Track the Market with RPR Housing Data
Monday, December 11, 2023 at 11:00 AM PST As a REALTOR®, you need to be informed of any market changes so you can deliver local expertise relevant to today's real estate trends. One way to do that is to keep a constant tab on your market using the housing statistics available in RPR. RPR provides you with the easy to understand market snapshots, charts and graphs to help you set realistic expectations for clients. In an ever-changing market, you'll find this information incredibly helpful in explaining the dynamics of the local market trend to your buyers and sellers. In this webinar, we will cover 3 top RPR tools: Market Trends – Housing charts and market trends with 8 key metrics including new, active, pending and sold and corresponding median price data and months of inventory. My Markets – A quick snapshot of the recent changes in your selected markets from the RPR Home Page. Market Activity Report – Showcases details on recent real estate activity. We'll review how to share the most pertinent data with clients and customers via email and text and how to incorporate the information into buyer and seller presentations. Register now!

Easy Hacks for Prospecting and Marketing Automation Success
Have you ever wished you could connect RPR (Realtors Property Resource®) to your CRM, or maybe directly to Canva for prospecting and farming? Well, we're not quite there yet, however there are a few things you can do to "hack" the system and be on your way to prospecting and automation success. Before we jump in, if you're just getting started in real estate or want to give your database a boost, be sure to check out this previous article: How to Build your Neighborhood Database From Scratch. Think of it as some prerequisite reading to this article. You'll get an understanding of what datasets are available to you from RPR and all the info you need on RPR's Mailing Labels. Now you have an understanding of how to set up your CRM and how you can export RPR Mailing Labels. Here's where we take it a step further, beyond pre-formatted labels and right into marketing automation territory: the ability to export raw data via a CSV export. In this article, we're going to take the next step and strategically filter for specific types of prospects. Automate your marketing and targets prospects with these "Recipes" Below are a few "recipes," based on real world scenarios, that you can use with the RPR Advanced Search feature to help you spot target prospects with ease. To drill down and identify Current Renters/Potential Homeowners, follow these steps: Step #1: Click "Research" Step #2: Click "Map Search" Step #3: Search your target area (hint: you can search as small as a neighborhood) Step #4: Click "More Filters" for advanced searching Step #5: Change the search to "Public Records" (you'll want to target less than 500) Step #6: Scroll down to "Miscellaneous Fields" and make sure "Absentee Owner" is selected Step #7: Make sure "Time Owned" is selected to the 5-10 and 10-15 year groupings Step #8: Click "Update and Search" Step #9: Click "Mailing Labels" Step #10: Select "CSV" Step #11: Make sure the "Address Type:" is "Property" Step #12: Change the "Addressed To:" field to "Current Resident" or to "Custom Name" and fill it out with something like "Future Homeowner" Step #13: Select "Absentee Owner" as the "Occupancy Type" Step #14: Run full list, or narrow records to export Target: Potential Home Sellers Follow steps 1-5 from above, then continue with: Step #6: Scroll down to "Miscellaneous Fields" and make sure "Owner Occupied" is selected Step #7: Make sure "Time Owned" is selected to the 5-10 and 10-15 year groupings Step #8: Click "Update and Search" Step #9: Click "Mailing Labels" Step #10: Select "CSV" Step #11: Make sure the "Address Type:" is "Property" Step #12: Change the "Addressed To:" field to "Owner Name" Step #13: Select "Owner Occupied" as the "Occupancy Type" Step #14: Run full list, or narrow records to export Need Help? Take a step-by-step guided tour of the two examples above. From here, you can take these lists and add additional columns to your sheet that would match your CRM (ie: "Status" and then set it to say "Prospect-Buyer" or "Prospect-Seller,") this can work with Google Sheets or your CRM of choice. If you're working with a CRM, instead of additional columns, when you're importing your contacts, simply apply flags or categories directly within your platform to help keep your contacts organized. But, let's not stop there, let's set up an automation that can do all of that for you… Making automations and RPR work for you The beauty of this workflow is the ability to essentially take this data right from RPR and apply it directly to your CRM or Google Sheets contact list. Then using preset triggers with tools such as IFTTT, Zapier and Canva, you can create a multitude of marketing automations that will cut down the manual labor of simple marketing tasks. In this next example, we're going to show you how to take the exports above and connect them directly to Canva to complete a postcard that you've prepped with the most current Market Trends Data and then print it with all of your prospect's data added to it. To get started, head over to RPR's Resource Center and choose a Canva postcard template that you'd like to work from. Be sure to select "Use template for new design" to get started. Next, add your photo and update your information for both sides of the postcard–you don't want to accidentally send your mailing out with filler text. Write a compelling introduction of yourself and why it's a good time to buy; better yet, read on and we'll show you how to let our Market Trends ScriptWriter powered by ChatGPT help you craft the perfect message! Before we add our contact data, let's update the Market Trends information with the latest stats. When you're in RPR, head up to Research, then click Residential Market Trends and search for the geography that you executed for your export. This ensures that the data matches the postcard template with the month and the correct data points. Now we're ready to add our prospect's info to the Canva doc! PRO TIP: Looking for the perfect copy to go with your postcard? Click "Create Script" to give our AI-powered Market Trends ScriptWriter a try. You can easily generate Metric Analyses and Social campaigns, and the copy generated can easily flow into to your postcard. From the left side navigation menu, go to "Apps," and go down to "More from Canva" and select "Bulk create." Maybe in the future, there'll be a "Bulk create from RPR," but for now, select "Bulk create." You essentially have two options here, you can manually enter your data or upload a CSV file. Let's click "Upload CSV" select your list, and all of your fields will be listed by the column headers. PRO TIP: Before you upload your list, open it up and delete any extra fields that you think won't be necessary. Since we are prospecting to potential buyers, we won't be needing the owner's information that by default comes with the export. Next, we're going to connect our data to text fields. So, add a few text fields to the backside of the postcard template. For the greeting, make it fun, since you don't know the person who is renting the property, you could address it to "Future Homeowner." For the next text field, right click it and select "Connect Data." Canva will then present you the list of all your data fields, select "Property Full Address," or whichever combination of fields that you need to complete your mailing. After you have set up your data and added all of your personal information and market data, click "Continue." This will take your data and merge it into a new Canva Doc that you can now send out for print. Pretty cool, huh?! To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

How RPR Can Enhance Your Real Estate Marketing Strategy
With interest rates still high and inventory still down, agents across the country are feeling the pinch. However, now is actually the perfect time for REALTORS® to re-evaluate and revamp their marketing strategies. And RPR® (Realtors Property Resource®) can help you do it! Yes, the current market can be frustrating. But savvy, seasoned agents know that now is the time to plan for the future. You zig while they zag! And investing in yourself and your brand, through RPR's data and tools, is a smart way to approach it. Here are a few ways RPR can enhance your real estate marketing strategies… Analyze market data using RPR RPR offers up-to-date market data, including market types, active listings, recent sales and inventory levels. RPR Market Trends, a collection of charts, graphs and statistics, can help you and your clients keep up with the dynamic, ever-changing real estate market. But best of all, these housing stats are based on local markets. That means you can drill down and zone-in on specific areas versus quoting numbers on a regional or national level, which helps you market yourself as the local market expert! To get started, just visit RPR, and from the homepage, click on Research. From the dropdown menu, select Residential Market Trends. Now, conduct a search in the location bar. Start as high as state, county or city. Better yet, use ZIP codes and neighborhood names to get really hyper-local! Now, here's where the "analyze" part comes in! From your Market Trends search, click the icon in the upper right that says Create Script. This is the RPR Market Trends ScriptWriter tool and it uses AI ChatGPT tech to create housing market "explainer" copy for you. For this example, we choose "Engaging" for the tone, "Sellers" for the audience, and "Analyze Metrics" as the action. This was for a ZIP code in southern California. Here are the results, which happen in seconds! Ladies and gentlemen, today we are going to dive into some fascinating real estate metrics that will surely grab your attention. If you are a seller, this information is crucial for understanding the current state of the market and maximizing the value of your property. So, let's get started!​First on our list is the "Months Supply of Inventory," which currently stands at a remarkable 1.09. This metric refers to the number of months it would take to sell all the homes on the market if no new listings were added. A low number like 1.09 indicates a strong seller's market, where demand outweighs supply, granting sellers an upper hand in negotiations.​But what's even more intriguing is the "12-Month Change in Months of Inventory," which shows a jaw-dropping -23.78% decrease. This means that in the past year, the number of homes available for sale has dramatically declined, indicating an even stronger seller's market. With fewer options for buyers to choose from, your property becomes a hot commodity, potentially leading to faster sales and higher prices.​Now, let's talk about the "Median Days Homes Are on the Market," which currently stands at a mere 8 days. Yes, you heard it right, just 8 days! This astonishingly low number indicates that homes are flying off the market at lightning speed. Buyers are eager to snatch up properties, and if you are a seller, this means you can expect a swift transaction. So get ready to pack your bags and move on to your next adventure!​Moving on, we have the "List to Sold Price Percentage," which stands at an impressive 100.6%. This metric showcases the relationship between the initial list price of a property and the final sold price. A percentage above 100 indicates that homes are selling for more than their initial asking price. In other words, sellers are not only getting what they hoped for but often even exceeding their expectations. It's a dream come true for anyone looking to sell their property.​Lastly, let's talk numbers – the "Median Sold Price" currently sits at a fantastic $850,000. This figure represents the middle point of all the sold prices in the market. It's a testament to the high-value properties being sold in the area. So if you are a seller, this indicates the potential for a substantial return on your investment. You could be looking at a handsome sum when your property sells.​In conclusion, dear sellers, the real estate market is currently on fire, and you have all the reasons to be excited. With a record-low supply of inventory, homes selling within days, prices exceeding expectations, and a sky-high list-to-sold price percentage, your property is in high demand. So take advantage of this extraordinary market and make the most of your selling experience. Good luck, and happy selling! As you can see, terms such as "Months Supply of Inventory" and "List to Sold Price Percentage" aren't just rattled off — they're presented and explained in a very easy to understand manner. This is the type of information you can send to clients, post on your social channels or include in direct mail pieces. Right now, homeowners need data and information on their homes in their area. Be the one who delivers it to them! Also, remember that you don't have to include every single word of the Analyze Metrics script that is created for you. Edit it down and only include two terms or one market indicator. Use your own words and fill in gaps with your own local expertise. It's simply a starting point that you perfect into a compelling piece of communication. Bolster real estate social media marketing with RPR Speaking of social media… RPR puts so many tools in your hand to help you craft attention-getting social media posts. The words, the pictures, the current and relevant data–we've got it all for you! Using the Shareable Market Trends in RPR gives you access to data, stats and hard facts. But you can take these market updates and break them up (or down) into bite-sized content that your followers and friends will love and appreciate. Simply follow the same steps above to access the Shareable Market Trends. There's so many options here to super-charge your social media marketing efforts! First, let's click Share in the upper right of your Market Trends search result. This will open a box titled, Share Chart. Go ahead and name your chart (the month and year are preselected, feel free to edit as you wish), then check over the Preview of your chart. Next, scroll down to the bottom for the Share options. Choose Facebook, Twitter (now X) or LinkedIn. You will now share this chart to your social media world! Be sure to include some text so potential clients know how to reach you with questions, etc. Or personalize it with something such as, "Hi neighbors, here's the latest housing market update for [NEIGHBORHOOD NAME]. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about the market…" Another option is to click on the More button; now you can download the Market Trends graphic, either as a .jpg or .png file, or simply copy it to your clipboard for a future paste. Now, you can place this visual market update almost anywhere! Including Instagram, where you can access the saved photo from your phone's camera roll. Of course, you might want this same market info, but in a different visual layout. RPR has that for you! Just click here and you'll be taken to our collection of free Canva templates where you can choose a design to your liking, and then customize it with RPR Market Trends data. Just click the links, follow the prompts and then plug in your numbers. And of course, post the finished product in your feed. We're not done with social yet! Another way to use social media is to once again utilize the RPR Market Trends ScriptWriter. In the first example, we chose Analyze Metrics, but this time select Create Script, and then Social Campaign (be sure to choose your tone and audience as well). You'll almost instantly get: Attention Oceanside Sellers! Get ready for the latest update on the housing market trends in our beautiful city. As your trusted REALTOR®, John Goode, I'm here to keep you informed! Let's dive into the data for September 2023: Currently, Oceanside has a low inventory with only 1.09 months supply available. This means there's a high demand for homes in our area. So if you're thinking of selling, now might just be the perfect time! Over the past 12 months, the Months Supply of Inventory has decreased by an impressive -23.78%. This indicates a growing demand for homes and a potential increase in property values. When it comes to pricing, sellers in Oceanside are in for good news! The List to Sold Price percentage is at a solid 100.6%. This means that homes are selling close to or even above their listing price, giving you the opportunity to maximize your return on investment. The market is moving fast! The median days on market for homes in Oceanside currently stands at just 8 days. This means that if priced right and marketed effectively, your home could find its perfect buyer in no time! Lastly, let's talk about the median sold price. The current median sold price for homes in Oceanside is $850,000. This shows a strong market with favorable conditions for sellers to achieve their desired sales price! If you're considering selling your home in Oceanside, CA 92057, now is a great time to take advantage of these market trends! Contact me, John Goode, your trusted REALTOR®, for personalized guidance and assistance throughout the selling process. #MarketTrends #SellWithConfidence #SellersMarket As you can see, the Market Trends ScriptWriter has created a whole social media campaign for you! Now, you don't have to run all of these messages, you could easily copy all the text and save it somewhere, then pick and choose which ones you want to post, or drip them all out over a period of time. It's up to you, but one thing's for sure – your social media feed will be fresher than ever before! Here are some other "quick hits" that RPR can help with in your marketing planning and executions: Property Reports: RPR provides access to detailed property data, including tax records, ownership history, property characteristics and historical sales data. This information can help you better understand the properties you're selling or buying, which is valuable for market analysis and client education. Sending out RPR Reports as a self-promotion tactic works really well for specific addresses, neighborhoods and market activity. Check out Houston REALTOR® Uses RPR to Deliver Reports and Results; it's about an agent who sends out five RPR Seller's Reports each day as a marketing and prospecting tool! RPR Mailing Labels: Mailing labels or mailing lists can play a crucial role in prospecting outreach in competitive markets. REALTORS® can create them or export owner information from RPR search results. And you can create up to 2,000 each month for free! These ready-to-print mailing labels are perfect for farming, prospecting or direct mail marketing within custom geographies: Conduct an area search, then use filters to narrow it down or use a previously saved area, such as a farm area. Sort your results using the "List View" or from the "Map View," and click "Mailing Labels" once you have the right number of addresses. A pop-up window appears; then choose your label type or a CSV file. Hit "print" and remember, you have 2,000 EACH MONTH to use. Watch this one-minute video to see all of the above in action or follow these step-by-step instructions. Neighborhood Insights: RPR provides information on local neighborhoods, including school data, demographics and amenities. This is valuable when working with clients who want to find properties in specific areas and need detailed information about the neighborhood. That makes it easy for you to market yourself as the neighborhood expert! Customizable Reports: RPR allows you to create branded and customizable reports, giving your marketing materials a professional and polished look. This can help you stand out from the competition and will surely impress your clients. Use RPR to make your marketing attention-getting and unforgettable Incorporating RPR into your real estate marketing strategy can provide you with valuable insights, tools and resources to better serve your clients and improve your overall effectiveness as a real estate professional. It's particularly useful for creating data-driven marketing campaigns and delivering well-informed recommendations to your clients. Tap into RPR today to give your marketing more teeth! To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

6 Expert Tips to Dominate the Online Real Estate Market as an Agent
To stand out in the competitive world of real estate, having a strong online presence is essential. In this post, we will explore six valuable tips to help real estate professionals like yourself boost your visibility and attract more leads online. Follow these tips to increase your online presence and grow your real estate business. 1. Optimize your website for search engines When it comes to online visibility, search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial. Make sure your website is well-optimized for search engines by focusing on the following aspects: Keyword research: Identify relevant keywords that potential clients might use when searching for real estate services in your area. Incorporate these keywords naturally throughout your website content, with a special focus on your page titles, headings and meta descriptions. Content creation: Regularly publish informative and engaging content on your website's blog. This will not only help establish your expertise but also improve your search engine rankings. Ensure your blog articles provide valuable insights, tips and advice related to the real estate market. Website performance: Optimize your website's loading speed and ensure it is mobile-friendly. Search engines favor websites that provide a seamless user experience. Backlinks: Seek opportunities to earn high-quality backlinks from other reputable websites in your industry. This can help improve your website's authority and boost its rankings in search engine results. 2. Leverage social media Social media platforms are powerful tools for increasing your online presence. Here's how you can effectively utilize social media: Choose the right platforms: Identify the social media platforms that your target audience is most active on. Focus your efforts on those platforms to maximize engagement. Consistent branding: Maintain a consistent brand image across all your social media profiles. Use professional and eye-catching visuals, and ensure your bio or "about" section clearly represents your real estate services. Engage with your audience: Regularly post engaging content, such as property listings, educational articles or virtual tours. Respond promptly to comments and messages to foster a sense of trust and build relationships with potential clients. Use paid advertising: Consider running targeted advertising campaigns on social media platforms. This can increase your reach to potential clients who may not have discovered you organically. 3. Online reviews and testimonials Positive online reviews and testimonials can significantly impact your online presence. Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews on platforms like Google My Business, Yelp, or real estate-specific websites. Display these reviews prominently on your website to build trust and credibility with potential clients. 4. Collaborate with other professionals Collaborating with other professionals in the real estate industry can expand your online presence. Here are two ways to collaborate effectively: Guest blogging: Offer to write guest blog posts for other real estate websites or related industries. This allows you to reach a larger audience and showcase your expertise. Cross-promotion: Partner with other professionals, such as mortgage brokers or home stagers, to promote each other's services on social media or through joint content creation. This can increase your online visibility and attract potential clients from their networks. 5. Stay active in online communities Joining and actively participating in real estate-related online communities and forums can help boost your online presence. Share valuable insights, answer questions and engage with other members. This establishes you as a knowledgeable professional and can lead to referrals or direct clients. 6. Create the ultimate listing with iGUIDE With the help of digital floor plans and virtual tours, you can increase your reach and showcase your client's property to a broader audience of buyers from the comfort of their homes. It's like an open house, but online and available 24/7. Capture detailed property information in a single platform, including floor plans, room dimensions, square footage and more. Interactive floor plans: Give potential buyers a clear understanding of the layout. With essential layout information such as square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms. 3D Virtual tours: Viewers can navigate the property at their own pace, explore every room and get an authentic feel for the space. They can zoom in to see details up close, look around in 360° and even measure rooms and areas using the iGUIDE's built-in measuring tools. Custom agent branding: Include a branded banner inside the 3D virtual tour window with your contact information photo and website. Built-in analytics: Valuable call-to-action insights focused on where your listing gets the most traffic and by whom. Leverage these to help you make strategic decisions for future listings. Stand out in a crowded online marketplace. Properties listed with iGUIDE receive more online exposure and attract a larger pool of potential buyers. By following these tips, you can increase your online presence and attract more potential clients. Remember to optimize your website for search engines, leverage social media platforms, encourage online reviews, collaborate with other professionals, and actively participate in online communities. With a strong online presence, you can establish yourself as a trusted real estate agent and achieve long-term success in the digital landscape. To view the original article, visit the iGuide blog. Thank you to iGuide for sponsoring this article on RE Technology! Related Reading 10 Ways Real Estate Agents Can Stand Out Online 5 Facebook Hacks to Help You Grow Your Business 12 Real Estate Influencers Who Built a Business on Social Media

