marketing

Profile Photos are Important

Why Profile Photos Matter & How to Get Good Ones
Does your profile pic differentiate you?

If you’re taking a “one photo fits all” approach to your real estate marketing, you might be missing out on opportunities to showcase your personality, which is a crucial component to building client relationships.

Traditional real estate headshots, while “professional” don’t really tell much of a story. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all… and that’s not great for differentiating yourself on signs or online. While you may be subject to company guidelines with regards to your signs and photos, blogs and social media sites are a great place to introduce more personality. Your interests–from sports to travel–can be great connection points with prospects.

Unfortunately, many people think of social media photos as the equivalent of “sweat pants on Sunday night.” From a bad photos to worse wardrobe choices, you can quickly undermine your credibility online. Very little attention is paid to the impact a professional, yet casual photo can have on your audience.

>> Click here for a FREE photo upgrade from Oakley Signs & Graphics <<

Take a tip from the online dating industry: Profile pics matter. To that end, we’ve found a good resource for locating professional freelance photographers in your area who can help you create profile pictures which help you convey personality and professionalism.

Don’t be turned off by the fact that this site pitches itself for people looking to connect on dating sites. You’re definitely looking for a professional relationship with a client, and a great photo can help. Be sure to check out some of the before and after shots on this website, too.

Below is the link to how the “photographer search” works:
http://www.lookbetteronline.com/dating_photos/howitworks

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marketing

Client Feedback Survey Tips for Real Estate

Getting Good Feedback: How to Conduct an Online Survey
You don’t know until you ask… the right way.

Chris Guillebeau runs the highly successful blog, “The Art of Non-Conformity,” (http://chrisguillebeau.com/3×5/) a site which features “unconventional strategies for life, work and travel.” Aside from his personal mission to visit every country in the world before he’s 35, he’s a generous guide when it comes to developing your personal brand online.

In a recent article, Chris highlights some of the best methods for creating an effective online survey. Since candid feedback is a vital part of improving your abilities as a real estate professional, learning how to build a great survey will help you understand a variety of areas of your real estate business: From open houses to listing presentations, you can learn more through effective surveys.

Chris covers logistics, design, response management, data interpretation and more:

http://chrisguillebeau.com/3×5/how-to-conduct-an-online-survey/

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marketing

Market yourself to “life change” clients

Two Great Sources for Referral Information
Are you marketing your services to “life change” clients?

As we’ve mentioned in our “7 Types of Prospects You Should Target” ebook, people going through life changing events are often prime candidates for the services of a real estate professional.

There are two types of businesses in your community that can be enormously helpful in generating referrals surrounding life changes. By befriending and supporting these types of businesses, you place yourself in a great position for potential referrals.

1. Florists: A relationship with a busy florist will keep you in the know about births, deaths, weddings, and job promotions.

2. Wedding planners: Newly married couples are a great source of business when it comes to first time buyers as well as young couples who may need to upgrade their home soon for a new baby. Some agents have even begun attending bridal expos to work this segment.

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marketing

Special Live Chat Offer

Convert More Web Leads: Alive Chat!
Get personal in real-time on your website and close more deals.

Out of all the upgrades you can do to your site to capture more qualified leads, none are as effective as adding a live chat option to your site. With a single click, Alive Chat allows your visitors to personally interact with you– no delay, no email delivery problems, no hassle.

Alive Chat benefits include:

• Instant human interaction means you can immediately answer questions
• Turn “visits” into live leads; catch them before they browse off
• Studies show Alive Chat is used before, during, and after the sale, making it a convenient client relationship management tool
• By requiring an email address to start a chat session, you can build your email contact list easily through Alive Chat
• Efficiency: Unlike the phone, Alive Chat lets you chat with more than once contact simultaneously

Alive Chat is the very system Oakley Signs & Graphics uses to answer questions on our website, so we know from hands-on experience that it is one of the best options available. It also includes a free 10-day trial, so you can see for yourself if it fits your style.

EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT FOR TUESDAY TACTICS READERS:

Right now when you use promo code TT50, you’ll instantly receive 50% off any Alive Chat subscription! (Please note: Oakley Signs & Graphics does not receive a commission or advertising fee for recommending this service.)

Sign up at http://www.websitealive.com

You’ll be chatting with visitors and closing leads before you know it.

