In my last blog post I spoke about going on vacation with my family and the importance of nurturing relationships and creating memories. We have been home for a week now, and I’ve had time to reflect on some of the lasting impressions that were made on this trip.

One that comes to mind is when one of the kids dragged me off of my lounge chair and insisted that I help her make a sand castle. Considering that we lacked any sort of proper digging tools other than a plastic spoon, we decided it would be better to make an object out of the sand, and agreed on an alligator. Once the preliminary outline was etched into the sand, I began the task of carving out the outline of our soon-to-become masterpiece.

As I was digging my hands into the well-packed, dampened sand, I couldn’t help compare what I was doing on a sunny beach in Punta Cana to my work. It seems almost impossible to do something well, especially if you don’t have the proper tools.

Not to disappoint, I persevered with the same tenacity our team of professionals do at RealtySites PLUS™. I used that plastic spoon to carve out the intricate details to our giant sand sculpture and my bare hands to do the grunt work of digging and piling what seemed to be endless amounts of dampened sand. In the end, it occurred to me that I had the right tools after all.

At first glance a plastic spoon seems like the unlikely tool to create a great sand sculpture, but it worked. The same can be said of REALTORS®’ marketing strategies: a website doesn’t seem to be the first choice for many REALTORS®, because billboards and print ads seem flashier, and as a result many would think a more effective marketing tool. We know from recent statistics that the best way for REALTORS® to market themselves is with a strong internet presence and lead-generating website.

Just like the spoon I used to build a great sand sculpture, you can carve out more business than you ever thought possible with the right website and online tools to captivate consumers and cultivate leads (which of course result in closing more sales).

All it takes is a little time and effort, and before long you will amazed by what you’ve accomplished, just as I was with what I created using one little plastic spoon on the beaches of Punta Cana!

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

Note: This post was also published on www.lisamayhuby.com

As more and more businesses gravitate to the high reach-low investment medium of social media, I find there are far too many jumping in with both feet that really don’t have any business even dabbling their toes in it.

MLMers, real estate agents posting “another hot listing” or endless Facebook fan pages of nothing but listings, get-rich-quick gurus, and newbies that expect instant results after 2 Tweets about how great their product or service is: none of these have any place in social networking, and all will have a negative experience using it.

You want a good – no, great – experience? As in, a ‘pretty-darn-good-results-for-not-a-whole-lotta-time-invested’ type experience? Follow these tips:

1. Stop whatever social media stuff it is you’re doing RIGHT NOW. Just stop everything. Halt. Arrêt. Now, think of what you want to get out of your efforts. Better yet, write it down. The list should be point-form, one goal per line, a singular idea. If you’ve got the word “and” in one of the goals, that’s two ideas. Separate them. Next, review your list and remove the unicorns and rainbows. That includes any idea that makes you gaze wistfully into the distance, like the ‘generate X leads’ goals, ‘get X followers’, connections goals, and so on. Hopefully what you’re left with is real, measurable, and attainable.
2. Social networking is about just that – networking. And it works great when it complements your other marketing efforts. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it until people finally get it: social media is a tool. A tactic. Something you use in conjunction with something else. Your teeth are tools with which you chew food and begin the digestive process. Social media is the tool with which you share bite-sized bits of information to help begin the lead generation process.
3. Stop being part of the “hey, look at me!” crowd, mindlessly echoing others’ thoughts and ideas to try and position yourself as an ‘expert’, and really engage with people. Stand out. Be selective with whom you engage. Don’t choose only the people that might be able to promote whatever it is you’re selling. Go on, be different from the millions of online minions fighting for attention.
4. Be consistent with your engagement. Whether it’s once a day or once a week, be consistent and reliable.
5. Evolve. Figure out how to move social media to the next level. As Lisa Barone of Outspoken Media says, “We have to grow up because not only does the same old crap not work anymore, but now it (and you) is just annoying.” (Incidentally, it’s just a coincidence that my post has 5 tips and hers has 5 tips. Really. Besides, they’re different tips.)

I always advise clients that you’ll discover what works best for you, and that’s absolutely true if you put some thought and planning behind it. Social media doesn’t and probably never will work for everyone in every business. If you’ve taken the plunge and are trying to use it for your business, help make it a more enjoyable (and hopefully profitable) experience for everyone.

