee is $70/month. The nice thing about this service is that if a web visitor wants more information about a listing, they are prompted to complete a contact form and that information is emailed to you.
As with anything else, you have to make an investment to take advantage of this foreclosure information, but it is an effective way of making yourself the local expert!
What We’ve Been Up To Lately
· Comments
More than one person has asked me why I don’t talk more about the work we’re doing here at Getting It Write, Inc. They seemed to think that many people who read this blog have no idea what we do. Just in case that’s true, I’m going to take this opportunity for some shameless self-promotion.
Most of our time is focused on providing services to real estate professionals in three areas: developing brands, designing logos and establishing effective real estate web sites. Lately, more and more of our time is focused on web sites.
We specialize in customizing Point2 Agent websites. I know there’s a lot of discussion about using a custom site vs using a site from a vendor like Point2. But, I’m really practical in my approach. I think you should use what works best for you. And, for a lot of people, given the capabililties, ease of use and great support offered by a company like Point2 agent, it just makes sense to go in that direction.
We identified the things that we feel are most important in a real estate website, and since 2004, Point2 Agent has met and exceeded our expectations — we think they’re still leading the pack.
We provide a range of services to get a real estate website ready for primetime, including several levels of custom design, original content pages, custom marketing messages and Search Engine Optimization. We do coaching on marketing issues, and to help identify what should go on a website for a particular audience. Then, we help clients implement the types of Internet-based tools and information that are discussed on this blog. We also do monthly maintenance for some clients.
You can see some of the latest sites we’ve completed here: New York City SOHO Real Estate, Atlanta Real Estate, Hampton Falls Homes for Sale, Bluffton Real Estate, Park City UT Real Estate.
So, that should take care of that for a while. We now return to our regularly scheduled blog posts.
How to Make the Most of Your New Home Page
· CommentsSo, What’s Your New Home Page?
Well, Joel Burslem made a case on his blog Future of Real Estate Marketing, explaining how your listing pages are destined to become your new home page. I’m not convinced that we should all give up trying to be found for main keywords like CITY Real Estate. But, I think there are any number of reasons why your listing pages should get a good bit of your attention.
MLS vs “Featured” Listings
All agents put their listings on their MLS system. It’s a necessity, if for no other reason than to get the most exposure to other agents in the area who may have a buyer, and exposure to buyers through IDX agreements.
Most real estate websites have the capability to produce “featured” listings. That means you have the ability to create custom listings on your website. If you don’t have that capability, you should – check out Point2 Agent websites for a great real estate website platform.
Which Listing Portal Should You Use?
Both! Why? Because they are two very different animals!
MLS Listings are for promoting your listings to other agents
Featured Listings are for promoting your listings to consumers
MLS Listings typically let you display a few photos and a very brief description, which often comes out in code like this:
- 5% FIXED RATE ASSUMABLE MORTGAGE!LOCATED IN HEART OF PTC RELAXING SUNRM*VAULTED CEILINGS*MSTR RETREAT OR NURSERY/ OFFICE/BEDROOM 4*SMOOTH CEILINGS, CROWN & TILE ON ENTIRE
I imagine there was an end to that last thought. But, it didn’t show up in the MLS listing. That description is great to give another agent the basics about the home. Maybe. I’m not sure what a Mstr retreat or nursery is, though. But, obviously, it doesn’t sell the home to a consumer!
Your featured listing on your own site is your opportunity to speak directly to the consumer. In English. In complete words and sentences. With lots of photos. It’s your chance to “sell” the home, not just list it.
Overcome Duplicate-Entry-Itis
The biggest reason I hear from agents for not putting time and thought into their featured listings is that they hate the “duplicate entry”. They have to put the listing in the MLS system, then enter it again on their own website.
Leave your duplicate-entry-itis behind! You’re not duplicating effort – you’re talking to two very different audiences! Don’t sell your listings short.
Speaking of SEO
· CommentsSpeaking of SEO, if you’re not aware of the website www.StomperNet.com you might want to check it out. StomperNet was founded by Brad Fallon and Andy Jenkins, two individuals who really know Internet marketing.
The major purpose for the site is to promote a training program, which as defined by the founders is: “THE program that teaches you everything need to know to start, grow, and explode your online business.”
I’m not sure that joining the student body at StomperNet is something every agent needs to do – the tuition is fairly steep, and they aren’t taking any new registrations at this point.
The site offers a lot of information. Most of it is only accessible by members, with one notable exception: the video series.
When you first reach the site, you’ll see a video player at the top of the page. They have recently announced that they will be publishing a number of free videos, and from all indications, it should be a great series for those of you serious about Internet marketing.
The first two videos are already available. If you want to access the various videos, use the PlayList button on the video player. If you’re in scan mode as often as I am, you might have a difficult time finding the PlayList button, so I’ve pointed it out below.
Let me know if you find these videos helpful!