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marketing

Facebook for Real Estate Business

Q&A: Announcing Your Business on Facebook?
How should new agents announce their real estate career on Facebook?

One of the big challenges new agents face is announcing they’re “new” to real estate. Obviously, you might be a little hesitant to say you’re new, because it indicates you may not have as much experience as others. Rather than present the idea that you’ve just started in real estate, you might find more creative ways to make your debut.

For example, you could use a series of status updates to announce you’ve recently worked with a designer to launch your real estate brand.

1. Leading up to the new design: “Very excited to see the new proofs back from the graphic designer working on my real estate materials!”

2. On the launch of the new designs: “What do you guys think of the new materials I’ve just had developed for my real estate business?” (Add a link to this one to show off your website or proofs).

3. On your website’s new design: “Just re-launched my real estate website. Any feedback would be most welcome.”

If you’re working with a new company (i.e. you’re not on your own), you might simply announce that you’re with a new company. Yes, it may be true you weren’t actually with any company before, but the news is really that you’re now in business. So you could say:

“Super excited to be a part of [COMPANY NAME] now. Love helping people find and sell homes in [YOUR MARKET/TOWN].”

BONUS: Here’s a link which contains information from lots of our Facebook Fans regarding how a new agent earns trust when they don’t (yet) have a lot of experience. It’s unedited and uncensored, but the ideas are sound!

View our online guide online here:
http://www.bit.ly/az1reW

And be sure to download our “Facebook Fundamentals for Real Estate Pros” eBook, for Free.

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marketing

Tools from Google

Google Tools for Real Estate Professionals
All of Google’s real estate tools in one place.

By now, you’re pretty familiar with the various ways we’ve shown you how to use Google’s free technology to help you improve your real estate business. From using Google Voice to creating hyperlocal Google Map videos, a little creative thinking can save you money and enhance your marketing and business management efforts.

But did you know Google also has a single page loaded with tools specifically for real estate? Check out this page with tools and examples of how to use those tools:

http://www.google.com/intl/en/events/realestatetools/index.html

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marketing

Need to Build a New Website?

Q & A: New Website?
Don’t reinvent the wheel…

Q: When I build my next website, should I do it from scratch?

A: No. You can save significant time and money by using free and low-cost options that are 90% ready “off the shelf.” Back in the day, you used to go to a web design company and go through a painstakingly slow and expensive process. This is no longer the case. If you can imagine it, it’s probably already out there… you just don’t know where to find it yet!

In addition to many turn-key web companies aimed at real estate agents (point2agent.com, busyagentpro.com, agentimage.com), you can also explore free packages such as WordPress.org. Hiring a local webmaster (college students are a good place to start) to configure WordPress for you with a real estate template will cost you a fraction of what designing from scratch will cost.

How much of a savings? You can safely assume that by the time you’re done with design and programming revisions, a website from scratch might cost you thousands. Depending on the route you choose, you could potentially save those thousands by going with a turn-key solution.

Remember: Focusing on developing leads, communicating via social media, and expanding your network of influence is far more important than “rolling your own” website.
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marketing

Get Feedback with this Online Tool

How to Get Honest Feedback: Rypple.com
Get feedback, take action, get results…

To truly boost your business, you need good feeback. Often you know exactly what you’re doing right, but you’re not sure what areas you could improve. But how do you get honest feedback from people you trust?

Enter Rypple.com, an online tool that helps individuals get quick semi-anonymous feedback. As featured on National Public Radio(http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101281162) this free tool can help you discover areas of improvement that you wouldn’t learn about in face-to-face conversations.

This could be an incredibly useful tool for offices looking for a non-confrontational way to improve!

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marketing

Video Production Service for Real Estate Agents

No Time or Technical Skill to Make Your Videos? No Problem!
Get full service video production and promotion for just $199/year…

ABOUT

We all know using video as a real estate pro is great for business.  Video filming, editing, production, and promotion takes time, skill and money, though.  How would you like to have it all handled for you, at your location and on your schedule, for less than $200?

TurnHere (www.turnhere.com) is a leading Internet video production and advertising company for small businesses and real estate professionals.

Get a 60-second video that profiles your real estate business, shot on location, at a place you choose, by a TurnHere professional filmmaker!

