Resourceful Marketing for REALTORS®

Resourceful Marketingfor REALTORS®

By G. SaxCommunications Manager

Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS®

The Impetus

Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59.6%

Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.7%Business Development . . . 51.1%

“I ain’t got time for all that.”

I need to be selling, like, NOW!

How much is this sh*t gonna cost me?

The last thing you think about.

Marketing

The first thing to go.

Design / Designer

Print / Printer

Photography / Photographer

Copy / Copywriter

Software

Color Printer

Scanner

Film

Paper

Ink

Mailing lists

Memberships

Car / Gas

$pend, $pend, $pend!Postage

Ad Space

Domain Name / Emails

Server Space for Website

Web Design

Staging

Promotional Products

Closing Gifts

Annual Customer Party

Cards for Special Events

Meals with Clients/Contacts

Tickets to Events

Clothing

Signs and Riders

Continuing Education

Professional Development

Lockbox Fees

Association Dues

Not to Mention...

Ad Rates

Not Tens or Hundreds,

But Thousandsof Dollars

Real Estateis Local

Guiding Principle

Visuals Matter

Guiding Principle

VISUALS + DETAILS

Guiding Principle

Today in the Market

Reacting to the Now

Hyperlocality

AvailabilityDistribute.Distribute.Distribute.

Guiding Principle

Client Consultation

Blogs and Websites

Social Networking

We Give, You Interpret

Stay Current, Relevant

Ways to Use

Example of Fast Sharing

Spelling matters!

Good phonemanner.

Be pleasant andclear in voice.

“ummm...”

Your email has

a voice, too.

Communication

The Tools of Communication“Mobile devices”

Text

Website

e-newsletters

Photos

Blog

Video

Status updates

Tweets

Networking

Brand

Swanepoel’sTREND 7

Info Hwy Congestion

“I don’t need a million answers.I just want the good ones.”

– WebMD Ad

Clear the Congestion

Embrace the Basics

93% of all home buyers in Minnesota used the Internet to search for homes (87% nationally).

The typical first-time home buyer was 28 years old. The median age of all home buyers was 34 years old.

2008 National Association of REALTORS®Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

MINNESOTA REPORT

The Interweb is #1!

Embrace Free

BLOGTypepad | Wordpress

E-NEWSLETTERMad Mimi | Constant Contact | MailChimp

YOUR ASSOCIATIONMAAR | NMRA | SPAAR | MNAR | NAR

Embrace “Free”

Embrace Fun

Embrace New (be picky)Issuu.com self-publish magazines

ViralHeat.com monitor your reputation on social media

Drop.io share files that are too large to e-mail

Jimdo.com build and host a Web site at no cost

ScreenToaster.com record videos of your screen activity free

99designs.com bid out graphics projects to multiple artists

awayfind.com important emails by text

goldmail.com simple video email; voiceover ppt

getdropbox.com send large photos and files free (up to 2 GB)

Embrace Flash Drives

Embrace Simple

a simple text editor goes a

long way

Embrace “Good Enough”

craigslist

Flip

netbook

Google Docs

microblogging

apps

mp3

web-based

Your WebsiteShould minimally have...

Property photos and descriptions

Searchable listings

Current and working links

Solid organizational structure

Consistency across the board

Quickness of navigation

REALTOR® Magazine Online

Your WebsiteDon't rely on a flat website.

Tell personal stories that turn your visitors into clients.

Be yourself.

Don't be trite. (Same for Facebook)

Don't "sell." Be cool.

Real Estate 2.0

Social MediaIt’s just a tool.

It takes a strategy.

It takes active participation.

It can be whatever you want it to be.

It can be nothing at all if you want, but...

On average, companies with high levels of social media activity experienced an 18% increase in revenue in the last year.

– American Marketing Association

Social Media

National Associaton of REALTORS® – 2009 REALTOR® Technology Report

Social Media

Facebook's Growing Demographic

– more people to find

– aren't out as much

– love to show off kids and grandkids

In a "face" industry,why wouldn't you be here?