10 Ways Real Estate Agents Can Stand Out Online
Thank you to iGuide for sponsoring this article on RE Technology: Social media has become an essential tool for real estate agents to connect with potential clients and showcase their expertise. However, with the increasing number of agents using social media platforms, it is crucial to find ways to stand out from the competition. In this article, we will explore effective strategies for real estate agents to differentiate themselves and maximize their impact on social media. Define your target audience Understanding your target audience is the first step to standing out on social media. Identify the demographics, interests and pain points of your ideal clients. By tailoring your content to their needs, you can establish yourself as a trusted resource and attract the right audience. Create high-quality content In a sea of social media posts, it is essential to produce high-quality content that grabs attention and provides value. Share informative blog posts, videos, infographics and professional photos of listings. Engaging content will not only attract potential clients, but also position you as an industry expert. Utilize visual storytelling Visual content is incredibly powerful on social media. Leverage platforms like Instagram and Facebook to showcase your listings through captivating photos, videos and 3D tours. Leveraging the imagery and virtual experience from the property's iGUIDE can help you showcase unique features and attract potential buyers. Use storytelling techniques to evoke emotions and make your audience visualize themselves in their dream home. The Faris Team really leverages Instagram to showcase their listings. Check out the Faris Team's profile here for inspiration. Be your authentic self Being your true self on social media is crucial. It's important to genuinely express yourself and not pretend to be someone you're not. Authenticity allows you to build genuine connections with others and fosters trust in the digital world. When you are true to yourself, your content becomes more relatable and resonates with your audience. Don't be afraid to show your unique personality, share your passions and voice your opinions. By embracing your authentic self on social media, you create a meaningful and authentic presence that sets you apart from the crowd and resonates in real life. Engage with your audience Building relationships on social media is crucial. Respond promptly to comments, direct messages and inquiries. Engage with your followers by asking questions, conducting polls and encouraging them to share their thoughts. Show genuine interest and establish a connection with your audience. KHaptive Design does a great job of giving prospective clients a genuine feel of the property with their photos and tours. Check out KHaptive Design's profile here for samples of their work. Leverage live videos Live videos are an excellent way to connect with your audience in real-time. Host virtual open houses, Q&A sessions or behind-the-scenes tours of your listings. This interactive approach allows potential clients to engage directly with you and get a sense of your personality and expertise. Billy Alvaro and the team bring their projects to life using video tours to tell the story of a property. Check out his profile to see how. Collaborate with influencers Partnering with local influencers or industry experts can give your social media presence a significant boost. Collaboration can help you tap into their existing audience, expand your reach and position yourself as an authority in the real estate industry. Use hashtags effectively Hashtags make your content discoverable on social media platforms. Research and use relevant hashtags that are popular among your target audience. This will increase the visibility of your posts and attract potential clients who are searching for real estate-related content. Use the #go_iguide to increase your chances of being featured on our @go_iguide Instagram account. Optimize your profiles Optimize your social media profiles to make a strong first impression. Use professional headshots, write compelling bios that highlight your expertise and include links to your website or blog. Consistency across platforms will help establish brand recognition and credibility. Monitor and analyze results Regularly monitor and analyze your social media performance to understand what works and what doesn't. Pay attention to metrics such as engagement, reach and click-through rates. This data will help you refine your strategy and make informed decisions to improve your social media presence continually. Standing out on social media as a real estate agent requires a strategic approach. By understanding your target audience, creating high-quality content, engaging with your audience, utilizing visual storytelling and leveraging various social media features, you can differentiate yourself from the competition and establish a strong online presence. Remember to consistently monitor and analyze your efforts to adapt and improve your strategy over time. Ready to learn how iGUIDE can help? Connect with an iGUIDE Specialist today to see how it can help improve your client experience. To view the original article, visit the iGuide blog.

8 Real Estate Marketing Ideas for September
The seasons, they are a-changin' -- and your marketing plans likely are, too, now that the summer selling market has died down. If you need new outreach ideas for these slower days, pull up a chair and dive into these eight real estate marketing ideas for September: 1. Post idea: Where to Find Fall Colors in [Your Area] Whether a social media post, a video, or a blog post, the idea for this is the same. Make a post that highlights where to see fall colors in your area. This autumn foliage map can help you estimate peak times. You can also recommend nearby getaways — or even great "Sunday drive" routes — where the changing leaves can best be seen. 2. Create a 'How's the market?' video Now that the peak sales time for the real estate market has passed, take a moment to create a recap and talk about how the market is in your area. Need some inspiration? Take a cue from the winners of RPR's recent market video contest. 3. Feature 'move-in ready' listings Autumn buyers have different motivations than summer buyers. Where summer buyers may want to move by the start of a new school year, buyers in fall look to move before year's end — and they're starting their home search now. To capture these buyers, highlight properties that are move-in ready. As always, you can make this a social media post or blog, but for this idea, we're particularly partial to using it in an online ad campaign. Create a landing page that showcases move-in ready listings and run Google or Facebook ads that link back to that page. 4. Lead magnet idea: Fall home maintenance tips guide Everyone's heard of spring cleaning, but how many people think to give their house a deep cleaning in the fall? Create a guide to help your audience prepare their houses for winter while the weather is still temperate. Include to-do items for both inside and outside the home. Your "inside" list can include typical "spring cleaning" activities, but you should recommend winter-specific tasks like checking the furnace. Your "outside" checklist should include checking caulk around windows and doors, cleaning and storing patio furniture, draining and storing garden hoses, etc. (We won't tell if you use ChatGPT to help you write this guide, but make sure to give it an edit to add your own voice and to check for accuracy.) 5. Create a 'Fall Home Decor' Pinterest board Pinterest is the unsung hero of driving internet traffic to your website. If you're active on Pinterest, curate a Pinterest board filled with fall home decor ideas and inspirations. Include pins for both buyers and sellers to help them envision seasonal changes in a property. For more Pinterest inspiration, check out: How to Crush It on Pinterest for Real Estate Pinterest Ads for Real Estate Agents: How to Get Started? 6. Host a home energy efficiency webinar As the weather cools, homeowners become more concerned about energy efficiency. Host a webinar about making homes more energy-efficient, which can be a selling point for listings. Team up with relevant local professionals, like installers of energy efficient windows, HVAC pros, etc. Not only can they provide great information, they can cross-promote the event to their sphere. Have a tech geek streak? You can also talk about the smart home gadgets that help homeowners measure and control their energy usage. Learn more about smart home features vs. green home features here. 7. Launch a client testimonial campaign We hope you had a successful selling season, and that summer left you with many satisfied clients. If so, now's the time to ask those clients for a testimonial while the experience is still fresh in their minds. Share success stories and testimonials from past clients on your website and social media. Bonus points if you can create a few video testimonials! For more ideas on soliciting and using testimonials, see: Success with Testimonials: 3 Steps to Getting Them with Ease Online Reviews and Testimonials: A Real Estate Agent's Best Marketing Tool How to Use Real Estate Testimonials Online the Right Way 8. Evergreen post idea: How to Prepare for Your Final Walk Through An "evergreen" post is a piece of content that's timeless; years can pass, and the post is not outdated. For agents, posts like these focus on something that's unchangeable in the home sales process — for example, a blog, social media, or newsletter post that explains how buyers can prepare for their final walk through. New homebuyers will find this post particularly helpful. This should be an educational post or video that explains what a final walk through is, why it's important, and what buyers should expect. We recommend including a checklist of things like turning on and off all light switches, flushing toilets, testing faucets for leaks, opening and closing windows, and more. Buyers should also check that all agreed upon repairs were completed satisfactorily. Don't forget, this article benefits you, too — a smooth walk through experience helps facilitate a smooth closing!

6 quick ways to get started with Cloud Agent Suite
Have you just signed up for a free pass to Cloud Agent Suite, but aren't sure exactly where to start? Or maybe you're nearing the end of your pass and want to make sure you've taken complete advantage of exploring everything this suite has to offer. Good news: Either way, we've got your back! Cloud Agent Suite includes Cloud Attract, Cloud Streams, Cloud MLX, and Cloud CMA, which makes for a lot of ground to cover. That's why we've compiled six quick tips to help you make the most of your free-pass access. 1. Find new sellers with Cloud Attract With Cloud Attract, you can play around with creating a custom landing page that will appeal to sellers. Let's say that your area of focus is Huntington Beach. First, launch Cloud Attract. Create a new landing page, then share it on your social media. When someone clicks and fills out the page, they'll receive a quick CMA email that lets them know you'll follow up soon. Watch it in action: 2. Be the first to know with Cloud Streams Cloud Streams is a great way to make sure your buyers are the first to know when new listings hit the MLS via text alerts. But it's also a great way for you to stay informed about market activity. Here's a look at how you can create your first stream: 3. Share your saved searches with clients Cloud MLX is like an easy button for your MLS. Instead of many tiny checkboxes and an endless cascade of drop-down menus, now you can search the MLS just like how you'd search with Google. But did you know that Cloud MLX makes it easy to share saved searches with your clients, too? With it, you can share personalized websites (with your branding, of course!) with each of your clients so they can see the latest market activity in their neighborhoods. Here's how: 4. Do your next listing presentations, anywhere With Cloud CMA Live, you can do your listing presentations virtually (and with interactive features, too!). Just create a Cloud CMA like you usually do, then click on the "Live" link. Now, you can launch Zoom from inside Cloud CMA and present comps, analyze pricing, and walk clients through scenarios. You can even use the telestrator feature to draw directly on the screen, making it easy to emphasize specific points. Here's how it works: 5. Keep clients updated with Homebeat With Homebeat, an add-on feature to Cloud CMA, you can send CMAs to homeowners on a regular basis. This report gives them a comparison review of their home and other homes in their area, so they always know their position in the housing market, and you'll stay top of mind when they're looking for that next move. They can also request free home evaluations and send you a message when they're ready. See it in action here: 6. Keep on learning We've covered a lot so far in this post, but one thing's for sure: There's always more to learn. Check out our learning resources to watch tons of how-to videos, sign up for live webinars, and access training recordings on demand. For even more resources to help you take advantage of the most powerful tools in real estate today, visit the Cloud Agent Suite site here. These are just a few of the many features that Cloud Agent Suite has to offer. With a gorgeous landing page builder, efficient listing alert system, smart MLS platform, and reader-friendly client material generator, Cloud Agent Suite is ready to help you turn buyers and sellers into long-term clients. To view the original article, visit the Lone Wolf blog.

AI for Content Generation: How REWpert Can Help Build Every Content Type
Real Estate Webmasters' new AI bot, REWpert, is revolutionizing content creation in the real estate industry by making it faster, easier, and more efficient. It can be used to create various types of content, including blog posts, social media updates, video scripts, and more — catering to both seasoned professionals and newcomers in the real estate field. The Benefits of Utilizing AI in Content Generation REWpert leverages AI to create content tailored to real estate needs, such as blog content, area research, FAQ ideas, or area page content. It offers quality and speed, acting like a professional writing assistant without the high cost. Embracing REWpert can save significant time and generate more leads, focusing on what matters most in your real estate business. Blog Content Blogs are vital in real estate, and REWPert can assist in writing engaging posts full of property highlights and local insights. By understanding the audience and real estate landscape, REWpert crafts content that attracts more leads and builds stronger client relationships. FAQ Ideas REWpert can help create a relevant and informative FAQ section by analyzing common search queries and client interactions. An effective FAQ section builds trust, showcases expertise, and must be regularly updated to reflect current trends and regulations. A screenshot of REWpert's output when prompted for an FAQ list about Key Largo. Area Research and Page Content Area research is essential in real estate, and REWpert can assist in gathering and analyzing data, providing tailored insights. It also helps in crafting engaging descriptions of neighborhoods, combining hard facts with storytelling. Leveraging REWpert for area research sets real estate professionals apart by providing comprehensive insights. A screenshot of REWpert's output when prompted about Nanaimo area research. Challenges and Limitations While AI content generators like REWpert offer significant benefits, they also come with challenges and limitations. They may lack a nuanced understanding of human emotions and local culture, and may not always capture the unique voice or style desired. Balancing REWpert with a personal touch is key to creating content that resonates with clients, and it should be used as a tool, not a crutch or replacement for your writing skills. An example of an area page in Downtown St. Petersburg from The Salamone Group. To Conclude AI content generators like REWPert are game-changers for the real estate industry, offering a way to create high-quality content quickly and efficiently. However, they are tools to assist, not replace the personal touch that only real estate professionals can provide. Experimenting with different tools like REWpert can transform the content creation process, keeping real estate professionals ahead of the curve. The post above is a summary of the whole blog, also titled AI for Content Generation, found on Real Estate Webmasters' website.

8 Real Estate Marketing Ideas for August
Summer: blink and you'll miss it. Real estate's busiest time of year may be winding down, but there's still time to drum up new business and promote your brand this season. To help you out, we've rounded up eight marketing ideas for August that are just right for summer's last blast: 1. Create a back-to-school homebuyer/seller guide The biggest transition in August is the start of a new school year. Create a school-themed guide tailored to families who are looking to buy or sell a home. School district quality is, after all, a major driver of home values. Include information on school districts, including school ratings, in your guide. To make this a quick process, consider creating a School Report on RPR, which will give you metrics like school enrollment, class size, proficiency scores, graduation rate, and more. 2. Send out promos highlighting "affordable" listings We've said it before, and we'll say it again: it's a tough time to be a home buyer. Help ease reluctant buyers off the fence by highlighting "affordable" (relative to your area, of course) listings in your area. While you can mail traditional posters or flyers with this information, it's possible that those homes may be off the market by the time you get your marketing materials back from the printer. Instead, distribute the information digitally, whether on your social media, email newsletter, website, or blog. Don't forget to add a call-to-action and your contact information! Alternatively, if your IDX website allows you to create custom search URLs, you can set up a page for "Affordable Homes in [Your Area]" that links to homes or condos under a specified price point for each neighborhood you serve. Use it as a landing page for digital ads, link to it from social media, or tie it into a blog post on affordable homes. 3. Work the leads you've gathered from recent open houses Summer is the season of the open house. Now that the season is winding down, it's likely you've got plenty of leads from your sign-in sheets or apps to deal with. If you haven't already added these leads to your CRM, do so now. Go ahead and reach out and see where they're at in their home-buying journey and if they need any help buying or selling. Add them to a nurture campaign, as appropriate, to keep you top-of-mind for when they're ready to transact. 4. Create an account on Threads Now that Twitter has inexplicably rebranded to X, the exodus to alternative platforms has begun. If you've been active on Twitter and are looking for a similar platform, consider creating an account on Meta's new social media app, Threads. Signing up is a breeze, and the app automatically imports your Instagram followers so that you're not starting from zero. Even if you're not ready to start posting yet, it's not a bad idea to claim your brand name there while you still can. 5. Create a "Home Improvement on a Budget" series It's a budget-conscious time in America right now. Homeowners who may have previously hired a contractor for home improvement projects may now be looking to do it themselves to save money. If you have home improvement chops, consider starting a series full of practical tips and DIY ideas for homeowners looking to improve their properties without breaking the bank. Host this series on your favorite medium of choice: short, off-the-cuff videos on Instagram or TikTok, or on your blog or in your newsletter if the written word is more your thing. If you need home improvement ideas or advice, consider talking to your local hardware store. They may even want to team up on the series with you! 6. Organize a school supplies drive for the community Raise your profile and spread community goodwill by partnering with a local charity or school to collect school supplies for children in need. Use your office as a drop-off location and promote the initiative on social media. 7. Host a real estate market update webinar The summer selling season has, for the most part, drawn to a close. How'd your local real estate market perform? Host a webinar to connect with clients and prospects and keep them informed about the latest market trends, interest rates, and changes in the real estate landscape. Spice up the event with beautiful market graphics. Your MLS's public records tool can help here, as can RPR's new Shareable Market Trends feature. Be sure to let attendees know that they can reach out to you for a free market report or home valuation. 8. Offer a pet-friendly homes guide Did you know that 72% of potential buyers with pets would pass on a "dream home" if it couldn't accommodate their pets? That's a huge chunk of the market! Cater to them by creating a resource for pet owners looking for homes that are furball-friendly. Include information about nearby dog parks, pet-friendly businesses, and pet amenities in the area. If you prefer to target sellers, create a guide about showing a home with pets. Provide tips for managing the logistics of selling a home when the seller also has pets, especially dogs. You should include: Tips for getting the "wet dog" smell out of carpets and furniture Managing a barking, aggressive dog during a showing or open house Keeping the backyard dog poop free for showings Both of these resources can be shared as a blog post, newsletter article, PDF, or as a series of social media posts or videos. If you go the PDF route, you can use the guide as a lead magnet. Offer it on a web or landing page in exchange for a lead's contact details. Happy marketing!