It’s your web, keep it beautiful.

Lisa-May Huby, Director of Marketing

I can’t believe it’s already Mid February. The Olympic Games are in full swing and I’m counting down the days to my much-needed family vacation. That’s right, I’m taking the whole family – and the kids are more excited than Christmas morning!  I must be crazy because a vacation with kids is far from relaxing, but it is great bonding time, and I’m all about building relationships through good times and having those memories to reflect upon.

Speaking of reflection, I was back in Ottawa (the Canadian capital) last week for business. Terry LeClair, our CEO, had a speaking engagement on internet strategies and web technology, and the following day we were involved with a tradeshow for Royal LePage. It turned out to be a productive four days, and even though travel can be exhausting at times, I absolutely love my job, so it hardly felt like work.

Rob & Sebastian at Royal LePage Ottawa Tradeshow, Feb 2010

The best part of my job is when I’m able to solve a problem for a potential client; for me it’s about more than selling a great product, it’s about building relationships – much the same as with my family. Many Realtors nowadays are struggling with their web strategy, and most progressive-thinking agents recognize that they need a dynamic website to captivate the online consumer, but that’s where it ends.

If you’ve ever been in the market for a home and found yourself meandering through some Realtors’ static business-card-style website, you’ll appreciate how frustrating the experience can be. If this is a point of frustration for the online consumer, it’s a serious concern for the Realtor who’s hoping to captivate an audience with a sub-par website. When I demonstrate the power of RealtySites PLUS™ in captivating the consumer, communicating with clients and cultivating new leads, I get a sense of satisfaction that makes my job an absolute pleasure.

As I prepare to embark on what probably won’t be a very relaxing vacation, I’m looking forward to spending time with my family, but will be happy to get back to work because of the relationships I have there as well.

See y’all in a couple of weeks!

Rob

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

On his blog, WebInkNow, David Meerman Scott wrote about the U.S. Department of Defense’s social media strategy, engaging in heavy-duty SM activities, from blogging and Facebook, to videos and photo sharing. Essentially, the DoD’s putting a human face on the military.

Numerous methods are being implemented in a multi-channel effort, each with their own focus on the different areas of the military. From The Pentagon Channel’s website, Facebook and Twitter streams, the U.S. Army’s ArmyLive blog and You Tube channel, to the U.S. Air Force’s “Counter-Blog” strategy.

What can you take away from the U.S. military’s strategy for developing a simple social media campaign for your business, and become a “social media rockstar” in your own right? Take a look:

This just gives you an idea of the potential. As you can see, it’s pretty simple, and you can tailor your strategy to fit your life, making it as complex as you like. Start small to get your feet wet, and work from there.

The main thing is that you open yourself to new ways of communicating with clients and colleagues, for both outgoing and incoming messages, and use these tools to your advantage.

Lisa-May Huby, Director of Marketing

Something for nothing is a term we’re all familiar with, and most of us realize that you really can’t get something for nothing. However you can get something of value for almost nothing.

Let me be more specific with my analogy of the term: you own and operate a vehicle. You expect that, for a certain amount of dollars each month, you can have your vehicle of choice. This comes with a hefty price tag, often in the form of monthly payments of several hundred dollars, plus the cost of insurance, gas and maintenance. In the case of realtors – who absolutely need a vehicle to conduct their business – it’s considered part of the cost of doing business. Not exactly something for nothing.

By comparison, today’s Real Estate professional is well aware that close to 90% of their clientele is beginning and ending their search for a home on the internet. They’re looking at Realtors’ websites and other online resources. So why is it that many Agents have such a hard time accepting and adapting to internet technology? Shouldn’t a decent website be considered the cost of doing business as well?

We already know that it’s crucial to have a website because that’s where your buyers and sellers are going to find you. More importantly, you want to create a positive experience for your online consumer in order to create a “sticky” environment that will captivate them and keep them returning to your site so you can incubate them and convert them into clients. Why is it that agents recognize how significant a website is to their business, just as a car is, yet they aren’t willing to spend the dollars required to have a product that conveys a positive image while at the same time providing a great online experience to the consumer?

Most products out there are available for a low monthly fee, and in the case of RealtySites PLUS™, you get a ‘million-dollar product’ that costs less than $50 per month. Compare that to my car scenario which costs several hundred dollars per month to own or lease: which do you think is a better value?