What makes TurnHere unique is that they have a global network of professional filmmakers who come to you to shoot the video, a proprietary video production platform and an authentic storytelling-style filmmaking technique.  TurnHere produces thousands of videos a month for large consumer brands, online business directories, small businesses, and Real Estate Agents.

Best of all, their services are ultra affordable (starting at $199/year), and with their price structure, it makes us question whether it’s worth producing videos yourself when TurnHere offers their services for so little money.

CLICK HERE FOR THEIR PRICING

WHY THIS IS HELPFUL FOR AGENTS

We know that using video in Real Estate (blogs, social media, listings, etc.) is effective.  From our recent article “Why Use Video Blogging in Real Estate,” we discuss how “in real estate, you are your brand. Your reputation, your voice, your personality… they’re all central to the success of your business.”  You have an opportunity to convey your brand to your audience by using personalized video in your blogs, social media sites, and listings.  Put simply, video works.

What may not be so simple for some, however,  is the actual planning, filming, and production of videos for your real estate business. Video is great, but the execution can be daunting for some.  Sure, we’ve discussed easy steps to producing videos in previous articles, but we didn’t address the needs and concerns of agents who may not simply have the time or technical expertise to create and cash-in on video.

So why is TurnHere helpful for Agents? Turnhere takes the guess work out of producing, publishing, and promoting your videos.  They are, quite literally, a one-stop-shop, and their prices can’t be beat.  In the spirit of providing Free Help for Real Estate Agents, we’ve researched and reviewed many services, and have yet to find on that fulfills the needs of Agents as well as Turnhere does.

TurnHere sends a professional filmmaker to you. They shoot on location, at a place of your choosing. They make a 60-second video that highlights your strengths, one that’s as unique as you are.

Take a look at their Real Estate Video Gallery to see some of their one-of-a-kind customers:

1. Click here to go to: www.turnhere.com
2. Click on the “Video Gallery” tab at the top of the page
3. Select “Real Estate Agents” from the vertical menu on the left.

Not only will Turnhere produce your video, but they promote it too.  TurnHere will create a video marketing program for the Web that tells your story, drives new business, connects with customers and increases your visibility.

WHY WE LIKE IT

Price. Convenience. Quality.  Did we mention price?   For $199/year, you get it all.

FEATURES

Here’s what you get for $199/year…

• A professional videographer will come to your location and shoot the video for you.
• They produce a custom video to showcase your Real Estate business.
• The provide targeted web promotion to reach potential customers on the Web.
• You’ll get a streamlined production process that fits your busy schedule.
• They make  you and your business look great.

COST

Starting at $199/year.  If you want more features, they also have a $599/year package, but we think you’ll be just fine with the standard package.  Give it a try, and be sure to share your experience with us!

>> Click here to get your video shot, produced, hosted, and promoted for $199/year.

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marketing

Make the Most of Your Testimonials

How to Present Testimonials Effectively
A real-world example of effective testimonial use…

Short of a direct referral from a satisfied client, testimonials are one of the most powerful tools for proving your value to prospects. But how do you present them effectively? Where do you use them? What form is best?

We thought we’d highlight the website of one of our Tuesday Tactics subscribers, Tim Kindem. Tim works with Keller Williams Premier Realty in the Twin Cities. Tim has a unique approach to showcasing his testimonials.

Here are four effective testimonial tactics Tim employs:

1. He uses multiple types of testimonials– photos, letters, videos, and even newspaper clippings.

2. He has reserved the domain name “HappyTimClients.com” to direct prospects to his testimonials. This is an interesting tactic, because rather than make prospects click through his website to find his testimonials, he creates and easy-to-say “front door” which forwards visitors to his testimonials section. Naturally, he uses this in his email signature line.

3. He leverages YouTube for his videos, which helps his website with search engine indexing.

4. He puts himself in the context of his clients– he shows himself with his clients and their smiling faces. No stock photos here, no anonymous quotes!

Whether or not you like a particular design is secondary to the quality of the content you put on your site. Tim has gone the extra mile to capture testimonials and (with his clients’ permission) host them on his website.

Check out Tim’s testimonial page for yourself. It’s a real-world example that might just inspire you to rethink the content on your own testimonials page:

http://www.happytimclients.com/

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