5 Steps to Build Your Personal Brand as a Real Estate Professional
As a real estate professional, building your personal brand is essential to your success in the industry. A strong personal brand can help you stand out from your competitors and establish yourself as a trusted authority in your niche. Here are some tips to help you build your personal brand: 1. Figure out your niche To build a strong personal brand, you need to know your niche and your target audience. What kind of properties do you specialize in? What kind of clients are you trying to attract? Once you have a clear understanding of the answers to these questions, you can tailor your brand messaging and marketing efforts to resonate with them. 2. Focus on what makes you different What sets you apart from other real estate professionals in your area? Is it your expertise in a particular niche, your exceptional customer service, or your unique approach to marketing properties? Whatever it is, make sure to focus on what makes you different and highlight those qualities in your branding efforts. 3. Show your personality Your personal brand should reflect your unique personality and values. Don't be afraid to let your personality shine through in your marketing efforts. Whether it's through social media posts, in-person interactions, ads, or emails, showing your personality can help you build stronger connections with potential clients. 4. Leverage social media and your network Social media and networking can be powerful tools. Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to showcase your expertise and connect with potential clients. And don't forget to leverage your existing network of contacts, including past clients, colleagues, and industry professionals. Your friends and family typically want to help you, so don't be shy about asking them to share your new real estate website or Instagram account with their own networks. 5. Be consistent Consistency is key! Be consistent in your messaging to establish a clear and memorable identity. You also want to be consistent in your social media posting or emailing so you're top of mind when someone starts thinking about making a real estate move! By following these tips, you can build a strong personal brand that will help you stand out in the competitive world of real estate. Let us know if there are other things you've done that have been helpful! To view the original article, visit the Rental Beast blog.

[Podcast] Dividing Tasks with Your Real Estate Business Partner with Max Carr
Max Carr is a proud member of First Team Real Estate's Hall of Fame. Together with his wife, Kate, they make up an award-winning real estate duo that offers a full list of concierge benefits at zero cost to their clients. In this episode of Real Talk with Realtors, learn how to find the right partner for your real estate business, divide tasks and responsibilities, generate referrals through outstanding perks, treat your clients like friends, and how being a gamer has helped Max's real estate career. This episode covers everything from company family business to video games. Here's a small sample of what you will hear in this episode: How did Max get into real estate? Did the marriage or business come first? How do Max and Kate separate roles? What should Realtors think about before they partner? How do you inspire a referral? Do a lot of Realtors offer a concierge service? How does being a gamer impact Max's business? Real talk...not Real talk: The cost of lumber Connect with Max at MaxKateHomes.com and OCHomeEvaluation.com. Check out the episode and show notes below for much more detail. Listen on: Spotify Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Visit the episode homepage for show notes and more detail.

[Podcast] Social Media Marketing for Realtors with Madison Gorgone
Madison Gorgone is a Realtor and RE/MAX top producer. She got her license after starting out as an admin at RE/MAX and seeing a gap in the market when it comes to social media marketing. Hear how to use social media marketing to drive your real estate business, grow your following and influence on social media, get sales and referrals, what to post and hashtag, and other types of advertising to consider. This episode covers everything from closing your first deals as a new Realtor to how to approach TikTok. Here's a small sample of what you will hear in this episode: How many real estate agents survive the first few years? What's an example of an educational piece of content Madison posted? How do you grow your following on social media? What's more important: Instagram Stories or Instagram posts? Has an opportunity slid into Madison's DMs and turned into business? How much of her business comes from social media referrals? What kind of volunteering is she doing? Real talk...not Real talk: LinkedIn as a marketing platform Connect with Madison on Instagram at @MadisonGorgone and on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Check out the episode and show notes below for much more detail. Listen on: Spotify Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Visit the episode homepage for show notes and more detail.

AI ChatGPT-Powered Market Analysis: Game-Changing Feature for Real Estate Marketing
Does the thought of staring at a blank screen while trying to write a market update for your clients and prospects make you cringe? Maybe diving into data and metrics isn't your favorite activity, or your to-do list is piling up with other important tasks that demand your attention. You're in luck! RPR (Realtors Property Resource) is introducing an AI ScriptWriter, which is a ChatGPT integration. It offers real estate professionals a streamlined approach to creating personalized video scripts, engaging social media content and detailed metrics analysis. These features are powered by essential market indicators such as Month's Supply of Inventory, List-to-Sold Price Ratio, Median Days on the Market within RPR and Median Sold Price. These tools will help you create informative content that effectively showcases the latest market trends and insights while saving you time and effort. Personalized Video Scripts: Create personalized video scripts for your local market analysis videos using the RPR AI ScriptWriter. Match your script with the new Shareable Market Trends feature, which enables you to export charts and graphs for your data-driven videos. Easily download images in JPG or PNG formats and seamlessly integrate them into video editing software like iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro. Social Media Content Creation: While you're at it, keep your social media platforms buzzing with market insights. Have ScriptWriter create tailor-made content for key local metrics. Metrics Analysis: Leverage ScriptWriter to review the metrics, and highlight the correlation between them. This valuable insight will help you make better-informed decisions while guiding clients through their real estate journey. The Key to Success: Collaborating with Your AI Assistant Remember, the key to unlocking the full potential of AI-generated content is to add your personal touch. Proofread and fine-tune: As the saying goes, "Two sets of eyes are better than one." ChatGPT excels at crafting compelling content, but it's crucial to double-check for accuracy and ensure everything aligns with your objectives. Make sure the script reflects your brand's voice and style to resonate with your target audience. Infuse your brand's personality: Your brand is one-of-a-kind, and you've worked tirelessly to establish your identity. So, go ahead and add your unique flair! Highlight your selling points, emphasize your expertise, and share your experience. This will not only reinforce your brand identity but also instill trust in your clients. ScriptWriter is a helpful tool that can streamline the creation of your market analysis videos. By synergizing with your AI assistant and infusing your personal touch, you'll create truly captivating and impactful content that sets you apart in the competitive world of real estate marketing. Don't miss out on this opportunity to revolutionize your marketing strategy! Getting Started with AI ScriptWriter Ready to create captivating content for your audience? Follow these steps to access and use the RPR Market Trends ScriptWriter tool: Log in to RPR (narrpr.com) and select Research. Now select Residential Market Trends. Then type in your area (ZIP code, City) and click the search icon. You'll arrive on the Market Trends page for the area searched. Select the Create Script to open the Market Trends ScriptWriter. Choose your tone, audience… then choose one of the following buttons: Create Video Script. Create Social Campaign. Analyze Metrics. Review, edit and personalize the content to reflect your brand identity. Don't let blank pages or writer's block get in your way again! The RPR Market Trends ScriptWriter is a marketing tool that lets REALTORS® create talking points and marketing copy, all based on local market stats. Choose your market, tone, audience… then hit the button to almost instantly get the words you need to craft compelling market updates and messages to your clients and prospects. You're also encouraged to proofread and add your own brand voice to the AI-generated text. (Check out this article, How to add Your Brand Voice to RPR's Market Trends ScriptWriter, for some tips and examples.) We encourage you to take the ScriptWriter for a spin today to see how effortless it can now be to create market update videos, social posts, etc. Anywhere you need words, it can help! To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

Keep Your Clients Closer
The consumer-direct momentum in the residential mortgage business continues to accelerate. Lenders are focused on giving both homeowners and homebuyers a platform to manage their real estate finances. It is inevitable that your clients will adopt an application, so why not provide the application to them with your branding front and center? For the first time that I am aware of, individual real estate agents may now provide their clients with a real estate finance platform co-branded between them and their favorite loan officer. Realfinity.io has just introduced new capabilities to its proven platform, HomeDashboard. For the first time, you can deliver a platform to your clients that: 1. Co-brands between the real estate agent and your favorite loan officer.   2. Delivers real-time customized finance options fully transparent.   3. Allows clients to start a loan application and get pre-approved.   4. Updates both you and your loan officer on clients' property-related activities. Sign up for HomeDashboard in Florida, Texas, and soon California with Realfinity Mortgage. For agents in other states, exclusive access is available through a lender invitation. Deliver HomeDashboard to clients before others do. Secure your position and stay ahead. Realfinity Mortgage, an innovative broker, finds the best mortgage rates by comparing lenders on behalf of clients. RFM with HomeDashboard empowers real estate agents and their clients with investment-grade property data, revolutionizing the awareness of available financing options. If you think you're close to your clients, RealFinity.io gets you closer. Mark McLaughlin serves as CEO of McLaughlin Ventures and M&A Advisory at WAV Group. To view the original article, visit the McLaughlin Ventures blog.

Basic Branding Tools for REALTORS: Getting Started with a Brand in 2023
What is your brand and how do you use it? Like any other business in any other industry, the best real estate agents are also branding experts: They know how to find clients by presenting what they do and how they can help in an alluring, interesting, trustworthy way. They grow a local following and become the go-to expert about all things real estate for at least one population niche. And it seems impossible to assess exactly how they did it, let alone follow their example. Well, here's some good news: Real estate branding actually is like many other businesses in many other industries, and that means you can do it, too. Successful branding involves identifying and speaking to your target audience, researching the competition, creating a brand identity, distributing your brand information, and then refining your brand so it remains fresh and relevant. Here's how to get started with some basic branding tips for agents. Who's your target audience? The essence of a target audience is simple but pinning it down can be a challenge for many. First ask yourself, "Who do I work for?" If you can't come up with a direct and targeted answer, then this is a step you need to work on before you can start refining your brand. Some agents believe that their target audience is "everyone," or slightly more marginally, "everyone who might want to live in this specific area." The problem with such a broad focus is that it's not actually possible to market to everyone or even everyone who might be interested in buying or selling a house in a neighborhood. That kind of branding is generic and easy to ignore, which you don't want. Beyond focusing on a geographic area, you'll want to think about how to further target your audience. Amy Cesario specializes in downtown Denver, and even more specifically, she's an expert on downtown condos in certain desirable buildings and developments. She's built her website, www.downtowndenver.realestate, around those properties and interests. Suzanne Hawken has a very different area of expertise: She helps clients buy and sell homes in Napa, California. You might have heard of Napa, but did you know that it has more than 20 different neighborhoods, each with its own unique twist on the region? Hawken's website, www.livinginnapacalifornia.realestate, helps buyers understand the differences between each option and determine which one will work best for them. PRO TIP: Instantly connect your brand to your local market! Get 20% off your .realestate web address through the end of June. Grab your city, neighborhood, or niche before someone else does. Plus, all .realestate web addresses come with a professional website that can be launched in minutes! Use promo code CITY20 Learn More Do some research When you've identified your target audience, it's time to dig into the competition. The first two things to explore will give you the basic competitive landscape: Are any other agents in your area targeting the same specific audience that you're hoping to tap? And what does their messaging look like? Ideally, you'll be able to find some kind of niche or target audience that's currently unexplored in your area, whether that's dog-loving aspiring homeowners or empty nesters hoping to downsize. But if someone else is already targeting your audience, then you have two choices. You can revisit the target audience exercise and see what other options are available to you, or you can try to differentiate yourself from the competition. Whatever you decide, you'll have a lot more information about what gaps exist in your market and what kind of opportunities they might present for you. Building your brand identity There's more to creating a brand than creating a name and a unique value proposition (UVP), but those are two of the first steps. The UVP will help you shape your messaging, and the name should be recognizable to and resonates with the client base you work with most regularly. Branding is both an art and a science. Some of the best-known brands in the world represent companies like Coca-Cola, Apple, Nike, and other behemoths of business. While they sell very different products, each of those companies has been very successful at creating a set of feelings and associations with their products. That is what a brand is. There are agencies and freelancers specializing in helping startups and entrepreneurs define and create their brands, and if you're not entirely sure how to start, enlisting help from them is likely a smart first step. Branding includes the entire look and feel of the company, including the logo, typography or fonts, colors used, and other elements that provide a sense of cohesiveness to all your materials. When your brand is ready to share, how do you go about making it part of your business? Here are some critical ways that you should start using your brand as soon as it's ready. First and foremost, you'll need a website. Not because you're trying to compete with real estate portals for web traffic, but because serious clients will want to look you up and learn more about you. If you have a website, that gives them a professional window into your business that you control. Along with your website, you'll want an email address that aligns with your brand. Your social media handles should also reflect your brand, so you might want to change your social media back-end if you can — or start new accounts that align with your new business. While your brokerage might provide listing presentation materials or signage for homes, it's a good idea to create your own materials that incorporate your brand. Ask your broker what your options are for spreading your brand through these forms of displayed marketing. PRO TIP: Get a FREE professional Website FREE WITH EVERY WEB ADDRESS PURCHASED: It's never been easier to launch your real estate brand online. Within minutes, have a website that is custom designed for you and is free for the life of your web address! Lead generating Multiple templates to choose from Pre-optimized for Google search Learn More Growing and refining your brand When you've built your brand, or at least feel like you've gotten a decent start on creating a brand that seems to reflect you, then your work is done! … Just kidding! The most effective brands try to continuously engage with their target audience and to constantly seek out new members of that audience. You can do that as a real estate agent if you commit to growing and refining your brand after launching it. One important step to take is to create a brand style guide. Your brokerage probably has a guide that explains the aesthetic, and if you make your own, you can use it to hire freelance designers and other professionals to help you manage your marketing. A brand style guide should include any brand colors or typefaces, the logo, and details about your "voice." That way, someone who's posting on social media for you can create content that sounds and feels like yours. Speaking of social media, another good way to build your brand is to consistently engage with your followers. Post often, but don't spam people — make it interesting for your audience. Be sure to reply in some way (even if it's just with a "like") to any comments that people are kind enough to leave on your posts. Asking for client reviews is another way you can grow your brand. Many people are happy to give a review; it's a common ask these days, and if you prepare your clients by letting them know upfront that you'll be requesting a review after the transaction closes, they'll be ready for the ask when it comes. Last but not least: Are there any certifications or designations that would resonate with your target audience and help bolster your brand, but that you haven't yet earned? The National Association of REALTORS® offers several accreditations for agents who want to refine their skills and demonstrate an elevated level of expertise in a certain area.

[Podcast] Build Confidence, Captivate Viewers and Convert Them into Leads with Chelsea Peitz
In this episode of Decoding Real Estate, we welcome real estate's go-to guide for social media marketing, Chelsea Peitz. As a consultant and coach, Chelsea specializes in camera-first branding and social media strategies. She frequently speaks to real estate agents, teams and companies on topics ranging from disruptive innovation, social media trends and video-friendly platforms such Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Join hosts Reggie Nicolay and Genie Willett as they chat with Chelsea about her unique journey from REALTOR® to social media maven, combining her background in clinical psychology and passion for neuroscience to create a powerful marketing approach. You'll hear all about Chelsea's "Three Cs" strategy for creating videos that connect: Confidence, Conversions, and Captivate. These "Cs" focus on building camera confidence, creating content that leads to conversions and captivating new audiences. Get tips on how to boost your on-camera presence by practicing regularly, embracing authenticity and finding joy in connecting with others online. After listening, you'll boost your camera confidence with the one-to-one video technique, which involves sending personalized video messages to potential clients. You'll also understand how direct messaging can benefit your social media algorithms and create an omnipresent feeling without constant content creation. Don't miss this episode of Decoding Real Estate with guest Chelsea Peitz! Decoding Real Estate is hosted by Reggie Nicolay and Genie Willett. Subscribe/Follow And be sure to check out these helpful and relevant links: Chelsea Peitz.com The Chelsea Pietz Podcast Realtors Property Resource Listen on: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Stitcher To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

Real Estate Hashtags for 2023
Social media has evolved from a place where people meet to socialize to where businesses conduct their daily operations. The realty world isn't left out either — real estate businesses are now using social media to drive up property sales. The National Association of Realtors reports that 77% of real estate agents actively use social media. In comparison, 47% of Realtors say that social media brings the highest quality leads than other sources. The study also suggests that more than 90% of millennials start their home searches online instead of in-person referrals. This means that social media is a goldmine for any real estate business. To ace the social media concept, you need to have a solid strategy to navigate the social media waters. A great way to get started is by using hashtags. What Are Hashtags? A hashtag is an extra phrase that you can add to your social media posts. A hashtag is usually written with a hash symbol followed by any additional keyword that you want to add. The feature helps people to track exciting and relevant topics. Hashtags give your posts more context and depth. They also make your posts visible to a broader audience. For example, if you post a photo of the sun setting, you can caption it as "Sundown. #skybrilliance #sunsetlover," etc. Users who want to find images or posts about sunsets can type the hashtag into the search bar and find the post quickly. When using real estate hashtags, you need to make sure that you tag your posts appropriately so that whenever a potential client types the hashtag, they can find your posts easily. For instance, if you're sharing a photo of an apartment in Washington DC, the hashtag can read #DCApartments. Any tenant searching online for an apartment in DC only needs to type in the hashtag #DCApartments, and they will find your listing. If you aren't sure of which keywords to use for your real estate post, you can refer to the following hashtags to help you out. #home #homesforsale #househunting #apartmenthunting #homesweethome #realestateagentforlife #sold #dreamhome #fixandflip #NYCApartments General Real Estate Hashtag Usage Rules Hashtags are not only applicable to Twitter and Instagram. Hashtagging your post on LinkedIn allows you to connect with other agents. In the same light, hashtagging your posts on Facebook makes you visible to prospective clients on Facebook Marketplace. However, there are limits to the number of hashtags you can use for every social media site. Overusing hashtags makes your post appear spammy to the platform's algorithm. For LinkedIn, you should stick to, at most, five relevant hashtags for every post. Twitter might have started the hashtags feature, but it also has a limit to the number of hashtags you can use. For non-paying users, the platform allows you to post a maximum of 280 characters including hashtags (paying users can write up to 10,000 characters per tweet). Due to this limitation, you need to ensure your hashtags are relevant to your real estate business and properties. Ideally, you should stick to two hashtags per post. Facebook users don't actively use the hashtag feature. However, at least one hashtag can drive up maximum engagement for business posts on a site. If you want to go all out with as many real estate hashtags as you want, then Instagram is the place for you. This social media platform allows you to post up to 30 hashtags for every post. However, this doesn't mean you should go on a hashtag spree. If you're going to use all 30 hashtags for your post, make them relevant to the real estate business and the home you're selling. Interestingly, Instagram allows you to reverse search some of the hashtags to find prospective clients who are looking for properties. Things to Note 1. Don't Overuse Hashtags Overusing hashtags makes your post look spammy, and may result in low or no engagements. It also makes you look like an amateur who is new to social media. 2. Keep Up with Your Competitors Social media is an ever-evolving business and socializing tool. Every day, new and fruitful hashtags appear, which may be useful in driving engagement your way. Always monitor how your competitors use their hashtags. Keep a close eye on which hashtags they use and which ones receive a lot of user engagement and implement the ideas you obtain to your advantage. 3. Be Specific General real estate hashtags are useful for driving user engagement. However, to appeal to and find more prospective clients, your hashtags should be specific and targeted. For instance, you can use location-centered hashtags, the home's pet policy and other features to help you appeal to a broader client base. In conclusion Hashtags are a powerful engagement tool when used appropriately. They help bring in more views to your real estate posts and ultimately close deals with prospective clients. Always try to use relevant hashtags to avoid getting spammed. To view the original article, visit the Wise Agent blog.