A car is essential for your lifestyle; I present the argument that a website is just as essential for your real estate business in order to create an enticing online experience for consumers and to generate leads.

When you look at a website with the tools and features to captivate your consumer like RealtySites PLUS™, remember that you’re behind the wheel of a Maserati – for the price of a Honda Civic.

You can have a beater car, but when you’ve got the best at a low cost, which would you rather drive?

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

By now most everyone is aware of Twitter (unless you’re my parents), but you may not know or understand how it works, and just how powerful it can be.

For those of you that have been living a somewhat sheltered life (or with my parents), Twitter is a micro-blogging social networking site. Each post is limited to 140 characters, hence the ‘micro-blogging’ label. At first glance, for most of you Twitter probably seems like so much pointless, mindless drivel, spewing out what people ate for lunch, what their dog ate for lunch, or that their car broke down. And, if you follow people that write about such mindless crap, then yes, it’s completely pointless.

A word of caution (and I’ve said this before, often): don’t underestimate the power of Twitter. It’s real-time, high-speed information sharing like we’ve never seen before. Take the plight of US Airways Flight 1549 that crashed on the Hudson River – news of the crash broke on Twitter before any of the major networks had even heard about it.

What you get out of Twitter has everything to do with who you follow and what you share. Who you follow brings you the news and information you find useful and valuable. What you share gives others, your followers, information they find useful and valuable, and will hopefully want to re-share (ie. retweet) with their followers.

Businesses of all types have grasped Twitter as another marketing channel, promoting free and paid content, sales messages, surveys, promotions, and support updates. One industry that seems to be divided about Twitter is real estate – some use it to their great advantage, while others struggle to comprehend it and the purpose behind it.

The reality is, there’s nothing to figure out – it’s not rocket science, and it’s certainly not hard to understand. It’s simply an ongoing stream of information and randomness. The tough part about Twitter isn’t understanding it, it’s controlling and managing the streams so that what comes into your consciousness is relevant to you.

Some great tools for managing Twitter are Twitter Lists (accessed through Twitter and a number of external apps), HootSuite (my personal fave), ping.fm and TweetDeck. There are a ton of others out there, it’s simply a matter of trying them out and finding one that works best for you.

Incorporating Twitter in your real estate business is more than just Tweeting out links to new listings, virtual tours and open houses. You’ve heard, “Build it, and they will come”. Have something useful to share, and they’ll read it.

Twitter – and other social networking sites – are simply another way for you to communicate with others, and them with you. You wouldn’t call a prospect and tell them you just ate a grilled cheese with pickles; they’d probably think you were nuts and never have anything more to do with you. So please don’t be compelled to share that same sort of thing over other communication channels. Blog posts, the latest industry stats, market trends and changes, proposed construction, and so on – that’s something useful that people will want to read and share.

Keep the grilled cheese and pickles to yourself.

Lisa-May Huby, Director of Marketing

I’m often asked by new recruits, “What’s the one thing takes up the most time for a Realtor?” Or, I hear Realtors complain about the dreaded time-waster: showing feedback.

Back in the day, it was just plain courteous to give an agent good quality feedback on a property they had listed and I had shown. But, as the saying goes, that was then – this is now.

Now, the sellers’ agent seems to think that providing feedback is passé; or worse, too demanding of their time. And, sometimes trying to track down and get feedback from the showing agent by phone is a greulling experience. This is a dilemma that has numerous drawbacks and implications. First, feedback sheds some light on possible objections buyers are experiencing while seeing the property. This information could help us eliminate that objection(s) and create a more saleable listing, and assist in a short days on market sale. Providing feedback to the seller also increases our value proposition and helps justify our commissions. The bottom line is, just do it!

Having a quality feedback system is crucial in developing a good value proposition and creating great time-management. RealtySites PLUS™ has taken the pain away for you, with a state-of-the-art automated feedback system. When you have a showing, you click 4 buttons; listing, feedback form, office and agent then submit. The showing agent then receives an auto-generated feedback form with multiple questions, and room for comments. When submitted, the form goes out every day for the next 3 days. Once the agent responds, you’re notified by email, and all you have to do is approve the feedback. It’s then automatically added to a secure area that the seller accesses online from any computer, called “Client Corner”. The seller reads the feedback, and voila! You’ve done your job efficiently and effectively. The great thing about RealtySites PLUS™’ Feedback Manager is that you can also customize and edit the feedback form or create your own in seconds.