The example with the ring.

The example with the beer.

The example with the IRL.

* Tweet *

Ummm.....wow

In August 2009, Twitter drew 25 million unique visitors, up from 2 million in August 2008.

– Nielsen

The technical barrier is down.

Big PotentialMagazines and newspapers talk at you

Websites talk at you electronically

Blogs talk at you electronically, you talk back

Facebook – organized, interactive group talk

Twitter – all of the above in 140 characters or less.

Engage

Expand your network.

Learn from others.

Quickly and all the time.

Twitterverse

@aplusk (yawwwnnn)

@Oprah | @MarthaStewart | @TheEllenShow

@Swanepoel | @tcar | @tboard | @gsax

Twitterverse

@tboard

Saint Paul Real Estate Blog

Blogger

Writer

Photographer

REALTOR®

And I am here

Twitterverse

@tcar

NAR Director of Social Media

He changed relationship status to single

He sprained his ankle

He cut his hand opening a blister pack

He ate Cheetos

Twitterverse

@respres

I Don’t Know What He Does

But he is deeply involved in real estate

He is interesting, engaging, and nice

He is ahead of the pack on most things

He is eloquent as hell

* Tweet *

www.mytechopinion.com/twitter-for-real-estate-twits

Social Cewebrity

Susan Boyle: 113 million impressions...and counting

Social Cewebrity

JK Wedding Entrance Dance:36 million impressions...and counting

Case Study – Jimmy Fallon

@jimmyfallonForget Leno & Letterman. They’re old.

Even Conan’s a Twitter hater. I’m old.

Social RealityChamber of Commerce Events

Community Involvement

Tweet Ups, Networking Events

Association Involvement

YOU STILL HAVE TOGET OUT THERE

Social EvolutionHorses

Print

Radio

TV

We Change the WayWe Use These Things

Computers

Internet

Blogs

Tweets

Social Evolution

Millennial (Gen Y, Echo Boomer)Born after 1980.Already outnumber Gen X.By 2010, will outnumber Boomers.

Do not discount their choices.

Overheard

“Visibility is more

important than ability.

Secret agents don’t do

a lot of business.”

“Touch” now means...

Email style, availability

Text style, availability

Twitter, Facebook update frequency

Quality and weight of paper stock

Your business cards

Communication Touch

one or two sides?

gloss or no gloss?

need for email, web, other?

designations?

imagery?

photos?

Business Cards

Business Photos

must be truthful and accurate

company name in all marketing

teams: only “group” or “team”

company name larger than team

individual name can be larger

Communication Ethics

company website in marketing

no rules for listed phone numbers

must include name of state

listed price only price you can use

Communication Ethics

That’s all well and good, but...

My Ideal Business Card

Greg Sax

gregs@mplsrealtor.com

@gsax

I often go by G. Sax

Postcards & Info Boxes

Open Houses

Bus Benches, Billboards

Print, Fax...Dead?

Learn, Try, Do

Be Creative, Have Fun

Beyond the Business Card

Be consistent.

(Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act of 2003)

CAN-SPAM

You must allow for opt-out.

You must provide a legitimate address.

Subject headers must be about the content.

10 days to take care of opt-out requests.

Communication Smell TestIf you smell like spam,

you're better off working for Hormel.

Take initiative

Pitch to the right people

Be factual

Tell a good story

Keep in contact

Be available

Say “I don’t know”

Attracting AttentionREALTOR® Magazine

Mariwyn Evans | August 2008

PR – Hey, It’s Like Sales!

PRContact: Greg Sax, Communications ManagerMinneapolis Area Association of REALTORS®gregs@mplsrealtor.com, 952.988.3123

Number of lender-mediated homes for sale dropsQ3 2009 Update to "Foreclosures and Short Sales" report released by MAAR

Minneapolis, Minnesota (November 6, 2009) – After four years of exponential growth, the number of lender-mediated properties for sale dropped by more than 1,200 units from February 1 to April 1 of 2009. The decline is even more impressive considering that the spring market typically sees an increase in the number of homes for sale.