Influencer Marketing: How Social Media Stars Can Aid Real Estate Agents
In recent years, influencer marketing has become a popular tactic for businesses to promote their products and services. Real estate agents have also started to use influencers to reach a wider audience and generate leads. Social media influencers can have a significant impact on real estate marketing, as they have a large and engaged following on social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Let's explore the impact of social media influencers on real estate marketing and how they can aid real estate agents. Audience reach The ability of social media influencers to reach a large audience has one of the biggest effects on real estate marketing. Influencers have developed a devoted following that respects and trusts their judgment. Influencers' followers are more likely to notice and interact with content when they promote a good or service. To reach a larger audience and improve their chances of generating leads, real estate agents can take advantage of influencers' considerable power. For example, Ryan Serhant, a real estate agent and star of Bravo's Million Dollar Listing New York, has used social media influencers to promote his properties. In one campaign, he partnered with lifestyle influencer Olivia Palermo to showcase a luxury penthouse in New York City. The influencer posted photos and videos of the property on her Instagram account, which has over 6 million followers. This campaign generated a lot of buzz and interest in the property, leading to a successful sale. Social proof Providing social proof is another way social media influencers can help real estate agents. Social proof is the psychological phenomenon whereby people believe that other people's actions represent the proper behavior in a particular circumstance. Social proof in the context of real estate marketing refers to the likelihood that a property will be viewed favorably and is worthy of consideration by a follower when an influencer promotes it. For example, real estate agents The Altman Brothers partnered with YouTube personality Jake Paul to promote a luxury mansion in Calabasas, California. The influencer posted a video tour of the property on his YouTube channel, which has over 20 million subscribers. The video received over 10 million views and generated a lot of interest in the property. This campaign is a great example of how social proof can influence the perception of a property and drive interest from potential buyers. Brand building Real estate agents can develop their individual brands and reputations with the aid of social media influencers. Agents can reach the influencer's audience and position themselves as authorities in their field by collaborating with them. Influencers can advertise an agent's offerings and highlight their qualifications, which can help establish credibility and trust with potential clients. For example, real estate agent Tracy Tutor, star of Bravo's Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, partnered with beauty influencer Patrick Starrr to promote her services. The influencer posted a video on his YouTube channel where he received a makeover from Tutor and discussed her services. This campaign helped Tutor build her personal brand and establish herself as a reputable real estate agent. That's a wrap In conclusion, social media influencers can have a significant impact on real estate marketing. They can help real estate agents reach a wider audience, provide social proof, and build their personal brand and reputation. Real estate agents should consider partnering with influencers to promote their properties and services. However, it's essential to choose the right influencer for your brand and ensure that their audience aligns with your target audience. Real estate agents can generate leads and close more deals by collaborating with influencers. Real estate agents can reach a larger audience and improve their chances of success, and influencers can monetize their content, so it's a win-win situation for everyone involved. Real estate agents must change to remain competitive and relevant in the market today given the growth of social media and influencer marketing. To view the original article, visit the Transactly blog.

4 Real Estate Marketing Trends
In every industry, there is always a "next big thing," and keeping up with them can feel overwhelming. As a whole, the real estate sector is not exempt from these shifts. New technologies regularly emerge, as do new trends, but few live up to their hype. However, in recent times, the transition has been towards personalization. Personalizing your real estate marketing helps target the right real estate clients and also helps you understand strategies and trends that work. Today's consumers know exactly what they want, and you want to ensure that you not only match demand but also that what you provide is what they are looking for. Here are key methods or techniques to personalize marketing trends for your target audience. 1. QR Codes and QR Code Generators Develop a content marketing strategy to get inbound leads. Content marketing is today's most effective real estate marketing strategy, allowing organizations to reach out directly to their audience. The introduction of QR code generator apps for real estate professionals has made the process even more accessible and more effective. Now, real estate agents can embed a plethora of marketing information in QR codes, which provides extensive information to users without making it look too chunky to read or understand. In fact, QR codes immediately grab the attention of curious users who will be keen to find out about the information hidden within the code. Realtyna's QR Code generator app is designed to help real estate professionals generate codes for their marketing campaigns without hassle. 2. Use SEO to Boost the Ranking of Your Property Websites To keep your real estate website in search results, it is essential to use SEO to boost your website ranking on popular search engines. With single property websites, you will be able to: Showcase more photos Add videos Include detailed descriptions Properly optimize your listing for search engines Build brand awareness, and more Additionally, using SEO to boost your property website gives you more information about the customer while providing the much needed site traffic. 3. Create Video Tours to Remotely Showcase Real Estate Listings Realtors can now create video tours of their real estate listings and post them on websites, YouTube, TikTok, and other media platforms to capture the attention of potential clients. Video marketing not only provides a more intuitive approach, but videos have been proven to offer better conversion than images. 4. Post on Social Media to Boost Engagement It is no secret that social media is one of the most instrumental solutions to digital marketing. So as real estate professionals, it is vital to effectively create accounts and use all these platforms to market your business or services. You can post videos, photos, infographics, share real estate tips, etc., to draw more leads and engagements to your business profile and, eventually, your website. These are all smart trends to adopt as part of your real estate marketing strategy. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

9 Real Estate Marketing Ideas for May
We're back again with another round-up of monthly marketing ideas. The weather's warming up, the barbeques are firing up, and there's no better time to power up your business by getting your name and business out there! Dive right in with these nine real estate marketing ideas for May: 1. Celebrate National Moving Month Did you know that May is National Moving Month? It makes sense, as May is typically the kick-off to the busy summer selling season. Get in the spirit of things by partnering with a local moving company or storage facility to offer exclusive discounts or promotions to your clients. 2. Highlight Day Camps and Other Kid-Friendly Activities Ah, summer: kids love it, while parents stress out over it. With school almost out for summer, put yourself in the good graces of local parents by highlighting day camps and other ways parents can entertain their kids over the summer. You can do this by writing blogs, social media posts, mentioning it in email newsletters, and more. However you share this knowledge, parents are sure to be grateful! 3. Host a Community Clean-up Just like houses need seasonal maintenance, so do our local beaches, parks, and other outdoor spaces. Winter storms can leave behind a lot of debris, so consider hosting a community clean-up to get your area ready for summer. Create a public event on Facebook—and be sure to promote the event across your other channels, too. 4. Offer a Free Home Valuation or Market Analysis It's likely you already offer this service to seller leads—but if not, take this as a sign to start! And if you already do, now's a great time to start promoting this heavily. Add a lead-capturing DIY home valuation to your website, send out postcards, promote it online, or in digital ads—the sky's the limit! For buyers, consider creating a report, summary, or blog post on the current state of the market. You can highlight entry-level homeownership opportunities like condos or "starter homes" and mention recent sales trends. 5. Show Your Memorial Day Spirit There are many ways to celebrate Memorial Day: host a community BBQ, share patriotic-themed content on social media, or highlight fallen military heroes from your area. You can also host a Facebook fundraiser to donate money to a veterans' organization or memorial funds and scholarships. 6. Create a Virtual Tour of Your City or Neighborhood You know all about creating virtual tours for your listings. But did you know you can use 3D capture technology to create virtual tours of important community spaces? Some brokerages and real estate agents have already been doing it for years. Learn more here: 3D Walk-throughs Aren't Just for Listings: Capture These 6 Local Spaces to Boost Engagement and Business Opportunity. 7. Highlight Local Bike Trails and Routes May is National Bike Month, and you can use this as an opportunity to show off your local expertise. Share info on the best local bike trails and routes, or highlight local bike shops or biking events. Invite your social media followers to share their favorite paths to get a conversation going! 8. Food, Food, Food Speaking of national monthly celebrations, May is also National Hamburger Month and National BBQ Month. If your mouth is already watering, that's understandable! Let your appetite inspire you to highlight the best burger or BBQ joints in your area. If you've got culinary skills, share your favorite burger or BBQ recipes—or talk to local foodies and get them to share their secrets with you. Share these posts on social media or on your blog. It's a great run-up to Memorial Day—the official start of outdoor grilling season! And if you're hosting a Memorial Day event of your own, you can work in a short promo or event reminder in each of these posts. 9. Attend a Local Home and Garden Show Get your name out there this month by attending a local home expo. Rent a booth or table and highlight your listings, offer free home valuations, highlight down payment assistance programs, and come ready to chat about your local market and get some quality face-time in with locals.

[Podcast] Using Attraction Marketing with Jess Lenouvel
Jess Lenouvel is a business and marketing real estate coach and founder of The Listings Lab. She's been a real estate agent for over 13 years and has personally built a multiple seven-figure business that sold over $300 million of property in under five years. In this episode of Real Talk, with Realtors, hear Jess share how attraction marketing can help your real estate business, the nine-point psychology journey from stranger to client, how to avoid over-systematizing your marketing too early, the most underutilized social media platform for Realtors, and how to switch from selling real estate to coaching. This episode covers everything from efficient systems to TikTok for Realtors. Here's a small sample of what you will hear in this episode: How did Jess switch from real estate selling to real estate coaching? What is attraction marketing? How does it become a listing conversation? What is nine-point psychology? How would you advise someone in their first year as a Realtor? When should you start using paid ads? How should you use hashtags on Instagram? Is Instagram becoming like Facebook? Connect with Jess on Instagram at @JessLenouvel and her book More Money, Less Hustle on Amazon. Check out the episode and show notes below for much more detail. Listen on: Spotify Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Visit the episode homepage for show notes and more detail.

Build an Opt-in Email List: 8 Proven Tactics to Try Now
Are you looking to increase the reach of your real estate business? Email marketing is a proven and powerful way of driving real estate leads — but how do you get started? Don't worry, we've got you covered! In this article, we dive deep into the world of email marketing and look at how you can build a list of eager leads that can't wait to hear from you. Read on to learn how you can take your real estate email marketing strategy to the next level! Opt-in Email Strategies for REALTORS® Identify Your Target Audience: The first step to creating an effective opt-in list is to identify your target audience. Think about who you are trying to reach and focus on creating content tailored to their needs. Offer a Valuable Resource: A lead magnet is an incentive that entices people to give you their contact information in exchange for something of value. This can be anything from a free digital resource you create such as an ebook or buyer/seller guide, or a webinar. You can even turn to RPR for reports such as the Market Activity report, Market Trends and Housing Stats, or a Neighborhood Report. It should be something that your target audience finds valuable enough to offer up in exchange for their contact information. Create a Lead Capture Page: Now that you've identified your target audience and developed a lead magnet, it's time to create a lead capture page where people can sign up to receive your lead magnet. Make sure it's visually appealing and easy to use so people don't have any trouble signing up. Promote Your Lead Magnet: Once you have identified your lead magnet, you need to promote it so people know it's available. Make sure you are targeting the right people with your message and keep it consistent across channels. Here are eight tactics to help get the word out: Add a Newsletter Sign-up to Your Website: As a REALTOR®, your website is the hub of your online presence. By including a newsletter sign-up form, you can capture the email addresses of potential clients and stay in touch with them with valuable, informative content. Gather Contacts from Open Houses: These potential clients have already expressed interest in real estate and may be in the market for a new home. Bring an opt-in sign-up sheet to your next open house or set up an online registration form to collect email addresses. Consider Paid Advertising: By investing in targeted ads, you can reach a wider audience and entice them with valuable content and promotions. Consider using Google Ads or other digital ad platforms to target local buyers. Team Up with Influencers: By partnering with popular social media personalities and influencers, you'll tap into their engaged audience and gain exposure to a wider pool of potential clients. This collaboration can help to establish trust, boost credibility, and ultimately drive more opt-ins to your list. Tap into Local Networking Events: Don't overlook the value of attending local events, such as local networking mixers, farmer's markets and more. This provides a perfect opportunity to collect email addresses and engage with potential customers. Grow Your List with Client Referrals: Word of mouth is everything in the real estate industry. That's why client referrals are such a powerful tool to grow your opt-in email list. Develop a referral program where clients can refer their friends and family to join your list. Incorporate QR Codes in Print Marketing: QR codes have had a resurgence, and when it comes to print marketing, they can be a good way to grow opt-in email lists. QR codes allow consumers to easily scan a print marketing piece and access digital content, such as an opt-in form to join a mailing list or offer. Make the Most of Social Media: Use Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and other channels to promote your opt-in email list. Offer a lead magnet as an incentive to sign up. Capture and Nurture Your Leads: As consumers download your lead magnet, and opt-in to your list, ensure that they receive personalized and timely follow-ups. This keeps people engaged in their journey with you as their trusted advisor. Construct your list and connect with your contacts Don't let building your real estate email list overwhelm you. By leveraging these strategies, you can connect with a larger pool of potential buyers and sellers, and create a powerful email marketing strategy. To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

Real Estate Marketing in 2023: Focus on the Fundamentals
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 10:00 AM PDT With the real estate market cooling down significantly toward the end of 2022, the day-to-day routine of a Realtor might look a bit different this year compared to the last few trips around the sun. Gone are the days when leads and sales would seemingly fall in your lap, or at least for the time being. In 2023, real estate agents are going to have to get back to the basics and focus on the fundamentals in order to have a prosperous year. Join the VP of Sales & Marketing at Planitar Inc., Michael Vervena, as he discusses the importance of effective marketing tools to sell your listings quickly. Learn more about incorporating property details like accurate measurements, floor plans, and 3D virtual tours to leverage better results on the MLS. Register now!

10 Questions Home Sellers Ask Google (and 40 Key Phrases to Target Them)
Last week, we posted a list of common homebuyer questions and keywords for targeting buyers with Google Ads. But what about sellers? Never fear—we wouldn't dare overlook this valuable demographic. That's why today, we're providing a list of common questions homeowners ask when considering selling their home, and corresponding key phrases for each. Tip: These questions and key phrases are good for more than just target sellers with ads. Each question is also a great prompt for writing a blog or newsletter post. You can even work the related key phrases into your post to get it to rank higher on Google. That way, sellers looking for answers to these questions see your blog post, visit your website, and learn all about a great Realtor who has all the information they want. Let's dive in… 1. How do I prepare my home for sale? home staging tips home improvement ideas decluttering tips curb appeal ideas 2. What is my home worth? home value estimate property appraisal home valuation services real estate market analysis 3. Should I hire a real estate agent to sell my home? real estate agent benefits real estate agent fees selling a home without an agent choosing a real estate agent 4. What are the steps to selling a home? home selling process steps to selling a house selling a house checklist home sale timeline 5. How do I stage my home for a quick sale? home staging tips home staging services home staging professionals staging a house to sell fast 6. How can I sell my home fast? sell my house fast quick home sale cash home buyers home selling companies 7. What are the closing costs when selling a home? home selling closing costs seller closing costs calculator real estate attorney fees title company fees 8. How do I negotiate with buyers? home buyer negotiation tactics negotiating home sale price counteroffer strategies negotiating home inspection repairs 9. What are some common mistakes to avoid when selling a home? home selling mistakes to avoid common home selling pitfalls mistakes to avoid when listing a home selling a home tips and tricks 10. How do I handle multiple offers on my home? multiple offer situation competing home offers handling multiple offers on a home home offer negotiation strategies

9 Real Estate Marketing Ideas for March
Spring selling season is nearly upon us, and if you haven't already revved up your marketing engine, March is a great time to start. We want to help you get off the starting line, so here are nine ideas you can use for all your real estate marketing needs: 1. Create St. Patrick's Day-themed social media posts Use them to promote your listings, local events, or even to highlight the best happy hour specials in your area. Use hashtags like #LuckOfTheIrish, #PotOfGold, and #GreenHome to attract more attention. Get more St. Patty's marketing ideas here. 2. Offer a spring cleaning package This idea can be used in a few ways: as a closing gift for new homeowners or as a prize in a social media contest. Include a cleaning service or products to help buyers get started in their new home. To reach a broader audience, you can also partner with a local cleaning company to offer discounted cleaning services to your sphere of influence. 3. Participate in a local charity event or fundraiser This not only supports the community, but also helps to build your brand and make connections. Events are a great way to network, but if you can't attend in person, consider donating items or services to a silent auction instead. 4. Host a virtual open house using live streaming technology Like many Realtors, you may have perfected the art of the virtual open house during the pandemic. While things may be back to normal, there's no need to let your skills get rusty! Kick off your spring by live streaming an open house on Instagram, YouTube, or the platform of your choice. Learn more here: Hosting a Virtual Open House? Here's a Checklist. 5. Offer a seminar or webinar When it comes to buying or selling a home, people have a lot of questions. Fortunately, as a real estate pro, you have a lot of answers. Put that knowledge to good use by hosting a seminar or webinar for real estate consumers in your area. Check out these articles to help you get started: Advanced Lead Generation: Hosting a Seminar Using Webinars to Promote Your Real Estate Business 6. Host a neighborhood block party or other event Seminars and webinars not really your cup of tea? If you're looking for something more fun-oriented than teaching-oriented, try hosting a community event. It works like a charm for Realtor Dave Archuletta, and it can work for you, too! 7. Send out a newsletter or email blast When's the last time you sent an email to your database? If your answer is "a while," consider this your nudge to get things going again. You can start with something as simple as tips for preparing a home for sale. For more ideas, try these articles: 51 Content Ideas for Your Real Estate Newsletter Anatomy of a Real Estate Newsletter: How to Create Enticing Emails for Leads Combine Your Blog with an Email Newsletter for More Leads and Traffic 8. Participate in National Women's History Month Highlight women in real estate or women leaders in your community. This can be as simple as writing blogs or social media posts about women-led businesses — or even just resharing the social media posts or stories of those businesses or individual women with your followers. 9. Create a spring home maintenance checklist for homeowners Share tips and advice for deep cleaning a home and getting into tip-top shape. You can put this list on your blog or in a newsletter, or offer it as a PDF for download on your website. If social media is more your speed, make short video stories or reels for each cleaning tip and drip them out over the entire month. Use this as an opportunity to offer your recommendations for local services or contractors for any necessary repairs or updates.