To find out more about this and many other great time-saving features, go to www.RealtySitesPLUS.com and sign up for one of our free webinars. It will be the best 1 hour you’ve spent online in a long time.

TLC, President & CEO

As John Lennon so eloquently penned, “It’s another year over and a new one just begun…”, but now what? For starters, let’s all hope the economy continues to improve so we can enjoy a prosperous New Year. These are great words of inspiration and, quite possibly, just wishful thinking – unless you actually have an action plan to implement what’s necessary to make 2010 prosperous.

I can’t tell you how many friends and associates have told me they’re “cautiously optimistic” about the financial forecast for 2010, and I always ask them, “what are you going to do to improve your personal financial situation?”

One thing you can do TODAY, to guarantee more success this year than last is to embrace technology. I realize my message may sound self-serving, so don’t ask me why it’s vital to success in today’s market, ask one of our clients. They’ll tell you just how RSP has helped them grow and actually increase their business, despite the economic challenges we’ve faced over the last 18 months, how easy it is to use, and how much time they’ve saved by putting this technology to use.

There is something to be said about working smarter, not harder, and that’s why RealtySites PLUS™ is garnering so much attention. We know you’re in the business to sell homes, and maintaining a website can be a time-consuming and daunting task for anyone, especially if you don’t consider yourself to be “tech savvy”.

Let RSP do the work for you!

Create an online experience that will drive consumers to your website and keep them coming back. Plus, save time and effort with RSP’s automated features, keeping your clients and leads in the loop so you don’t have to.

Let’s hope that 2010 is a great year for Real Estate. You can help ensure it’s a good year for you by improving your online presence and consumer experience with the RealtySites PLUS™ technology: it’s there, use it.

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

Previous Real Estate 2.0 posts discussed conversation, communication, and transparency. This final instalment will cover information. Instant information, that is.

Providing instant information should be a priority when you’ve got a captive audience on your website. You need to give your online visitors easy access to information they want, without making them meander thru your site viewing page after page.

You literally have just seconds to captivate online consumers before they bolt from your site, so this MUST be a priority. Adding something simple, like pdf downloads of moving checklists or tips for adding curb appeal provides helpful information for visitors quickly and easily. To make it easier to search your listings, try creating unique ID numbers for each listing, and add a search function on every page of your website so visitors can get to the exact property listing they’re looking for.

With RealtySites PLUS™, you have lots of options that will get information in your online visitors’ hands instantly (or, in some cases, almost instantly). Customize your menu items to include pdf downloads or articles visitors can read online, and don’t forget about automating notices. You’ll blow your clients’ minds when they receive a note or instant message (IM) from you advising them of an upcoming open house for a property they viewed online.

TLC

So far we’ve covered communication and conversation in my discussion about Web 2.0. The next point I’d like to cover is transparency.

Transparency is a term that’s been loosely thrown around for some time now in the real estate tech world. Basically, what it means is you’re not hiding anything from anyone, especially consumers. When you engage in social media and networking, you’re adding a transparent element to your business. You’re letting people see a bit of the “real” you, including your business practices, how you deal with consumers, and your personal life.

It’s this new element that fills many with trepidation, and keeps them from committing to social media. If you’ve got nothing to hide and are ethically conducting business and personal dealings, then what’s the problem? You have nothing to lose and lots to gain.

Another way of looking at transparency could be eliminating barriers to information, like having to supply a name and email address before accessing a special report – a point that’s currently hotly debated by marketers in every industry.

Being the gatekeepers to all of your Sellers’ listing information is not what Web 2.0 is all about. It’s about creating deep, rich, robust content and giving the online user the ability and flexibility to sift thru the information and use or absorb what they feel is pertinent.

That said, most Realtors® make the huge mistake of giving too much away without capturing any information, making it impossible to communicate with and incubate leads. There’s a fine line between transparency and gatekeeping, but by taking the time to find that balance you’ll realize there’s a wonderful, abundant world of quality leads just waiting for your nurturing.

To experience how lead generation and transparency have collided, attend an online webinar hosted by yours truly. Sign up now at www.RealtySitesPLUS.com/webinar. You’ll be glad you did!

TLC