6 Business and Strategic Planning Tips for the Year Ahead

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to think about how you want your real estate business to grow. From building a business plan to formulating an online marketing strategy, we've published plenty of great articles that can help you get organized and plan ahead for success.

The articles below are a sampling of the best business and strategic planning articles of the past year. Take a look for ideas on how to succeed in 2014.

1. New View of Broker Social Media Strategy - by Victor Lund
One of the key shifts in online marketing that has occurred over the past five years is the evolution of social media marketing. What is astounding is how far removed most broker websites are from executing baseline social media strategies effectively.

2. Did You Forget About the Data? - by Lorne C. Wallace
When integrating one office to a new environment, the back office systems are often not the same. And, even if the two companies are with the same technology partner, the service level or menu of products can be different and will require some advanced planning to seamlessly integrate.

3. 5 Questions to Ask Your Team for a Successful 2014 - by RET Staff
"The power of questions is such an important thing," says real estate coach Mike Lindstrom. "A good broker or good leader is always empowering the agent to ask those questions." With 2014 right around the corner, it's the perfect time for real estate professionals to take stock of where they want to go in the year ahead.

4. Business Strategy: Understanding Tech for Agent Adoption - by Matt Dollinger
If your agents don't see value in the technology and adopt it, your efforts and money are essentially wasted. Training and effective roll-out strategies are crucial for adoption, but there's a critical early step that is often overlooked. This step will determine whether your idea translates into a brilliant and useful tool or serves as just another bell and whistle that sounds great at conferences.

5. Is Your Brokerage Playing Out Its "Aggro" Strategic Intent? - by Jeremy Conaway
A whole new North American real estate market has emerged. It is a market that will require brokers and agents to engage with a whole new set of strategies and tactics. Key among these is the adoption of "strategic intent" as the key driver of the firm's business planning process.

6. Brokers Should Audit Their MLS - by Victor Lund
2014 may well be the year of the broker, or as they are referred to in MLS speak, the year of the Participant. As a Participant in the MLS, you accept responsibility to adhere to MLS rules and regulations. The MLS does a pretty good job of enforcing those rules. But who among you is making sure that the MLS is not running afoul?