How to Earn Google's Trust
As a real estate agent, you naturally value the power of in-person interactions when developing relationships. What you may not realize is that developing relationships – which is, at its core, about earning trust – often begins online. Consumers, even those who receive a referral, regularly turn to the internet to find and vet people they're considering doing business with. Reading reviews of other people's experiences is a powerful form of social proof – consumers want to know that you're worth their business. If consumers can't find online testimonials about your services, they'll turn to other agents. You won't even have the opportunity to win them over in-person. It might be enough to make you wonder: How many leads am I missing out on right now because I don't have a strong online presence? When it comes to earning trust online, a strong Google presence is key. Google is the dominant, most-trust search engine. As such, Google is where consumers are most likely to start their real estate journey and identify the agent they want to work with. Think of winning trust online as similar to winning trust in-person. Strong testimonies from past clients and colleagues will demonstrate your trustworthiness. Having fully updated business information and up-to-date listing photos establishes your professionalism. This helps you earn Google's trust, vault to the top of Google search results, and win new business. 1. Establish a Strong Google Business Profile The first way to earn Google's trust and demonstrate excellence in online search results is to have an informative, comprehensive Google Business Profile. This is the information box that appears on the right-hand side when consumers search for you online. Your Google Business Profile displays your contact information, a description of your services, recent listings photos, and, crucially, reviews of your services. Google values the business profile because it helps to winnow down search results. Consumers can be served listings of active, legitimate real estate providers when they search terms such as "real estate agents near me." Google will "verify" profiles that are comprehensive and have positive reviews – signaling to searchers that you are a legitimate professional who has earned Google's trust and is ready to do business. Remember that both consumers and Google will place more trust in your profile if it is updated regularly. To maintain Google's trust, include up-to-date contact information, listing photos, and reviews. 2. Solicit Positive Reviews As mentioned, reviews are an essential part of your Google business profile. And when it comes to fully securing Google's trust, reviews are an absolute necessity. Google reviews do more than just give consumers a sense of your abilities as an agent. Google also factors in these reviews when deciding whether to serve your business profile alongside other high-performing agents when people search for terms like "local real estate agents." Just take a look at this search result for local real estate agents. The listed agents all have dozens of positive Google reviews in addition to a complete Google Business Profile. Clearly, having as many reviews as possible is crucial to earning Google's trust and appearing at the top of search results. Just like the other information on your Google Business Profile, reviews are weighted in part by recency. So, continue to solicit reviews as your network expands. That way, you'll rise in Google search results and maintain your position over time. Once you earn Google's trust, you'll experience substantial benefits. To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.

How Real Estate Agents Can Use ChatGPT
Real estate agents are always looking for ways to improve their business and stay ahead of the competition. One tool that can help them do this is ChatGPT, which is a large language model developed by OpenAI. Let's first discuss what ChatGPT is and how it functions. ChatGPT is a machine learning model that uses deep learning techniques to generate human-like text. It can be used for many different things, including responding to questions, writing essays, and even coming up with poetry. It can comprehend and respond to a wide range of questions and prompts because it was trained on a vast amount of text data. ChatGPT has become quite a powerful tool — as of January 2023, the model was said to have over 1 million users and counting, which is incredible considering it was launched on November 30, 2022. The future of AI is bright, and it will be a tool that is useful for people from all industries. In this blog post, we will discuss how real estate agents can use ChatGPT and the benefits it has for their business. Read on to find out more! The ability to save time The ability to save a ton of time is one of ChatGPT's biggest advantages for real estate agents. Agents can concentrate on more crucial tasks that call for their individualized attention and expertise by using the model for tasks such as responding to inquiries and creating property descriptions. The machine learning model can assist agents in boosting their productivity by automating routine tasks like responding to frequently asked questions, creating property descriptions, and creating social media posts. This can free up the agent's time so they can concentrate on more crucial tasks like showing homes and closing deals. In turn, it can also help to build trust and loyalty with clients, which can lead to more referrals and repeat business. The ability to create (in many, many different forms) Property Descriptions ChatGPT can also be used by real estate agents to generate property descriptions. Writing property descriptions can be time-consuming and challenging, particularly if you don't have much writing experience. ChatGPT can assist by generating accurate and interesting property descriptions, which may help draw in more prospective buyers. Social Media Agents can use ChatGPT to assist them in producing interesting content for social media as well! The model can produce posts that are both interesting and educational about the local real estate market, recent sales, and suggestions for home buyers and sellers. This can aid agents in gaining a social media following and drawing in more customers. With ChatGPT, agents can quickly generate high-quality, engaging content that will help them stand out in a crowded market. Improved Quality In connection with the previous two paragraphs, ChatGPT can help agents to improve the quality of their work. By using the model to generate property descriptions and social media posts, agents can ensure that their content is accurate and engaging, which can help attract more potential buyers to a property. Personalized Emails and Messages Additionally, ChatGPT can be used by real estate agents to generate personalized email and message responses to leads and clients. This can help agents to save time and increase their effectiveness in communication. This can be done by inputting information into the chat box within ChatGPT, then the model can make use of the said information to generate a personalized response that is tailored to the individual's needs and interests. The model can also generate emails that contain relevant statistics and information about the local real estate market, which can possibly help to establish the agent as an expert in their field. Additionally, ChatGPT can also be used to generate follow-up emails that are designed to keep the lead engaged and interested in the properties and services that are offered by the agent. This, in turn, can help increase the chances of the lead becoming a client and making a purchase. Talk about a powerful tool! That could be incredibly helpful to any agent who deals with a numerous amount of clients on a daily basis. Marketing Campaigns Agents can create individualized and successful marketing campaigns with the aid of ChatGPT. Agents can develop targeted marketing campaigns that are more likely to turn leads into sales by using the model to analyze data on customer behavior and preferences. This can aid agents in generating more income and expanding their clientele. Using ChatGPT to create personalized marketing campaigns can help real estate agents increase their revenue and grow their business. By targeting the right audience with the right message, agents can ensure that their marketing campaigns are effective and deliver the right results. The possibilities for ChatGPT are endless! We tried playing around with it ourselves, and asked it to explain to real estate agents in the voice of former president Barack Obama. Here's what it created: As the President of the United States, I have seen firsthand the potential of technology to improve our lives in countless ways. One of the most exciting developments I've seen is the rise of ChatGPT, a powerful language model developed by OpenAI. In the world of real estate, ChatGPT can be a game changer. It can help agents automate repetitive tasks and improve their overall efficiency, allowing them to focus on what really matters: closing deals and serving their clients. One way ChatGPT can be used by real estate agents is through natural language processing (NLP) capabilities. This allows agents to communicate with potential clients in a more human-like manner, whether it's through email, text, or on a website chatbot. ChatGPT can be trained to understand and respond to common real estate-related questions, such as property listings, pricing, and availability. This can save agents a significant amount of time and allow them to focus on more important tasks. Another way ChatGPT can be used by real estate agents is through its ability to generate written content. This can include property descriptions, listing descriptions, and even social media posts. With ChatGPT, agents can quickly generate high-quality, engaging content that will help them stand out in a crowded market. ChatGPT can also be used to improve customer service by providing instant answers to common questions and concerns. This can include providing information on local schools, transportation, and other community amenities. In the coming years, I believe we will see more and more industries adopt technologies like ChatGPT. And, I have no doubt that this will lead to a more efficient, productive, and prosperous society for all Americans. This is what I believe, and I will continue to support this kind of innovation and growth in the technology industry. Can you believe that? ChatGPT can even take on the voice of other people and write words on their behalf. How cool is that? In conclusion, ChatGPT is a powerful tool that real estate agents can use to improve their business. By incorporating the model into their customer service, property descriptions, social media content and personalized responses, agents can save time and improve the quality of their work. As the technology continues to advance, we can expect to see more real estate agents start to adopt ChatGPT and other AI-based tools to help them stay ahead of the competition. To view the original article, visit the Transactly blog.

The Facebook Ad that Home Buyers Can't Resist
A sale, a bargain, a good deal—if there's anything consumers love, it's getting more value for their money. Realtor Jaime Resendiz uses that to his advantage in his advertising. By creating "price drop" ads for listings on Facebook, he attracts a ton of quality buyers. After all, even house hunters are looking for a good deal—especially in this economy. Watch the video above to learn: Two variations of the price drop ad How to create a price drop ad How to optimize for your business

Optimize Your Online Listing, Step 2: Sharing Your Listing to Get Attention
Last year, we shared a three-step system for optimizing your online listing. Over the next several weeks, we'll be publishing a series of articles that breaks down each step one by one. Below is Step Two. See Step One here. Marketing real estate listings means sharing information across as many channels as possible. Accurate floor plans, advanced measurements and easily navigated 3D virtual tours capture attention and provide an engaging experience for both the consumer and real estate professionals. Once your listing is prepped, tidied and spruced up with virtual staging, you need to share its details to achieve the sale. Snippets of your virtual tours should spark interest in potential buyers and lead them into an exploration of every aspect of a property. Whether you share in the form of a teaser reel on your preferred social media channel or share through your MLS platform, it is important to offer accurate and enticing particulars about the seller's home. The question is, what do you share, how do you share and when do you share? What to share It's no surprise that pretty much everyone is using the internet when searching for a new home. Recent statistics indicate that 97% of homebuyers are online and actively seeking information long before they contact their real estate agent. Listing a property and getting it viewed is simple with a few real estate marketing tips. Start by sharing reliable information. Technology leaders like iGUIDE provide everything you need to list a property. Professional photos with easy-to-navigate floor plans allow potential buyers to see the listing from a variety of different viewpoints. Reliable square footage calculations and laser-accurate room measurements help a homebuyer in the decision-making process. In a recent survey from NAR photos, details about a property, 3D tours and floor plans ranked high on the "very useful" list of features they wanted to see on the web. Get that sold sign ready by speeding up the appraisal process when you share ANSI-Z765-2021 compliant floor plan measurements for all your residential listings. How to share Once you upload your listing data into your MLS platform, you are sharing information instantly. Consumers and agents around the globe can visit your 3D virtual tours where you can share images, guided video tours, and highlight pertinent property information and links to your website. Step-by-step guidelines are available to show you exactly how to create attention-grabbing social media posts for Facebook and Instagram. Even if you are not tech savvy, you can share and create captivating posts yourself. Start by sharing on your personal social media accounts, and once you are familiar with the system, you can set up a business page to attract more clients. Build your brand around specific areas you farm by letting everyone know when you get a new listing. You can quickly become the go-to agent with a bit of creativity, a few hashtags and some teaser reels. When to share They say timing is everything. Knowing when to share your listing's information can help get the word out to your target audience. Use social posts to your advantage at the onset of your new listings and follow through with regular posts to update about open houses, neighbourhood happenings and when the property gets sold. Real estate marketing tips from experts like Tom Ferry highlight the importance of hiring professional photographers and using technology like virtual staging and 3D virtual tours to allow potential buyers to visualize themselves in a home. With the help of analytics, you can share important information with your seller about the number of visits your listing is getting and the length of time visitors are browsing through the information. Share this information at regular intervals with your sellers to highlight your marketing efforts in getting their house sold. Competition can be fierce. Give the seller a reason to choose you. Show them the great ways you market real estate on their behalf by providing access to all the information a homebuyer needs to make a decision. When marketing real estate, think of making a connection with the consumer rather than selling them something. Not everyone will be ready to purchase a home right now, but when you share engaging content in an easy-to-understand format, your name will be at the forefront of their minds. Building relationships takes time and the best way to grow the relationship is to nurture it by providing valuable information. Remember, you are not the only real estate agent out there, but you can capture leads by capturing attention. To view the original article, visit the iGuide blog. Other articles in this series Optimize Your Online Listing, Step 1: Staging Your Listing with Virtual Tools Optimize Your Online Listing, Step 3: Show Results to Your Clients

How ChatGPT Can Help You Generate Real Estate Marketing Ideas
The future is here—and it wants to help with your real estate marketing strategy. Well, "wants" may be a strange word. After all, we're talking about artificial intelligence (AI). And while this AI may not technically "want" to do anything, it's certainly capable of helping you generate marketing ideas and even real estate copy. That's what innovative Realtor Jaime Resendiz has discovered. He uses an AI bot known as ChatGPT to, well, chat and have a dialogue that results in all kinds of marketing ideas. Jaime uses ChatGPT to come up with ideas (and some text) for: Social media Blog posts Video scripts Listing descriptions Real estate ads And more! Watch the video above to learn how you can leverage ChatGPT in your business—and work smarter, not harder in 2023!

Holiday Light Map Campaign: A Step-by-Step Guide to Seasonal Lead Generation
Give your seasonal marketing a bit of glitz and glimmer by highlighting holiday light displays in your area. This Facebook campaign idea can passively generate real estate leads for you all season long. All it takes is a little bit of set-up. And, don't worry, the set-up is not bad at all—especially with the step-by-step instructions offered in this video. Watch the video above for a dummy-proof guide to: Creating a holiday lights map Setting up a Facebook campaign (no landing page necessary) Funneling leads into a CRM, spreadsheet, or other app Holiday lights are a sure-fire crowd pleaser. This lead gen campaign fills up your sales funnel while showing off your local knowledge. It's a seasonally appropriate win-win strategy!

