Real Estate Marketing Strategies & Goals for 2013

Don't put off until tomorrow what can be done today...

Don't say I will get to it when 2013 gets here...

Don't make it just another New Years Resolution!

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What are your goals for 2013?

What are you doing for your office?  

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Check out Realestate.com's "Top Real Estate Marketing Tactics for 2013" & "More Real Estate Marketing Trends for 2013".

Also, on InmanNext "Social Media Bootcamp" (w/ Webinar Recording) or "10 weeks and 10 ways to REignite your business in 2013 - Day 1"  or "Quick Tip: Curating content with Google Currents" or 

To see all the great idea's on InmanNext

Or, on futureofrealestatemarketing.com "Real estate reviews have hit the search engines and minds of consumers: are you in the game?" (w/ Webinar Recording) or "Quick Tip: 5 things to do to jump-start your 2013"   or 

for more idea's go to www.futureofrealestatemarketing.com

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Or you can contact us at UCVA...

we keep current 

with what is trending & what works.  

Let us do the work for you!

UCvirtualassistant.com
info@ucvirtualassistant.com
(843) 882-5128

You Could Lose That Sale!

In our previous Blog post we discussed that to be a successful Agent/Broker you need to understand that its not only about “Location, Location, Location” it is also about “Communication, Communication, Communication” , who communicates first and in a way each separate Generation is going to expect from you.  Loosing a sale could be as simple as that...because you didn't communicate in a way that Potential Buyer is comfortable with. 

AND

You could also lose a sale just because you don't have personal information about yourself posted on your United Country “Meet Or Team” page or on your own personal real estate web page.  One thing these generations have in common is  wanting as much information about the company and/or the Agent/Broker before deciding to choose them in helping them make one of the biggest decisions in their life.  Wouldn’t you want to know as much as you could about the person getting ready to assist you in spending thousands/millions of dollars in one of the largest investments of your lifetime?

Having as much information available about yourself and your area is another one of your biggest challenges!  Would you move to another state by yourself or with your family without looking into it first?  I have noticed that about 90% of United Country’s Potential Buyers are from out of state.  (ie., your Confidentials)  Think about what it is you would want to know about before making this life altering decision.  Checking out the educational system, the health care system, job industry and so much more is a essential part of this process.  Have you ever noticed that the people who live in a “site seeing” area or a recreational area don't go to see the sites or use the recreation available.  But...people looking to move into that same area are wanting to know about all this.  They want to know the sites and they want to know what your area has to offer.  United Country suggests that each office has their own Lifestyles Brochure.  

Let these Potential Buyers get to know you and your company...get them hooked on your area and they will be begging you to help them find a home. 

Reaching out to your past clients and asking them to post comments on your Youtube Channel, your Facebook page, Twitter, Blog, Google+ and so on would play a crucial roll in the reputation you want all these Potential Buyers to see about you. 

When it comes to Generation Y home buyers, as a real estate agent you’re going to find that their needs are different from the previous generation of home buyers.  This generation is accustomed to operating in a world with remote controls, Internet and smart phones. In other words, they are accustomed to instant communication at the tips of their fingers.  When it comes to building, selling and marketing to this generation – it’s totally different. They’ll expect home to be wired with the necessary technology and connectivity to accompany their gadgets. When you find a property of interest to them, they’ll expect you to send the information instantly to be viewed on a laptop, smart phone or personal digital assistant (PDA).

:  Generation “Y” has out numbered baby boomers and 96% of them have joined a social   network

:  14% of consumers trust advertisements

:  78% trust peer recommendations. Word of mouth matters

:  3 of 4 Americans use social technology

:  2/3 of the global populations visit social networks

Did you also know . . .

8  13 hours ...the amount of video uploaded to YouTube every minute

8  100,000,000 of YouTube videos viewed each day

8  93% of social media users believe a company should have a presence in social media.  

8  90% of homebuyers use the internet to search for information and homes!  First time home buyers are the fastest growing segment in the market today.

Being a successful Agent/Broker you need to understand that its not only about “Location, Location, Location” it is also about “Communication, Communication, Communication”, who communicates first and in a way each separate Generation is going to expect from you.  Loosing a sale could be as simple as that...because you didn't communicate in a way that Potential Buyer is comfortable with. Loosing a sale could also be as simple as you not proving enough information about your area so the potential buyer loses interest.

It Just Makes Sense!

Each Generation Is Unique

Relating to the different Generations in Real Estate

Like how they react differently to and change what earlier generations have done over the years. With keeping this perspective in mind, it is valuable to not only appreciate where our own Generation, and those Generations before us, has come from, but also what to expect and how to work with the Generations to come.

Each Generation approaches challenges in their own unique way and as a result, solutions are acquired in a different way. That is not to say that one solution is better than any another, it is just to grasp the idea that if a Generation after you were born, ie., Generation Y or Z, (your in the years to come clients) has a problem, for example, finding the house that is right for them, do you know how are you going to help them?  Will you decipher their problem in the way they would ultimately expect you to or in the way your Generations knows how to?

Each Generation is likely to favor a different system of communication. For the Silent Generation it may have been a letter that was hand written or a phone call. For Boomers, it may be pagers or cell phones. For Generation X it might very well be email or Social Media, and for Generation Y it may be to send text messages. Each Generation recognizes and identifies with the means of communication they are most familiar with. So consequently, being able to reach out to each separate Generation will require a different means of  communication thru what their specific Generation was born into.

Lets look at an example -

Generation Y couple is considering a purchase for a new home. Being they have had access to the   Internet during their Generations life time, they will most likely decide to research prior to connecting with an agent via the internet. After considering possible neighborhood choices, the couple elects to do additional research by watching YouTube videos and/or online Virtual Tours of homes that are for sale. Upon finding a few properties they like, and doing some research about the real estate company and/or the Agent/Broker that has that property listing they send a text message to those Agents /Brokers that have established good online ratings and reviews with an inquiry and contact details.

Lets say the first Agent/Broker is a Boomer who prefers the telephone for communication, receives the text, but treats it like a phone call. The agent calls the couple hours later and ends up getting the Prospective Buyers voicemail, so he/she leaves a voice message.

The second agent, a Genration X’er and keener than the first agent, chooses to send an email. The agent sees the text message and sends the couple an email together with several attachments providing more information about the property and the area the property is located within a few short minutes.

The third agent, who is in the Y Generation who understands the imminence of texting, sends a reply within a few seconds with a short ambiguous message indicating that they are presently with a client, and leads the  couple to their website with interactive web page leading them to the information they need.

Does this give you a better understanding?  What kind of  “digital body language” do you use? Does your company accommodate to each Generation in their preferred method of communication? 

If not...you have some serious work to do!

Or better yet...we can accommodate you to set you up for success in this vital area.  Being a successful Agent/Broker you need to understand that its not only about “Location, Location, Location” it is also about “Communication, Communication, Communication”, who communicates first and in a way each separate Generation is going to expect from you.  Loosing a sale could be as simple as that...because you didn't communicate in a way that Potential Buyer is comfortable with. 

It Just Makes Sense!

The Potential Inside Confidentials with UCvirtualassistant Leading The Way Could Give You $4956 More In Your Net Return!

My 1st Blog entry had to do with The Buzz About Confidentials.  My 2nd Blog explained where you go to get your 10:00am knock at the door each morning to answer it.  Now I am going to talk about The Potential Inside Confidentials including the Potential Income you are missing out on by not working them.

What each “Type” of Confidential represents & what you should be doing with each or what UCvirtualassistant can be doing for you!

Type “A” Inquiries Are Asking About A Specific Listing You Have

Reply Immediately To Get The Sale
Only Your Office Will Have This Inquiry For 7 Days (then it is passed on to a like UC office)
35% of “A’s” Who Buy, Will Buy The Property They Asked About
65% of “A’s” Who Buy, Will Buy Another Property From You, But Not What They Inquired About.

Type “B/A” - After 7 Days the “A: Inquiry is Sent to “Like” Offices as a “B”.

A “Like” Office is Nearby and/or Has Similar Property
These Lease Are Sometimes Referred to as “B/A” Leads

Type “B” Leads Have Inquired About General Property In Your Area Or General Types Of Properties You List

(e.g.; Farms, Horse Farms, Ranches, Mountain Homes, etc.)

Type “C” Leads Have Ordered A Catalog And Live In Your Area

These Leads Are Interested In United Country Properties,  But Have Not Indicated What Type Or Where
Even Though Only 17% Of Inquires Are “C’s”, 4% of Total Sales to Inquires are “C’s”
(This information is also available on UC’s Intranet. The following are suggestions given by United Country)

By working your Confidentials yourself!

By allowing UCvirtualassistant to work for you!

Do you see what you are missing out on?              

And to think that they come to you...every morning...

knocking at your door...at 10:00am.

  Visit us at UCvirtualassistant.com & let us show you what else we have up our sleeves!

It’s 10:00am . . . Now What Do You Do?

My last Blog entry had to do with The Buzz About Confidentials.  This time, now that you know you have Potential  Buyer(s) knocking on your door EVERY morning at 10:00am, I will tell you where the door is to answer it.

After the Potential Buyer(s) call the Home Office and they capture as much information as they can they forward all these leads to the corresponding offices that match what they are looking for or to the office the listings the Potential Buyer(s) are interested in is located.  Then the Owner of the United Country office you work for sends the knocks on your door.  So the next morning, at 10:00am, all these leads are in your Agent Achieve account waiting for you to answer.  (FYI . . Agent Achieve, Peak Performance & Core Logic are the same)

The owner can have a system already in place to distribute these leads such as the “Round Robin”.  This system automatically sends the leads from the Owners account to the Agents accounts like passing out a deck of cards.  It is completely random and they get distributed evenly. 

The other system that can be set in place is to have all the confidentials go to the Agent/Broker on call for that day.

Now if one of those leads are from a Potential Buyer interested in a specific property listing  then it automatically goes to the Listing Agent/Broker of that property as a “A Type” Confidential lead.

There they are...your 10:00am knock at the door!

OK...it’s 10:00am...they knocked...and you answered!  Now what do you do?

Over periods of time I have dissected Agent Achieve and all the possibilities the Confidentials offer.  How to do searches and what to look for.  Between specific dates.  Pulling up all “A Types” for the past month, two months...a year.  Being able to send these Potential Buyers EXACTLY what they asked for.  Grouping them, marketing to them, creating mass emails, templates, client marketing plans, reverse prospecting, sending Virtual Postcards, viewing traffic reports & email tracking, creating mailing labels...the possibilities are absolutely endless.

United Country Agents & Brokers have the world at their fingertips when it comes to marketing.  How many other real estate companies have multiple Potential Buyers knocking on their door every morning at 10:00am Monday thru Friday?

To learn more about working YOUR 10:00am wake up call contact UCvirtualassistant.com!

We can do it for you so you have time to list, list, list & sell, sell sell! 

We can Manage your Confidential database for you. 

Social Media - You - Your Listings

Is social media a fit with our industry?  Absolutely!  A quick query at www.mashable.com of "real estate social media" will net you plenty of reading material.  There are several ways to take advantage of social media's might in our industry and one is to post your listings and their activity on your social profiles.  At UCvirtualassistant, through the incorporation of source counters we have seen live results of utilizing social media for listing publishing and watching the different ways it can work to your advantage.  For example, social media is a great way to announce a new listing, just ask Tonya Michael of United Country Michael & Associates.  "Recently, after posting a listing on my Facebook profile, I immediately received an inquiry from someone in Virginia who planned to locate to our area, via Facebook, we communicated, scheduled a showing.. I wrote a contract on the property that weekend and had a competing offer.  My sellers were ecstatic, my buyer's dreams came true, and of course, I am very pleased.  The buyer and seller's positive comments about me on their profiles have resulted in my receiving several other clients."  At UCvirtualassistant we conducted a short study of listings that we've built for clients and published to social media.  We analyzed the traffic driven to these listings and found that the immediate views were driven from.. you guessed it, Facebook.  Another useful method of social media is to stay engaged with the public. People are constantly posting their status and your "like" or response to those is an easy way to keep your name in front of those dedicated social media users.  Awareness and name recognition is a fantastic way to be considered when it comes time to hire an agent.  Staying engaged with your pool of potential clients is vital and social media is a fun, easy way to do so. Its being used successfully by several United Country agents and is certainly a communication platform that it here to stay.  So, if you not on there, get there.  If you already there, then post those listings, post your contract pendings, post your solds, tell'em Happy Birthday and "like" those statuses...you will reap what you sow.

The Buzz About Confidentials

What is a confidential?  What are they used for?  Why are they so important?

As a United Country Agent or Broker there is no doubt that you should know the answers to these important questions.  Although, I still wanted to share what I have learned over the years.  I am someone that likes to explain things by using examples (don’t know why that is...have done it all my life).

Lets say you go to your office every morning at 9:00am, you grab a cup of coffee or tea and sit at your desk.  Then for some reason EVERY morning, Monday thru Friday, like clockwork there is a knock at the front door to your office at 10:00am.  The person(s) knocking is ALWAYS someone interested in one of your listings, a particular property type or needs YOUR help to find them the home of their dreams. 

Well...wouldn’t that be the icing on the cake...potential buyers coming to you every single day at 10:00am!

If you know what a Confidential is then you already know that the example I just used is actually true!  Yes...EVERY morning you DO have potential buyer coming to YOU...but...via email because around 95% or more are from another state and cannot physically knock on your front door.

United Country spends millions each year since 1925 on advertising.  When a potential buyer calls the Home Office they capture as much information as they are willing to give.  Potential buyers call and ask YOU to help them with their real estate needs.  The next day they are sent to YOUR office for YOU...they are now a Confidential.  United Country has over 300,000 Confidentials in their data base that it nurtures every day.

So..EVERYDAY..when that potential buyer comes knocking on your door...what do you do? 

Have you been answering?  Have you been calling?  Have you been emailing? 

Soon I will be writing another Blog entry to talk about . . .

OK - Now I know what a confidential is but how do I get to it and what do I do with it once I have it?