Knowing a thing or two about the basics of technology is smart business because chances are that’s what most clients these days have come to expect.
Whether it’s transmitting photos on your smart phone, blogging about the town in which you work or posting open house notices and mortgage rates on your website, there are plenty of ways to be technologically savvy without scaring people off. Remember, it’s good to be up on the latest technology, but don’t be a geek about it. Survey after survey shows that clients typically start shopping for homes and mortgages online so let’s start there.
By all accounts, you’re missing out if you don’t have an online presence.
“Over the next decade, the people being high producers are the ones investing in an online presence,” says Drew Meyers, an online marketing strategist who specializes in marketing to those in the real estate industry. “It’s an investment.”
But having an attractive, well-written website isn’t always enough. You need to drive traffic to your website and that, according to Meyers, is generally done through one of three ways:
1. Organically through searches on Google or Yahoo
2. Paid advertising
3. Offline marketing such as business cards
Blogging is a great way to invest in your web potential, but don’t expect it to be a magic pill. There’s no such thing, says Meyers, who’s been blogging five years.
“My blogging brings me all types of opportunities,” he says. “That’s five or six years of work to get to that point. Everyone is looking for silver bullet and it doesn’t exist. From the successful agents I’ve talked to it takes two or three years of blogging before you end up in a really good position for yourself.”
When it comes to blog content, don’t over think it and become incapacitated by fear or indecision. As the old saying goes, write about what you know. Begin by writing about the questions you’re typically asked by clients, says Daniel Rothamel, a Virginia realtor who specializes in technology for the real estate profession.
“Start with the questions you get on a regular basis,” says Rothamel. “Always go deep, not wide. Don’t feel you have to do everything. Do a couple of things really well. Sometimes agents think they need to do Twitter, blogging and Facebook. Just pick two or three things and do them really well.”
While it may require some heavy lifting at first, try to learn to write engaging copy, advises Rothamel. There are plenty of free resources to help you do that.
“With email marketing you want to be effective at it,” he says. “You don’t want to be terrible.”
Veteran Calgary realtor Dave Kube can’t live without his smart phone, an iPhone 4, which has replaced the big binder and briefcase he used to carry. The contact management system in Kube’s phone keeps him up-to-date with his appointments and clients. His phone allows him to read faxes, to open lock boxes thanks to Supra’s eKEY application, and he’s able to record his video blogs right from his iPhone.
“Technology has made our life so much simpler,” says Kube whose Facebook business page is called Tech Savvy Canuck Real Estate Agent. “Real estate as we know it has changed immensely. I used to go in to my real estate office every day and look at houses every morning. Now, with technology, we don’t do that and in fact most don’t need an office and we don’t even need one in home. “
Texting is a great time saver and it’s something Kube enjoys doing while he’s doing something else. In real estate for 33 years, Kube enjoys conversations with other vets who get a kick out of acknowledging how their business has changed. While Kube suspects technology has made his industry a little more impersonal, he thinks how consumers are assisted with it outweighs any down side.
“Consumers can stay up to date and see pictures of the exterior and interior of houses and find exactly where a house is thanks to maps. Even when I’m writing an offer I’ll get on my computer and write up the offer and then I email it to them and they’ll print it off sign it an d fax it back to me and you forward to the realtor and he forwards it to his clients and it goes back and forth that way. In the old days, there was lots of driving around. Now you can deal with a realtor and never meet them. There are a lot of realtors I’ve never met.”
Dropbox, (http://www.dropbox.com/) which is cloud-based file storage and backup, is handy as it allows Kube to save his work to each application he works on – his desktop computer, iPhone, iPad and laptop. “As soon as I save it to one of those, it goes to all four.”
Dropbox allows agents to upload large files for secure download by anyone they choose. Large purchase and sales files no longer need to eat up valuable memory on your computer’s hard drive.
In the past two to three years, Kube has been using social media sites to farm an area in Calgary in which he’d like to increase his business. He started a business page on Facebook called Discovery Ridge Lifestyle in an effort to target the faces places and spaces of this area and already he’s realizing some success with it.
“I always hear people say you’re wasting your time with social media and I would say that is totally wrong,” Kube says. “Real estate is about relationships and what better way to form a relationship with someone than through social media.”
Calgary realtor Kelley Skar learned a lesson the hard way after using social media sites heavily early in his career. Spending four or five hours each day on Twitter and Facebook, taping videos and blogging in an attempt to grow his practice, Skar’s efforts ended up having the opposite effect.
“I fell into a trap and started to spend too much time on social media so my business started suffering toward the end of last year,” recalls Skar. “Going into 2011 I decided I needed a more targeted plan. My business suffered because I spent so much time learning, absorbing and interacting with the social sphere.”
Today, Skar spends about two hours each day on social media. His renewed business strategy is paying off and about 60 per cent of his sales are from social media.
“The biggest problem right now in the real estate industry is new realtors expecting social media to be some sort of magic potion,” he says. “They think they will start seeing a major return on their investment. It doesn’t work like that. It’s like any other networking event that you go to. I would liken it to going to a young professionals networking event, handing out cards and meeting a bunch of people. Will those people call you next day? Probably not. The only thing that’s different is that it’s digital.”
In 2010, Jordan Nilsen, a Washington-based digital marketing and SEO strategist, developed www.REtechy.com, which has become a popular real estate technology blog. The following are a few of his must-have hardware and software items:
HD (Video) Camera – Nilsen believes if you’re not using HD you’re doing your clients a disservice. “I’m a huge fan of compact HD cameras that I can carry in my pocket – as a blogger, my posts are more compelling when I can include photos – and you never know when you’ll see something interesting. Video is fast emerging as an expected marketing tool.”
iPad – The number of real estate related apps being developed for the iPad are worth noting, he says. Its practical applications are limitless: use it as a digital sign-in sheet for open houses, search the MLS, blog, and more.
GPS – Nothing is worse than getting lost with clients in your car.
When it comes to software, Nilsen top picks include:
Basecamp – This listing management software (http://basecamphq.com/) allows you to consolidate client lists, files and schedules in an online platform that allows you to access from anywhere, including your phone. Basecamp mobile is especially made for popular mobile devices like iPhone and Android. “I like the fact there are no apps required. You just visit basecamphq.com on your phone’s browser, and you’re good to go.”
Evernote – (http://www.evernote.com/). Evernote is the ultimate digital notepad. Nilsen used to keep notes (from calls, meetings, seminars) in his fancy notebook until he realized the benefits of being able to share notes with staff, sync notes to his mobile phone, attach emails from Outlook, and add images.
MailChimp – This free email marketing tool (http://mailchimp.com/) beats the expense and labour of direct mail in numerous ways: it can be automated, emails are easy to duplicate and the reporting provides insights into who’s clicking and what they are clicking on.
Picnik – This free online photo editing (http://www.picnik.com/) site lets you pretty up your photos before uploading to online real estate sites or creating flyers. “Not many of us can afford to spend $700 for Photoshop, nor have three days just to read the manual,” Nilsen says. “Picnik is a powerful web-based photo editor with all the basic functions agents need: resizing, rotating, cropping, and red-eye removal. “
What aspects of technology can’t you live without in your day-to-day business? Know of any little-known tech wonders that have made your life much easier? How about software or apps? Is there anyone out there still kicking it old school? We’d love to hear your stories.
