Real Estate Websites and Online Marketing | Working The Magic » Engagement

Sending Video Messages in Facebook

Gabe Hoggarth — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:25:59 +0000

Facebook is increasingly becoming the most popular way to communicate online. Here’s a quick demo of how to send video messages to friends and lists easily directly in Facebook.

Tagging Friends in Facebook

Briddick Webb — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:52:18 +0000

The Power of Response in Social Media

Briddick Webb — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:34:10 +0000

So I wanted to share something that’s been driving me crazy lately and that is the perception of social media as it applies to marketing your business. There are some people who see social media as a stand in for print advertising and this is absolutely absurd. When someone posts on facebook, youtube, or twitter, they’re engaging in a conversation, an interaction with other people. However, that conversation is not nearly as powerful when it’s only one sided and you simply throw out posts, links, tweets and videos without responding to the people who saw those and engaged you. Business relationships are built on trust and likability and when you spend the extra five seconds to reach out to people, you increase both.

I first realized this when I had responded to something @garyvee had said. Now at the time, I had just watched his clip on Conan O’Brien and mentioned him in a tweet and within a few minutes, low and behold he had responded. I was so thrilled! In that moment, there was a strange paradigm shift for me because I realized that by taking the extra two seconds to respond, everything had changed. It made me feel important. It made me recognize how social media removed barriers for connecting with so called ‘unreachable’ people. But most of all, it made me really like this person because they took the time to respond to me.

Responding and taking the time to care is possibly the easiest way to give value to others. And really this is no different than how we socialize in the real world. We gravitate towards people who genuinely care about us, people who are willing to take a few minutes out of their day to listen and engage in what we have to say.

And here’s the kicker; as a byproduct of those conversations and caring, you gain loyal fans, prospects and clients.

So how does this translate into actions? When you post something on facebook and people reply, always respond back! It breaks my heart to see a post where there are 8 comments on a status update and the person who posted it didn’t respond to any of them. That’s 8 people who could give you a referral. That’s eight people who might be looking for a home. That’s eight people who may just be really awesome people who you can share a laugh with. But whatever the case, reach out and allow that likability and trust to develop.

When someone retweets something posted, give them a shout out or thank them. It’s so subtle and easy yet it can make all the difference. When someone mentions you in a tweet, respond. Even when someone is critical of you or something you posted, take the time to address what they had to say by responding. This alone can protect your brand.

So whether it be online or in person, make a point to reach out and respond to others because if you can’t do that, you will always get less than optimal results when marketing your real estate business.

8 Tips: Online Lead Capture

Gabe Hoggarth — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:01:03 +0000

Are you using the best methods to connect with visitors?
Your website should be using 3, 4, 5+ ways to capture client information, converting traffic into contacts and ultimately closes. Assuming you are generating some traffic through your site, these are some of the best practices in online real estate lead generation that your competitor is already using.

1. Solid IDX Solution – IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange and is a property search site which allows the public to search the MLS. For every client I have worked with their IDX platform is their #1 lead generating resource. There are quite a few IDX options out there and not every product is available in every city so finding the right solution for the right price may take some time. What I look for besides availability and price is a usable intuitive map search and the ability to integrate the product seemlessly into a site. Back-end options for client management and customizing the look and feel will also vary from platform to platform. Here are a few platforms to explore:

http://www.wolfnet.com
(Pictured, top right)
http://www.diversesolutions.com
(Pictured, bottom right)
http://www.homequestgroup.com
http://www.realbird.com
http://www.ihomefinder.com
http://www.realpagemaker.com
http://www.idxcentral.com
http://www.idxbroker.com

2. Property Request Forms – Not every visitor has the time or desire to browse all the listings and search the map. Some people just want to tell you what they want and have you get back to them with the details; property request forms are great for this. You, or your web guy/gal, should create a simple website form asking for their desired type of property, time frame for purchasing and current state in the buying process along with contact information. Put some links on your site to this “Property Request Form”. You know what types of property area desirable in your area, create multiple similar forms for “Waterfront Property Request Form”, “Condo Request Form”, “Commercial Request Form”, etc.

3. Visible Phone Number and Email on Every Page – This is self-explanatory but I am always surprised when I have to click around to find contact information for an agent on their website. Don’t make it hard for your visitors to contact you. I’m not saying to put your photo on every page, but a phone number and email should be easy to find.

4. Contact Form’s’ - There should be some sort of lead capture on every page. On your content pages make it easy for visitors to get in touch with you about questions or comments. Contact forms (short ones asking for only a name, email, phone and question/comment) can easily be added to your side navigation or at the end of articles.

5. Relocation Packets and Baited Content - Relocation packets, neighborhood resources, in-depth school reports, and useful area information like maps and tourist information area great offers to entice visitors to fill out a contact form.

6. Available Online Agent – We’ve experimented with this in the past with mixed results but it is another avenue to explore. A Google search for “live chat software” brings up a mix of different options that allow your visitors to engage in a live chat or click to call features directly from your site.

7. Newsletter Email Capture – If you are an expert in your area on something it may make sense to begin building your email list for a weekly/monthly newsletter. This can be a great way to reconnect with past visitors and bring them back to your site month after month which can be helpful to increase your site traffic and search rankings. If you are blogging already, the blog posts you are already writing make a good base for your newsletter without the need for much additional content.

8. Social Media Subscriptions - Some visitors to your site may just be browsing content and not in the stage to become a solid lead yet. Give these visitors a way to view your social profiles: Facebook, Twitter, ActiveRain, etc and potentially befriend you, follow you or interact on those platforms. Social networks provide a great opportunity to stay connected to and interact with visitors over time.