Keep Up with These Seasonal Trends for Google and Facebook Ads
'Tis the season — to master your digital ad strategies and scale your real estate business. Marketing your real estate business with paid advertising campaigns on Facebook and Google helps you gain visibility with internet buyers and online leads. However, the paid ad playing field isn't necessarily evenly distributed all year long. Just like the real estate market goes through its market cycles where the environment is determined by the levels of supply and demand, your paid ad experience will fluctuate over time, too. Depending on how many buyers are shopping online and the volume of advertisers at any given time, your cost-per-lead will adjust accordingly—another critical factor that affects your paid ads performance is the time of year. 2 Need-to-Know Trends for Google and Facebook Ads To prepare you for the changes that are going to impact your digital marketing and paid advertising performance, here are two need-to-know trends that real estate teams will be coming up against in the next few months. 1. Search Volume Matches Market Activity Every real estate professional knows that the high season is usually spring. In recent years, the pandemic did influence the sales cycle and disrupt the industry's normal market pattern. However, the holidays do typically slow down as buyers and sellers settle down to enjoy the holly-jolly end of the year. As fewer buyers typically hit the market in the fall, online searches tend to dip, too. Expect to see the demand fall in October and continue to slow down into December. The market begins to regain its momentum at the beginning of the new year, and it continues to pick up into the spring and summer months — kicking off the spring buyer's rush. If you start to see your paid ad performance decline during the holiday months, keep in mind that it's the natural pace of the market. 2. Expect the Expenses for Social Media Advertising to Rise Real estate professionals aren't the only ones who leverage social media ads to boost their businesses. Around the holiday season, retailers invest heavily in advertising on popular social media channels to capture digital consumers. What does this have to do with real estate agents? Since retailers are flooding ads onto social media, the prices increase. This means that agents who are continuing their usual real estate marketing strategy will see their marketing spend raise during the prime holiday gift shopping months. If you notice that the prices go up around October and November, don't be alarmed. They should balance out again at the end of December and into the new year. Pro Tip: If you're a new real estate team that's just getting started with paid digital advertising, keep in mind that the prices are inflated at this time of year. Don't think that these prices are the baseline and abandon this critical avenue for attracting and keeping in touch with your sphere! 2 Ways to Overcome the Seasonal Shifts Do you want to overcome the seasonal hurdles and establish a more solid paid ads performance to keep your real estate business top-of-mind? Follow these two best practices. 1. Diversify Your Marketing Plan to Balance Out Your Performance Since you know that your paid advertising on Google and social media may dip during the holiday months, you can overcome the seasonal cycle by diversifying your marketing efforts. Now is a great time to branch out and expand your marketing strategy to balance out your real estate brand's overall performance. This is a classic pivoting strategy that helps real estate teams stay on their A-game, even as the market takes its annual turns. By expanding into different areas, your business won't take as big of a hit as it would if you were fully relying on one tactic. 4 Digital Marketing Avenues to Explore Over the Holiday Months: Microsoft Bing Facebook Amazon Instagram 2. Don't Follow the Competition and Leave the Arena Many real estate businesses will see the paid digital ad market begin to stall and stop investing in it. Yes, demand may slow, and prices may even hike up. But, that doesn't mean the right strategy is to stop your digital ad campaigns altogether. The top-performing real estate teams know that this seasonal adjustment actually clears out the competition, giving your business and your message more visibility. Let your less strategic competitors leave the arena. Even if you continue to advertise at your usual pace, you'll stand out and get more eyes on your marketing campaigns. The logic is simple. As competitors leave, there's less traffic crowding the platforms you're creating ads for. Pro Tip: One paid ad area you should never surrender is Google. Why? Because Google Ads reward consistency. If you create campaigns that don't pause, Google will actually prioritize your ads — helping them perform better when the demand regains its usual pace. Marketing hack, unlocked. To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

5 Ways Email Marketing Can Boost Your Business
Email is so ubiquitous to our daily lives, we sometimes take it for granted—most of us check our smart phones, smart watches, tablets, or inboxes for new messages several times a day (if not immediately after a notification pops up on the screen). Whether you are using email for basic communication or as an inexpensive way to reach everyone in your digital Rolodex at one time, here are five best practices for Realtors looking to successfully incorporate email marketing into their overall digital marketing game. 1. Follow Up After a Networking Event Leads won't just start coming in after a networking event. Like any lead, it is a process of nurturing and follow-up. Gather business cards of those at the networking event. Then send a follow-up email about how it was nice to meet them and include your contact information. 2. Send a 'Just Sold' Email Blast to Your Client Database Share your sold listings with your client list. It can be a way to start a conversation about getting their home on the market, but it can also help keep you top of mind when the time is right for them to sell. Offer your services or some sort of incentive so they will reach out to you for their real estate needs. 3. Automate Emails When You Can You can automate many of your emails, like your welcome email, certain follow-up emails and even monthly newsletters. Make sure you have your leads and clients grouped in a way that makes sense. This way, clients get the email messages that work best for them, wherever they are in their home buying or selling journey. 4. Send a Newsletter Featuring Client Stories You can send email newsletters on a weekly or monthly basis to give an overview of your company. These newsletters can include pictures or invites of an open house event or a success story shared by your client. Showing satisfied clients in your newsletter is an excellent way to attract new customers. This increases their faith in you as potential customers and makes them initiate a conversation or offer if they haven't yet. 5. Segment Your Email List If you want to give very personal experiences to your leads, segment your email list based on client personas and needs. Then, target communications with details pertinent to each client. Segmentation increases the chances of nurturing bonds with the audience by sending only valuable and relatable content. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

Real Estate Branding: 6 Steps for Agent Success
Quick: name three brands! Don't read further until you do. Seriously. We'll wait... Okay, so which came to mind? Maybe popular consumer brands like Coca-Cola and Nike, or perhaps big-name brokerages like Keller Williams and Century 21. Because of branding, you already have an idea in your head about what those companies stand for or represent and the kind of experience you'd have when using their products or services. Personal real estate branding isn't much different. Instead of branding for a large corporation, real estate branding is the effort of accurately and attractively representing you or your team, which helps you sell your services. Real estate branding is important because when consumers in your local market are asked to think about real estate agents, you want to come to the forefront of their minds. With real estate branding, you become the agent consumers think of by conveying to them your personality, what you represent, and what type of experience they can expect when they work with you. Learn why real estate branding is important, what different components real estate branding involves, and how you can enact real estate branding best practices to get the most out of your marketing and public image. 1. Create a Visual Real Estate Branding Identity It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words. We don't know whether that's true, but it is clear that having an effective visual presentation and theme to your marketing materials will improve your real estate branding. If you need a visual branding revamp, take it step-by-step. First, brainstorm the main messages you want your brand to convey. There are two directions you can go in: either focus on the type of real estate you specialize in (luxury properties or veteran housing, for example) or consider which type of real estate agent you are, as your personality type is directly related to how you'll work with clients. Next, come up with a short, memorable slogan/phrase/keywords/sentence that literally tells people what you want them to know about you and your services. It doesn't need to be clever to be memorable. Keep it simple and straightforward. Then, work with a graphic designer to create a logo that fits with your slogan and embodies your brand. Run a few samples by people who you trust so you can gather feedback. Ask them for their first impression, what they like, what they dislike and any general feedback for future iterations. It's important that you spend time getting this right. You may think that it will be easy to change your visual identity — logo, colors, slogan — but it's not easy considering how many marketing materials will carry your real estate branding. Plus, consistency is what will make your brand memorable. So don't stop iterating until you create a visual brand identity that you're happy with, because you'll likely be using this identity for years. 2. Develop a Written Real Estate Branding Identity Having a strong visual identity is essential to building your real estate brand. But it's only the first half of the creative real estate branding identity equation. You must also work to create a strong written real estate branding identity. Visuals may attract people's eye, but well-written agent biographies and listing descriptions are also going to be integral to establishing yourself as a real estate leader. Think of it from a buyer or seller's perspective: A poorly-written, uninformative agent biography is going to cause concerns about your ability to conduct a real estate transaction. And listing descriptions that aren't telling a descriptive, coherent story risk turning consumers away from your services. As you develop a written real estate branding identity, keep a few general tips in mind: Be authentic – Use your words, not the words you think people want to hear. Your tone should match your personality. Don't eliminate contractions if you typically use them. Don't use formal language if you speak casually. Share your passion – Why does your work excite you? Weave your enthusiasm for your job into your bio. No one wants to work with a two-dimensional agent. Showing passion will make others feel eager to work with you. Tell a story – Use your written materials to tell a concrete story about your brand, your services, your team, and the properties you're listing. Remember that the story should consider a consumer's point-of-view – use the second-person "you" and focus on stories that end with satisfied buyers and sellers. One other, absolutely essential tip: Proofread. Always proofread every piece of collateral to be sure that there aren't nettlesome typos, misrepresentations, or other mistakes – you want to establish your professionalism, and those sorts of mistakes don't help. 3. Own Local Google Search Results for Real Estate Services If you want to develop a winning real estate brand and grow your business, you can't hide in the shadows. Visibility is key, and it's accomplished through marketing. In the same way that you put up yard signs and A-frames to draw attention to your listings in the offline world, you need to create similar visibility online so that it's easy for prospects, leads, and clients to find you. With well over 90% of all real estate searches starting online, the best place to achieve that visibility is on Google. Visibility is an important part of branding. Prospects equate you being at the top of a Google local search page with you being a credible, trustworthy agent. Now, more than ever before, Google is prioritizing local search results. That means that when prospective buyers and sellers search for terms such as "real estate agent near me," they're going to be served results that list agents in their neighborhood and town. If your competitors appear in those searches and you don't, you've essentially signaled to buyers and sellers that your competitors' brand is more trustworthy than yours. Google gives clear, written instructions for improving your local search ranking. It instructs users to create a Google business profile that includes information such as your address, phone number, website, and industry. The profile should also have a verified location, accurate business hours, and up-to-date photos. Most importantly, Google urges businesses to solicit and manage reviews. Google uses these reviews to determine your prominence and relevance and decide whether to feature you as an agent consumers can trust. Solicit reviews from clients, fellow agents, friends, and family – anybody who can speak to your skill, professionalism, and ability should give testimony. 4. Spread Your Brand With a Personal Real Estate Website If Google is the front door of the internet, then think of a personal real estate website as your living room. It's where you can welcome guests, explain your services, and establish your credibility and style as an agent. Plus, a clean real estate website with a modern design and easy navigation demonstrates to potential clients that you are tech-savvy. So much of the present real estate transaction experience occurs online, so you need to be sure that your brand indicates that you are an agent who will be up to the task of helping clients market their products online. Make sure your agent website includes your basic business information and your listings. By publicizing your existing listings, you let sellers in particular know that you're already trusted by other home sellers in their market. 5. Use Social Media Social media is an increasingly important brand-building platform for real estate agents. In particular, Facebook and Instagram have become popular places for buyers and sellers to look for agents, homes, and general real estate services. In order to earn new leads and business, then, agents should have a strong social media presence. We recommend that you use the EAT framework to develop a well-branded, fully-organic social media presence. EAT Social Media Framework EAT stands for: Engagement Authenticity Thought leadership The first portion of EAT is engagement. With engagement, you should consider posting on social media channels and responding to consumers' comments on the posts. Agents should also ask questions to spur audience engagement. Consider asking questions such as "carpet or hardwood?" to get people talking about their preferences or "what homes are catching your eye this fall?" to learn about why people are entering the market and the homes they're most excited to tour. The second component of EAT is authenticity. By producing authentic social content, agents can tell honest stories about the home selling and buying processes and the real estate market in general. For example, you shouldn't solely post videos and photos of fully staged homes and tours. Instead, consider posting before and after photos, or a video of your open house preparations. This way, consumers see that buying or selling a house is a process, and that you're dedicated to the work necessary to make it happen. The final part of the EAT framework is thought leadership. For agents, social media provides the opportunity to display subject matter expertise, which is especially valuable knowledge to share in a complicated time for the real estate market. Following the EAT framework ensures that when people view your social media content, they see a credible, engaged real estate professional. If a consumer sees one of your paid advertisements and later searches for your information, strong organic social media may help reassure them that there is substance behind your advertisements. With engagement, authenticity, and thought leadership at the forefront of your organic social media efforts, you can develop a solid foundation for social media success. 6. Remember Offline Real Estate Branding Opportunities As you work to build your brand online, don't forget about the benefits that offline real estate branding can provide. Yard signs, sponsoring a little league team, setting up a booth at community events – these types of real world opportunities to connect with consumers and people in your local market are invaluable if you want to establish yourself as a leading local agent. Offline real estate branding extends all the way to the end of a real estate transaction. Providing buyers and sellers a small but thoughtful closing gift is a good way to communicate how much your value your clients' business – and also ensure that they come to you the next time they need real estate services. How Can You Develop the Strongest Real Estate Branding? Clearly, real estate branding is important if you want to be the agent that buyers and sellers turn to when they have real estate needs. Overall, having the best real estate branding in your market requires: A visual real estate brand identity A written real estate brand identity Owning Google local search results An personal real estate website Using social media Practicing offline real estate branding To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.

10 Video Marketing Ideas for Real Estate Agents
While it appears that every Realtor is creating real estate videos these days, some don't seem to get more leads from video. There could be a few reasons why: Focus: Real estate professionals should ensure that the focus is on generating leads while making videos. Video Quality: For marketing videos to be successful enough to generate leads, the quality should be good. Most viewers won't continue watching if the video quality is bad. Video content has become more widely available and accessible thanks to the internet and cellphones. Now more users can easily relate to and engage with the video content than any other content. Therefore, it is essential to create video content that engages your customers. In today's article, we'll discuss effective video marketing ideas for real estate agents. Top Video Marketing Ideas for Real Estate Agents There are countless ways to make real estate marketing videos. Here are 10 video ideas to connect with your audience: About Me/Us Videos An "About me/us" video introduces the authentic side of your real estate brand to your clients and prospects. It gives them an insight into the person behind the brand and why you do what you do.  An "About us" video is ideal for capturing you and your team's spirit and qualities authentically and honestly. Most importantly, it allows leads to relate to and like you easily. FAQ Videos FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) videos are a common marketing strategy for conveying information in the form of questions and answers by an expert who has specialized knowledge in the subject matter. Make videos answering frequently asked real estate questions. By providing helpful answers to common real estate questions, you get an engaged audience and potential clients. Community Event Videos Another excellent video marketing idea is community events videos. Make videos of community events such as street fairs, charity events, etc., to promote the local community. Inform people of a neighborhood's existence. This helps establish a solid local presence for your business, helping attract a local customer base. Property Tour Videos The advantage of using videos for property tours is that you have complete control over what your consumers see and how they view the property. You can take advantage of this by focusing on the most outstanding qualities of the property. However, make sure not to mislead prospective purchasers, as this will come to light during an inspection of the property. Draw attention to the most impressive attributes in a subtle manner. Videos of Virtual Tours There's no denying that the world has adopted a more virtual lifestyle since the pandemic. Many real estate professionals now routinely use virtual tours for marketing their listings. This gives viewers an idea of your services while marketing the property. Testimonials Customer satisfaction is one of the most effective marketing tools at your disposal. Who better to market your product or service than a happy customer, right? By capturing their experiences, Realtors can design a highly effective and effortless marketing asset. While you can write down client testimonials for use on your website or in marketing materials, a video testimonial is an even better option. Video of Market Update Sharing videos of the latest updates in the industry gives your audience the impression that you are a reliable source of information. This encourages them to always check your content to see what's new. Post videos of the latest real estate technologies, market changes, and news about the real estate industry. Tips and Tricks Videos While knowledge is undoubtedly powerful, it is exponentially more so when shared! Create videos sharing tips and tricks that can benefit your audience. For example, you can share videos on how to spot property repairs, educational content, and other valuable information for your audience. Go Live on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter One of the most compelling aspects of social media livestreaming is the ability to include more guests and respond to audience comments directly. Naturally, this increases the video's overall impact. In your livestream, you can answer frequently asked questions and even ask your viewers some questions, share real estate news updates, share information about your product or service, etc., creating a high level of trust with your viewers. Day in the Life Share those your day-to-day experiences and genuinely communicate what it's like to be a real estate agent. This allows you to showcase your professionalism, connect with followers, and keep your audience engaged so they know who to reach out to with for anything real estate related. Conclusion With each new advancement in technology, our reliance on it grows both professionally and emotionally. However, video has remained a reliable source of information and entertainment for most people. And, given recent requirements for virtual connectivity, video marketing is likely to remain effective for an extended period of time. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

7 Email Marketing Campaigns for Your Real Estate Business
While it might be difficult to reach potential clients online, email marketing is a simple and cost-effective process that enables you to engage with customers and generate traffic to your website. To encourage higher click rates, send relevant and tailored emails with attractive subject lines. Today, we'll discuss seven real estate email marketing campaigns you can use to market your services. Form Submission/Thank You Email Always stay connected to clients and make them feel comfortable joining your community. Each time new website visitors sign up on any of your website pages, send them an email thanking them for visiting and signing up. Let them know they are free to contact you for more information or inquiries. This builds trust with your prospects. Service Update Emails As real estate professionals, you must keep your clients in the loop of any updates to services. Update emails should explain the benefits for clients. Co-marketing Email If your real estate company gets into a partnership with another organization, an email informing your clients or prospects of the new partnership and its benefits is a great way to market the services of such a partnership. What makes co-marketing emails very effective is that both companies' products are introduced to their clients, generating and converting new leads for each of the partners. Send Emails and Follow-ups About Your Open House Events When you have an open house or event, email your clients and potential clients inviting them to the event. In addition to sending out open house invitations, you can also send follow-up emails encouraging prospects to contact you for more information, to schedule showings, or to offer info about similar homes for sale. Local Housing Markets Highlight and Updates Once in a while, real estate agents or brokers should send emails highlighting their local housing markets and any updates. This keeps customers informed about the latest news regarding the industry, thus qualifying you as an authority in the field. This keeps you top-of-mind and encourages clients and potential clients to contact you when they start searching for properties. The Post-Purchase Drip Campaign This is a follow-up email to clients who have purchased real estate. Such follow-ups guide them and assure them that you are available to assist them in case they need help with additional details regarding the property. This marketing strategy helps strengthen or build solid relationships with your clients. New Service/Content Announcement Send email newsletters informing your clients of new services or blog posts to create awareness about your growing business and your content. Final Words An email campaign is an easy, cost-effective, yet powerful tool to promote your real estate brand, create awareness your business, and increase engagement on your real estate website. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

5 Simple Ways to Increase the Screen Value of Your Online Real Estate Listings
Are your listings getting enough screen time? To grab attention and keep it, you need to encourage homebuyers to stay a little longer, checking out more than the primary photo. Are you currently using 3D tours and floor plans as part of your real estate marketing plan? If not, here are a few good ways to drive engagement and increase your screen value. Use a professional real estate photographer Market your real estate listing with professional real estate photos. A good first photo is a perfect way to entice potential buyers to want more. Think of your real estate photos like a storefront window. If the display is good, you want to go inside. It's no different with real estate. Attractive photographs increase the amount of time the consumer spends clicking through the images. You want to encourage a connection during the buyer's journey. They stay a little longer and get to the consideration stage faster when they like what they see. Speak with a local real estate photographer who offers services from leading-edge companies like iGUIDE. Unconventional camera systems capture outstanding photos and accurate measurements simultaneously, so turnaround time is quick. Video tours and drone shots Consumers love drone footage. This eye in the sky captures amazing aerial shots to offer a different point of view. Extensive landscaping, outdoor entertaining areas, and sprawling properties benefit well from the use of drone shots. Not every property is a good fit for drone photos, however. You may list a stunning condo or a multi-unit residential property, but a drone shot just won't do it justice. However, video tours highlight the essence of unique spaces, and are an excellent tool for your real estate listing marketing. Video is popular because it allows for narration and lets you point out multiple features within a property. Virtual staging to spark joy Increase the consumers' screen time for your listing by using virtual staging. Virtual staging can help your real estate marketing by presenting a space that makes it look and feel more like home. Whether it's a vacant property or a home that just doesn't have the best furniture placement, virtual staging can spruce it up. Using proptech tools like Floorplanner encourages homebuyers to try before they buy. With multiple furniture choices, accents, the ability to change door and window placements, virtual staging makes decision making easier. 3D tours are a must By now you are using 3D tours, right? If you want to keep the attention of potential buyers, the implementation of 3D tours is the ideal way to market your real estate listing. The goal is to drive engagement, and what better way to do that than using the consumer's favorite way to interact? According to 3Kit, there are 87% more views on listings that incorporate virtual tours. That means you increase the consumers' screen time from just a quick look at the main photo to connecting and interacting with a 3D tour. You know how it works. It's the same reason that reels and video stories are so popular on social media. These attention grabbers drive engagement, leading to the awareness stage on the buyer's journey. Use interactive floor plans to make a connection Understanding a space requires not only beautifully captured photos, but the ability to virtually walk through and make a personal connection. Buyers want to know all their stuff will fit into each space within the home. Accurately measured floor plans give them the ability to compare their existing living quarters to new ones. As Inman notes, buyers have come to expect floor plans as part of the way you market your real estate listing. Measurements give meaning and value to a space and help increase the amount of time the consumer spends looking at a property. As a bonus, floor plans include important dimensions for future renovations. With the help of advanced measurements from an iGUIDE, the buyer can remotely plan and design each space. Increasing screen value and screen time for online real estate listings provides benefits for the seller and the buyer. When you use tech tools like virtual tours and floor plans, your sellers experience fewer interruptions in their daily life. The property gets shown to more qualified buyers, thus saving time for both the seller and you. Buyers will start to form an emotional connection as they are drawn in by captivating professional real estate photos and multiple ways to interact online. Help your real estate listings make their best impression online by using all the services available to you from a professional real estate photographer. For more information regarding iGUIDE, click here. To view the original article, visit the iGuide blog.

Establishing Digital Expertise, Authority, and Trust (EAT)
Before the evolution of real estate websites, smartphone apps, and multimedia messaging services, agents and brokers were the keepers and gatekeepers of listing data. Today, Realtors use real estate websites to share this information, generate leads, and communicate other useful information about their local communities and the home buying and selling processes. But how do you beat the competition when it comes to a Google search? It turns out, the experience you offer your clients can be easily transferred to your digital marketing strategy. As cliché as it may sound, remember the acronym EAT any time you add new information or make updates to your website or social media messaging. EAT stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trust and strategy built out over time. Expertise Expertise is evaluated at the content-level. Google SEO rewards subject matter experts who write authentic, original content in their subject matter areas. You know the ins and outs of the real estate industry. Write about what you know. Authority Authority is reputation based. When people leave online reviews on sites like Google Business, G2, Capterra, you grow your authority. Authority can also be given in the form of inbound links from news stories and other high-authority sites within the same (or complementary) industry. Trust As in real life, trust is about legitimacy, transparency, and accuracy. Trusted sites are ones that strive to have up-to-date and accurate content, use SSL (secure) certificates, and provide contact information and disclosures when using affiliate links and cookies used for tracking user behavior. SEO The next step in the EAT strategy is to monitor your Google Analytics and Google Search Console accounts to monitor who is coming to your site, how long they are staying for, what they are reading, and how they are accessing the information (desktop, tablet, smartphone). You can review demographics such as age, gender, and location to better adjust your content and know what might be important to them. Match your content with the selling season and write ahead of time (so the information is there when the searching begins). And, of course, we recommend using a CRM to manage leads, keep-in-touch and stay organized to the needs and preferences of your customer base. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

Tips for Marketing to First-Time Homebuyers
In this article, we will list tips for marketing to first-time homebuyers. If you are interested in learning more, keep reading! Know Your Target Audience The first and most important step in marketing to first-time homebuyers is to know their demographics. According to NAR, first-time homebuyers range between the ages of 30 to 34. That is why it's essential to understand your target audience better so that you can start marketing your listings to them accordingly. Next, keep track of your audience insights and learn more about them. For instance, how does your target audience get their information? Which social media platforms are they most active on? By knowing the media your target audience is consuming the most, you will better understand which platforms to reach them through. Be Active on Social Media Platforms Speaking of social media, a large number of first-time homebuyers are millennials, which means that they depend on social media for their everyday tasks. That is why it's important to be active on all social media platforms. Start advertising your listings through Facebook or Instagram ads, for instance. If you want to know more about How To Use Facebook Ads to Reach Your Target Audience in Real Estate, read our blog on it for more detailed information. Create a User-Friendly Website First-time homebuyers often search for listings online. By having an informative and user-friendly website, you're more likely to attract traffic. Start by picking your website theme. Ensure that your theme is unique, eye-catching, and best fitted for a real estate website. Then, start working on your content. Read our article on Web Content Ideas for Real Estate Agents for more information on what to include on your real estate website. The most important thing is always keeping your audience engaged with the latest listings and news on the real estate marketplace. By keeping track of your site visitors, you will better know what they like the most about your website and improve it. Take High-quality Photos and Create Virtual Tours Millennials often pay attention to the overall quality of photos. The photo should enhance the property that you are selling, so pay close attention to your photography. For a better view of the property, you can even use drones for HD photos and capture the whole layout of the property. Virtual tours are another great way to advertise your property to millennial homebuyers. Showcasing your property through 3D virtual tours can attract more leads while making it more convenient for your site visitors to view your listings without physically visiting a property. Make Use of Influencer Marketing Influencer marketing has become widely popular among real estate professionals. Influencers are people who have a large following on their social media platforms. They have direct reach to—and influence on—their local audience. You can set up a partnership with influencers who can market your listings to your preferred target audience. The best way to do that is by contacting influencers who share the same audience demographic as you. First, agree on what you want your influencer to do. A typical influencer often posts stories, pictures, and videos on their social media platforms. Provide your influencer with clear and well-prepared content for their use and let them know what exactly you want them to promote. Remember that communication is key. You are more likely to attract more leads for your listings by having a healthy relationship with your influencer. Offer Your Help and Assistance The last and final step is to ensure that you are always ready to offer help and assistance to your first-time home buyers and your clients in general. It can be quite a confusing process for clients who are new to the process. So be prepared to answer any questions regarding the home buying process. As a real estate agent, you must always be ready to offer assistance to your clients and prospects. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

How Virtual Reality Is Changing the Way We Market Real Estate
Virtual reality (VR) has changed the game in the real estate world. It's expected to grow exponentially within the next five years, becoming the primary way we market real estate. The traditional form of home buying and rental shopping consists of figuring out finances, physically touring countless houses, making an offer, applying for mortgages, inspecting the house, getting an appraisal, asking for repairs, and a final walkthrough. On average it takes five to six months to find a house and many people don't have the time or energy for that. You can shorten the financial side and ease stress by encouraging your clients to get a mortgage pre-approval, but outside of finances, the most time-consuming aspect is viewing the homes. Seventy-two percent of recent homebuyers report feeling frustrated with their home purchase. In most cases, this is because of frustration with their real estate agent and the lengthy process. No one has found a way to make touring potential homes more efficient, until VR. Benefits VR Offers There are several benefits that VR offers, one of them being fewer costs allocated to the home buying process. Viewing properties is time-consuming and taxing, especially when you're constantly taking off work to travel to look at homes. It's recommended that buyers look at homes they're interested in two or three times to make sure it's a good fit. People often don't pay attention to details the first time they view a home, so it's important to give it a second look to find the things you may have missed. Having to schedule times with the agent and homebuyer to view the home can be just as frustrating. VR allows your client to interact with the property without physically having to be there. The self-guided tour is beneficial since you can visit the property at your own frequency and time. It also helps narrow down the search since you'll be able to cross off homes that don't appeal to you online. A VR home search can allow you to see houses back-to-back for easy comparison, and gives you the ability to show friends and family for added input. Immersive Experience Brands are already leveraging VR for a better customer experience. This will hopefully decrease frustration for home buyers while also accelerating the home search experience for all parties. VR allows you to virtually walk through an accurate depiction of the home since pictures can be deceptive and descriptions can be hard to go by. The virtual tour program will be able to measure out dimensions of the room, window placements, and a better overall layout. Virtual tours can also be used when your client is building a property. It gives a more accurate portrayal of what you'll get and will provide the ability to make necessary adjustments before the process begins. This allows your team to get a head start with interior design. It's a great tool to use when mapping out each room and determining how it will fit into your vision. Unlimited Customizations Companies like Amazon already use augmented reality to show how their furniture would look in your home. Staging furniture can influence the appeal of a home viewing. Many home buyers are drawn to homes that are set up nicely and cater to the style of the consumer. Using VR in this instance can help better visualize the home the way the consumer wants and improve the overall appearance and marketing of the property. One of the main components consumers look for when shopping around for a home is size. VR programs are able to showcase size and dimensions easily. The general walkthrough of the rooms will help the buyer decide if it's enough space for them. As stated prior, this would help narrow down the search instead of wasting precious time scheduling and viewing a tour in person. With VR becoming the new reality in real estate, it's time to consider your options and implement this new program into your practice. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

Free Templates to Help you Create Social Media Market Updates
The media narrative during a changing market does little to instill confidence. Clickbaity headlines, based on national and regional statistics, speak to recession worries, a real estate bubble and even a real estate crash. However, if you take a step back and look closely at the data, it's clear there is much more of a story to tell. Real estate is local, and it always has been. This is why as a real estate pro, you should use your social platforms to cut through the confusion and deliver expert local advice. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and other media platforms are the perfect place to add your voice with local market insights to earn the trust of your followers. And to help on this sharing journey, RPR (Realtors Property Resource®) has the perfect solution: new housing market charts and graphs. This collection of data, metrics and statistics is incredibly helpful in explaining local market trends. What market type are we currently in? Is housing inventory picking up? What are the month-to-month inventory changes? Are home prices softening? These are all questions your prospects and clients have on their minds. Share Regular Market Updates to Cut Through the Confusion RPR reporting is not always perfectly suited for sharing on social media. For starters, there can be too much data to share on your feed at any one time. Consider picking one or two data points and adding some context around them. And to make sharing easier, we've created a bunch of new templates that will cut your design time in half, and still come off looking polished and professional. We've created these templates in Canva so you can easily apply your colors, fonts, and even images when needed, to have aesthetics that match your brand. The How-To: Creating and Sharing Market Updates Found in RPR's Neighborhood pages, the new Market Trends chart helps to tell the underlying story of any market starting with the type of market (Seller, Balanced or Buyer), inventory trends, list-to-sold price ratio, median days on market, and the median sold price. Moving over to the Housing tab, you'll get a granular view at what's driving your local market. Here you'll see the activity and trends are broken up by each key status: New Listings, Active Listings, New Pending Listings, Pending Listings, and Sold Listings. Rounding out this section, you can also dive into Month's Supply of Inventory, which allows you to view inventory trends throughout the years and make any needed comparisons. Each chart is interactive, too! When you click on a tab, the chart updates with the underlying data. Now that you understand the new datasets available to you, it's time to deliver this important information to your sphere. Check out this collection of market trends templates that will help you showcase the data you're sharing. Browse through and choose your favorites. They're all professionally designed, and you can grab them for free. Once you have selected a design, simply search the neighborhood you are reporting on. Now write down the current metrics you'll be covering. For example, let's share the Market Trends for Scottsdale AZ 85255. We can see the zip code 85255 has 2.14 Months of Inventory, which is up 20.9% month over month. Homes are selling slightly below list price at 99.3%, which is a decline of 2.5% since the previous month. And homes are taking around 18 days to sell, which is an increase of about 20% in the last month. And the Median Price of sold homes is hovering around $1,150,000. With these numbers in hand, now click on the Canva template you'll be editing and begin to enter your numbers. Also, take a moment to click on any colors and update the layout to match your brand. Once you've finished updating your template, click "Share" in the top right corner of Canva. Now choose "Download" and select your file type. For social media, PNG will work great. But remember you can explore different formats based on your goals. The Wrap Up Delivering market updates through social media is a great way to let homeowners and potential home buyers in your market know that you are a local real estate expert. Right now, consumers have lots of questions about the market and their home values. Posting these social media market trends helps to position you as the go-to source for up-to-date information. To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

Achieve Real Estate Brand Visibility with TikTok
Once upon a time, TikTok was just one social media platform, a music/dance driven media outlet seemingly oriented towards the demands of teenagers. But this has changed as word spread about the platform. According to Statista's research: 22.4 percent of people who use TikTok in the US are between the age of 20-29 21.7 percent 30-39 20.3 percent 40-49 11 percent 50+ And only 25 percent are between the ages 10-19 As you can see, there is a very big audience and potential pool of clients: both Gen Z and Millenials. So, why is TikTok such an interesting platform for real estate agents? A Dynamic Alternative to Pinterest? Pinterest is a popular choice for interior design inspiration and checking properties. That's why it's such a favorite pick for both agents and consumers. TikTok can be used the same way, but it offers a more dynamic approach to content. For inspiration, see: 7 Fresh TikTok Video Ideas from TikTok Influencers. The Real Estate Niche Is Pretty Big on TikTok TikTok is known to house many niches, including the real estate niche. People love watching properties being transformed, and they are always on the lookout for new interior design inspiration. That's why people love browsing property listings even if they aren't in the market for a home. And while this doesn't absolutely guarantee a lead flow, it still means a huge visibility across all age representations for your brand and for your client's property. Reuse Content You can repurpose your old content. Although your old videos might need a little tweaking, it's possible to turn, for example, a 30-minute video into a 15-second to 1-minute short TikTok video. You Can Go Viral TikTok has an incredible organic reach, and you can even go viral. Even with zero followers, you can reach thousands of views and bring organic awareness to your brand. Best Practices Here are some of the best practices for TikTok videos: Use a vertical aspect ratio of 9:16. Videos that have audio are performing better than those without. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog. Further Reading A TikTok Guide for Real Estate Agents Is TikTok a Viable Way to Sell Luxury Homes? TikTok: Video Makes the Real Estate Star

Marketing 101 for Real Estate Agents
Do you have a pulse on the latest trends in marketing for real estate agents? Don't feel bad if your answer is "no." You already have a lot on your plate, and being an expert in marketing in addition to real estate may not be high on your priority list. That's ok! We'll give you a crash course in the basics so you can create a marketing plan and start generating leads in your sleep. There are three main areas to focus on: discoverability, repetition and positive social proof. We'll cover what each means and why it's important, as well as provide actionable takeaways based on our own firsthand experience in marketing for real estate agents. Discoverability What it is Discoverability is being easily found online. Yes, online. No one is looking through a phonebook anymore to locate an ad or phone number. Buyers and sellers are turning to Google to research agents and learn about their business. Specifically, they are looking for a Google business profile and your real estate website. If you haven't heard of a Google business profile, it's like a living resume that sits to the right of search results. It takes up major real estate on the page, and consumers have become used to looking through the profile—at photos, reviews and bio information—to learn more about businesses. Why it's important Do you really exist if you aren't on Google? We aren't joking! More than 90% of organic searches happen on Google. If someone has a few agents they are researching and can't find you on America's largest search engine, why bother looking for you elsewhere (and where else would they even look)? It's imperative to your business that you are easily discoverable on Google and that the information presented is accurate, up to date and plentiful so you leave no doubts in the minds of those researching you. What to do right now Claim, verify and create your Google business profile. This is one of those marketing tactics that won't just pay off now, but builds over time for tremendous benefits in the future. Our research shows that after just six months of regularly updating your profile (with new reviews, photos and content posts weekly), your appearance in search results can increase by as much as 22x! If you don't have even a basic real estate website, that should be the second action you take. A very good website will yield tremendous benefits. With good SEO, it will show up high in search results. Even without good SEO, you can link to it from your Google business profile. Repetition What it is In some ways, this is the opposite of discoverability because you are proactively getting in front of buyers and/or sellers on a regular basis. This is typically accomplished using always-on digital ads that target your farm area and a custom audience that includes leads, prospects and your sphere. You could also achieve repetition by continuously sending postcards to the same neighborhoods. Whichever tactics you choose, the key here is setting aside a budget that will allow you to advertise repeatedly so your brand stays top of mind for your target audience. Why it's important Do you notice specific brands following you around the internet or always appearing in your social media feed? You must strive to be one of these brands! Repetition improves memory. The next time someone from your audience is ready to start their real estate journey (or knows someone else who is), you'll come to mind immediately. What to do right now Get your digital marketing machine running. Determine a single platform to start. We recommend Facebook given its wide reach, highly engaged user base and advanced advertising capabilities. You can set your ads to run continuously and cap your budget at a daily max so you don't run out of money too soon (which can happen easily if you aren't experienced on this ad platform). Facebook has flexible click-through options, so you can collect lead information on a form or send clickers to a specific landing page, like an active listing. Positive Social Proof What it is Social proof is essentially validation from other people's experiences with the same product or service based on information they provide, such as through reviews or testimonials. Think about the last time you bought something from Amazon. If you haven't purchased that product before and don't recognize the seller, you may have scrolled to the reviews to see if other purchasers say the product is low or high quality. The overall trend of reviews—positive or negative—is social proof. Why it's important Positive social proof gives you credibility, while negative comments could go so far as slowing or even ruining your business. As an example, if someone wants to work with you, they will more than likely read reviews that others have left about you online. If they see a pattern of positive experiences, they will feel more confident in moving forward with working with you. If there is negative social proof, then you can say goodbye—93% of people admit that online reviews influence their decision. What to do right now No social proof can be just as damaging to your brand as negative social proof. If you don't have any reviews online, get started right away. This is made easier after following our first recommendation (claiming your Google business profile). You can then share your profile link with past clients, colleagues and friends who can give you five stars along with a written professional or character reference. Google is the most important location to build up reviews on, as there's a high likelihood that this will be the first destination for most buyers and sellers when they start their real estate research. To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.

4th of July Real Estate Marketing Ideas
It's that time of year again: Independence Day! Want to give your real estate marketing a little 4th of July flair? Here are, count 'em, four marketing ideas for the 4th: 1. Pop-by Gifts Pop by gifts are always appreciated, especially if it helps your farming area celebrate America's birthday. (Fun fact: America turns 246 this year!) Some thoughtful ideas can be mini-flags, fireworks (if they are legal in your state), and various other patriotic memorablila. Be sure to leave your business card and contact information along with the gifts. 2. Drive/Walk-by Celebrations This idea requires a bit of coordination with the agents in your offices and/or local businesses. Set up decorations outside of local businesses that can be seen from a passing car or on foot. This will also help you build relationships with other business owners, which can lead to referrals. In addition to that, it can help establish you as the local expert by promoting other local businesses. 3. Email Blasts Holidays are the perfect excuse to send out an email to your book of business. In order to convert any of your prospects into real estate clients, you need to maintain regular communication with them. If you are looking for an excuse to send out an email, then use the holidays as the reason to send out a quick marketing blast. This is a great way to remind people you haven't spoken to in a while that you are still in the business. 4. Social Media Maintaining your social media channels is crucial, especially in today's landscape where the majority of social interactions take place online instead of in person. Sharing celebrations going on in your city can identify you as the go-to agent for knowledge about the area you serve. What are local organizations doing to celebrate? Are there any special sales going on locally? Share this information with your audience to build trust with them this 4th of July. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

9 Web Content Ideas for Real Estate Agents
If you are searching for content ideas for your real estate website or thinking of ways to spice up your blog, we've got you covered. In this article, we will list all the things you should include on your real estate website. Listings A professional real estate website includes IDX listings and a detailed description of your properties for sale. For example, include the number of bedrooms, the houses' interior and exterior appearance, and much more. Don't forget to add your contact information so that you can make it easy for your potential client to contact you. News Updates A good website should have a page dedicated to the latest trends and news in the real estate marketplace. If you want to attract more clients, post blogs about the latest news updates in the real estate market. Keep your audience engaged and up to date on all things real estate so that you can keep them coming back for more. Blog Posts Speaking of blogs, a significant aspect of having an informative website is dedicating time to your blog posts. You'll be surprised at how impactful blogging can be for your real estate business. Blogging helps you connect with your existing and prospective clients through written content. It also helps you build more trust with your clients and better your company's overall image. With a high-quality blog, you are on your way to increasing your website traffic and lead generation, as well as showcasing your expertise and knowledge. Home Tours and Guides Home tours have been immensely popular for years, but showcasing your home tour in an artificial 3D virtual environment will surely drive more traffic to your website. By using 3D virtual tours, your clients can have a unique experience while touring your property directly on your website. With the help of VR, a.k.a. virtual reality, your clients can easily take tours of your property in the comfort of their own homes, view everything at their speed and make adjustments based on their preferences. Clients can also take advantage of VR benefits by sampling ideas before committing to decisions. Client Reviews and Testimonials By posting your clients' reviews and testimonials, you provide your customers with information about your company. For example, what did your past customers like most about your services, or what you could have improved on? Testimonials give your clients a sense of comfort knowing that they are in trusted hands. So make sure that you include them to give your clients a better understanding of your work. Events It's always a good idea to include a page of upcoming events in your city. For instance, upcoming open houses, community events like festivals, or even city council meetings. You can also include videos and photos of these events for your audience to get a glimpse of what these events are like. Partnerships Another great addition to your real estate website is to dedicate a page to partners in your business. Share stories with your partners and dedicate a page to your shared work achievements. This shows that your company is willing to expand its horizons and form partnerships with those that share the same values. About Page The about page is an important addition to your real estate website. Why? Because it adds a hint of personality to your online presence. It gives your audience a peek into your personal life. Whether the website is personal or for your brokerage, it's always good to include an about page where your clients can get to know more about you and your real estate practice. A good website should include information about your business—the work you do and your expertise, how many years of experience you have in real estate, your core values and mission. Contact Page Last but not least, have a contact information page. We recommend that you have your phone number at the top of your home page so that your clients can easily reach you. Still, a separate page dedicated to your contact information is also very useful. Ensure that your contact page includes all the necessary information such as your email, phone number, location, etc. The more accessible it is for your clients to connect with you, the better the chances that they weill consider you as their primary choice. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Booming Marketing Trends in Real Estate
Real estate marketing is evolving at a rapid pace, and in such a competitive environment, real estate agents need to be at the forefront of cutting-edge trends to appeal to the needs of their evolving clientele. Hot markets, fluctuating demand, evolving technology, and new generations of homeowners all play a role in shaping the real estate market – and how agents approach it. Competition forces creativity The housing market has made global headlines with its scorching hot listings – but it has also shown how aggressive the space can be for Realtors to compete in, and is forcing them to get really creative with listings. Using this market as an example, some agents have started to offer a night out as a thank you to clients, a membership for a year at a local gym or fitness club, the free use of a drone for showing the property, complimentary staging – even going as far as slashing their commissions. While this isn't always displayed as a best practice, it just goes to show some of the extreme examples real estate sales professionals have to deal with in order to get new business in a very competitive arena. While some of these can serve as good value propositions, especially to the Millennial buyers who enjoy the perks, they can sometimes appear more as a cosmetic perk rather than reflecting the true value you offer as an agent. These four marketing trends are defining the real estate space – and agents should take note: The discovery process is digital Have you ever heard the mantra, "Content is King?" Content is at the heart of all marketing strategies as one of the most effective methods of getting more eyes to your website. It generates low-cost leads, organic traffic and helps qualify your prospects. If there isn't enough compelling content online that signifies why you stand out from the competition and what you offer – you'll be passed by in a few clicks. Facebook advertising is growing Real estate professionals are realizing the benefits of devoting a portion of their budget to Facebook Ads to run individualized ad campaigns targeting their specific segments. This approach is proving to be a powerful return on quality leads and conversions. Real estate professionals must master content marketing Generic content won't cut it nowadays – it has to be hyper-focused to tailor to the clients' specific needs. And with Google sharpening their algorithm every year, it places a very high emphasis on quality and useful content, and how to target it properly to address the needs of your audience. Ebooks, infographics, video series, webinars and blogs have become the Holy Grail in terms of effectively communicating your value and using them as pieces to help nurture prospects along. That goes back to the reason why a "one-size-fits-all" content solution won't work, because a twentysomething first-time homeowner isn't looking for content that relates more to an empty nester edging towards retirement – it has to be hyper-focused. More agents will turn to marketing automation Wise Realtors learned long ago that they can't manually contact every single lead consistently – but they knew they could rely on technology to do that for them. The fact of the matter is you can spend zero time transferring a new lead to your CRM and email marketing software and have them added to an ongoing lead drip system. Another misconception that many agents have is they believe that premium real estate marketing software will break the bank – which is not true at all. It's time to debunk this myth once and for all. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

Real Estate Hashtags for 2022
Social media has evolved from a place where people socialize to where businesses conduct their daily operations. The realty world isn't left out either -- real estate businesses are now using social media to drive up property sales. The National Association of Realtors reports that 77% of real estate agents actively use social media. In comparison, 47% of Realtors say that social media brings the highest quality leads than other sources. The study also suggests that more than 90% of millennials start their home searches online. This means that social media is a gold mine for any real estate business. To ace the social media concept, you need to have a solid strategy to navigate the social media waters. A great way to get started is by using hashtags. What Are Hashtags? A hashtag is an extra phrase that you can add to your social media posts. A hashtag is usually written with a hash (#) symbol followed by any additional keyword that you want to add. This helps people track exciting and relevant topics. Hashtags give your posts more context and depth. They also make your posts visible to a broader audience. For example, if you post a photo of the sun setting, you can caption it as Sundown. #skybrilliance #sunsetlover, etc. Users who want to find images or posts about sunsets can type the hashtag into the search bar and find the post quickly. When using real estate hashtags, you need to make sure that you tag your posts appropriately so that whenever a potential client types the hashtag, they can find your posts easily. For instance, if you're sharing a photo of an apartment in Washington D.C., the hashtag can read #DCApartments. Any tenant searching online for an apartment in D.C. only needs to type in the hashtag #DCApartments, and they will find your listing. If you aren't sure of which keywords to use for your real estate post, you can refer to the following hashtags to help you out: #home #homesforsale #househunting #apartmenthunting #homesweethome #realestateagentforlife #sold #dreamhome #fixandflip #NYCApartments General Real Estate Hashtag Usage Rules Hashtags are not only applicable to Twitter and Instagram. Hashtagging your post on LinkedIn allows you to connect with other agents. In the same light, hashtagging your posts on Facebook makes you visible to prospective clients on Facebook Marketplace. However, there are limits to the number of hashtags you can use for every social media site. Overusing hashtags makes your post appear spammy to the platform's algorithm. For LinkedIn, you should stick to, at most, five relevant hashtags for every post. Twitter might have started the hashtags feature, but it also has a limit to the number of hashtags you can use. The platform allows users to post a maximum of 280 characters, up from its initial 140, including hashtags. Due to this limitation, you need to ensure your hashtags are relevant to your real estate business and properties. Ideally, you should stick to two hashtags per post. Facebook users don't actively use the hashtag feature. However, at least one hashtag can drive up maximum engagement for business posts on a site. If you want to go all out with as many real estate hashtags as you want, then Instagram is the place for you. This social media platform allows you to post up to 30 hashtags for every post. However, this doesn't mean you should go on a hashtag spree. If you're going to use all 30 hashtags for your post, make them relevant to the real estate business and the home you're selling. Interestingly, Instagram allows you to reverse search some of the hashtags to find prospective clients who are looking for properties. Things to Note 1. Don't Overuse Hashtags Overusing hashtags makes your post look spammy, and may result in low or no engagements. It also makes you look like an amateur who is new to social media. 2. Keep Up with Your Competitors Social media is an ever-evolving business and socializing tool. Every day, new and fruitful hashtags appear, which may be useful in driving engagement your way. Always monitor how your competitors use their hashtags. Keep a close eye on which hashtags they use and which ones receive a lot of user engagement, and implement the ideas you obtain to your advantage. 3. Be Specific General real estate hashtags are useful for driving user engagement. However, to appeal to and find more prospective clients, your hashtags should be specific and targeted. For instance, you can use location-centered hashtags, the home's pet policy and other features to help you appeal to a broader client base. In conclusion Hashtags are a powerful engagement tool when used appropriately. They help bring in more views to your real estate posts and ultimately close deals with prospective clients. Always try to use relevant hashtags to avoid getting spammed. To view the original article, visit the Wise Agent blog.

3 Types of Online Search to Dominate for More Real Estate Leads
Did you know that there are three different types of online search that real estate leads use to find a Realtor? In this video, learn exactly what those three types of search are, why they're important, and how consumers use them to find agents. You'll also discover which steps to take to dominate those searches. Once you get a handle on the those types of searches, the leads will begin to roll in. Watch the video above to learn more!

Is Your Marketing Good Enough?
Marketing is often a challenge for real estate agents. It's notoriously difficult to be an impartial judge of your own marketing. That's true not only here in real estate, but in virtually all industries. It's a problem faced by companies of all sizes, from solo entrepreneurs to Fortune 50 enterprises. The crux of the matter is that marketing is subjective. You can develop a blog post, a video, or even ads that excite you, but have you stepped into the customer's shoes? Sometimes, even the best efforts can go awry. And that may lead to missing out on the value of a substantial part of your marketing budget. Luckily, digital marketing can make the whole matter much easier to deal with. There'll always be an element of "art" to marketing, but digital marketing is more scientific than ever. That's science in the literal sense: You make a prediction, test it, and gather data. There's more data available about the bottom-line impact of your marketing now than there has ever been before. That has two powerful effects on marketing strategy: You no longer have to "guess" what works, as you'll receive data within just a few days You can continuously improve your marketing by focusing on what has proven results Using Technology to Your Advantage in Real Estate Marketing Real estate changed more than virtually any other industry at the outset of the pandemic. Professionals from all across the nation had to work together to develop new ways of thinking about and doing their work. It was crucial to protect both their customers and themselves. At the same time, the way buyers and sellers approach transactions have also changed forever. It was once unthinkable for someone to buy a home without setting foot in it. Now, these transactions take place routinely, especially when someone is planning a big move from out of state. A fast-growing population of younger buyers and sellers means more people are managing their home search online. That has huge ramifications for your marketing. Many of the trends unleashed by the pandemic will never be reversed. Instead, agents and brokers will be expected to adapt and incorporate new technologies in new ways. Technology is a key driver of your marketing success since you can see its results almost right away. By comparison, ad placements and conventional local media often provide no insight into whether or not you're getting ROI. Let's look at some concrete ways you can boost your marketing results: Balance Open Houses with Virtual Tours - In the "before times," open houses had the potential to surface several qualified buyers for each event. Open houses are returning as an important part of your marketing mix, but virtual tours are sought by nearly every buyer. Also known as "3D walkthroughs," these tours typically use a panorama of photos to create a robust digital experience. Buyers thousands of miles away can now see a home up close. Capture Data from Listings, CRM, and Website - Each digital platform offers its own "analytics data" you can use to understand how people find you and what they do once they have. For example, the average amount of time people spend on a listing grants clues about which ones are most effective. By gathering and consulting your data regularly, you can be certain you're spending your marketing time and resources on the things that truly resonate. Automate Digital Marketing for Better Consistency - To be successful, digital marketing needs to be consistent. Yet, manually setting up and managing an email marketing list, your social media feed, and more can take hours. Reliable, AI-driven solutions, including DeltaNET®6, can make the process easier. For instance, hands-free social media updates can be issued to your feed several times a day based on changes in listings. Keep Your Real Estate Website Up to Date - Your real estate website is a powerful "digital-first impression" where most of your future customers meet you. Before they reach out, they're likely to check out everything on your site, so make it worthwhile. That means helpful, informative content that empowers them to solve problems and resolve questions. In today's smartphone-driven culture, it also means a responsive layout that's great for mobile users. Create a Seamless "First Contact" Experience - Once you've signed an agreement with a customer, it's crucial to set the right boundaries. No answering calls at two in the morning! If a website visitor reaches out, however, seconds count. You have the best odds of getting a new customer if you respond within five minutes. Make sure it's easy to contact you, providing options for phone, email, social media, and even texting for real estate. RE Technology readers can try DeltaNET®6 free for 30 days. To view the original article, visit the Delta Media Group blog.

Are Targeted Ads Your Business Blind Spot?
Are you missing out on a powerful way to generate leads from social media? Targeted advertising isn't a replacement for all of your other social media activities. It's in its own category, and when done right, it can be a convenient, low-cost tool for generating fresh leads to stock your pipeline. If targeted advertising has been your business blind spot, now is the perfect time to change that. Even if you've never run a targeted ad campaign yourself, you've definitely experienced these ads during your own time online. You search for something that you're interested in purchasing, check out some content, and suddenly you're seeing ads for that product or something similar during all of your travels online. Targeted ads are designed to reach a specific audience — ideally people who are already interested in what you have to offer. Before You Advertise, Make Sure Your Branding and Website Are Ready We'll get into more specific targeted advertising strategies shortly, but there are a few things that you'll want to have prepared before you get started. First, make sure that your branding is consistent. Things like color schemes, logos, missions, values, and even fonts can help your brand stand out from the competition when you advertise. Next, you'll want to make sure that your real estate website looks appealing, functions well on any device, has great content, and offers all of the features that your audience needs. In many cases, your targeted ads will be leading prospects directly to your website, and you want to give them every reason to stick around once they arrive. Know Your Audience Like the name suggests, targeted ads are all about reaching a specific audience. So who are you trying to reach? Running a targeted ad campaign for an audience of luxury real estate buyers will naturally be different than running one for first-time homebuyers who are new to real estate. The same goes for whether you're trying to generate buyer or seller leads. Due to fair housing laws, it's important to note that ads can't be targeted based on certain factors like race, gender, or class. Think about your target audience, what they like to do, what their interests are, and what might motivate them to buy or sell a home. Planning Your Targeted Ad Campaign Once you've got your branding, website, social pages, and audience analysis in order, you'll be ready to start planning your first campaign. Here are some of the key steps you'll take while planning your campaign: Campaign Objective, Ad Settings, and Contact Method First, you'll set up your campaign objective, which will usually be lead generation. You'll also choose your ad settings, where you'll click on "special ad categories" and "housing" in order to adhere to fair housing laws. You will also choose your contact method, either through a lead capture form, automated chat, or phone call. Setting Your Budget Facebook ads are priced through a bidding process, which allows you to set the maximum price you're willing to pay to reach a specific audience. You can set your max daily bid based on a variety of factors for each ad, and sometimes it will take some experimenting to find the right price per lead. Audience and Ad Placements Next, you'll be choosing how you'll target your audience and how your ads will be placed. You can choose to display your ad on Facebook, Instagram, or both platforms. You can choose to place your ads manually or use automated placing to put them in the best places to achieve your campaign goals. Creating Your Ad All of the branding factors that we mentioned so far will usually play a part in creating your ads. Some of the most popular ad types include just listed, branded ads, home valuations, and open houses. There are many effective types of ad campaigns, so experiment to see what works best for reaching your audience. Analyzing Results One of the great things about placing targeted ads through Facebook or Instagram is that you get plenty of analytics to help you discover what works best. Make sure that you're tracking the success of your campaigns in order to maximize your ROI. Take Advantage of Targeted Advertising Tools to Make Life Easier You could take the time to handle every last detail of targeted advertising yourself... or you could use a seamless, easy-to-use platform that allows you to set up campaigns in a few clicks. With Ad Wizard™, you can take the guesswork out of targeted advertising and manage ads with a dependable, consistent process. Ad Wizard™ is one of many tools available in DeltaNET®6 to help you market your business, manage leads, and maintain great relationships with your clients. RE Technology readers can try DeltaNET®6 free for 30 days. To view the original article, visit the Delta Media Group blog.