Lender-mediated home values are dropping quickly, while traditional homes are fairing better. The median sales price of lender-mediated homes in Q1 2009 was $122,900, a decrease of 21.7 percent from the same time last year. The median sales price for traditional homes was $212,000, a drop of a quieter 3.6 percent.

For Q1 2009, 36.1 percent of new listings and 58.8 percent of closed sales were lender-mediated. Declining activity in both supply and demand in the traditional, non-lender-mediated market, means that foreclosures and short sales will continue to hold a heavy market share throughout 2009.

The five-page "Foreclosures and Short Sales" report for Q1 2009 can be found on the Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS®website at www.mplsrealtor.com and includes more analysis and an explanation of the research methodology.

Established in 1887, the Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS® (MAAR) is the leading regional advocate and provider of information services, research and education on the real estate industry for brokers, real estate professionals and the public. With more than 8,500 members, MAAR is one of the 25 largest local REALTOR® associations in the nation and serves the Twin Cities 13-county metro area and western Wisconsin.

###

For interviews, contact Greg SaxCommunications Manager, 10K Researchgregs@10kresearch.com, 952.988.3123

The “F” Word Loses PluckQ3 2009 Update to "Foreclosures and Short Sales" report out now

Minneapolis, Minnesota (September 16, 2009) – After four years of exponential growth, the number of lender-mediated properties for sale dropped by more than 1,200 units from July 1 to August 1 of 2009. The decline is even more impressive considering that the spring market typically sees an increase in the number of homes for sale.

Lender-mediated home values are dropping quickly, while traditional homes are fairing better. The median sales price of lender-mediated homes in Q1 2009 was $122,900, a decrease of 21.7 percent from the same time last year. The median sales price for traditional homes was $212,000, a drop of a quieter 3.6 percent.

For Q1 2009, 36.1 percent of new listings and 58.8 percent of closed sales were lender-mediated. Declining activity in both supply and demand in the traditional, non-lender-mediated market, means that foreclosures and short sales will continue to hold a heavy market share throughout 2009.

The five-page "Foreclosures and Short Sales" report for Q3 2009 is online. Google “10K Research.”

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Attracting Media1. Be professional

2. Have pizazz

3. Be reliable and reachable

4. Have a catchy draw-in

5. One page news release (max)6. Work with your association

BrandBrand Consistency

Brand Identity

Brand Ubiquity

Brand Rethink

Brand Perception

Advil | Ibuprofen

Tylenol | Acetaminophen

REALTOR® | For Sale by Owner

Brand Personality

Brand Personalitythe you in a suitthe you in the neighborhoodthe you in the community

the online photos of youthe Googled youthe Facebook youthe LinkedIn youthe blog youthe Twitter youthe rated you

AND NOW...

Focus: The Rated YouYelp! – restaurants & more

Redfin – agents

IncredibleAgents – REALTOR® created

United Airlines

Brand: Integration

YOUYOUR BROKER

Brand: Case Studies

Plus Other Examples

Brand Safety

No alluring or provocative photography

Limit shared personal information

Concentrate on professional proficiency

Maintain care with new clients

Real Estate Safety Council’s “Safety Guide”City of Mesa, AZ, Realtytimes.com

Nevada County Board of REALTORS®

Bad PR?

“This is not a joke. Before I ever got into real estate, I had very little respect for the profession.

Give me a call and I'll tell you all about it.”

Ask me about the PHX example.

Bad PR?

Is now a good time to buy a home in Phoenix?

I don't know. Maybe, maybe not.

Is now a good time to sell a home in Phoenix?

I'll give you a hint —

maybe, maybe not.

Thank You for Your Time!

By G. SaxCommunications Manager

Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS®