Tune-up

TODAY’S
BUYER’S REP
A p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e R e a l E s t a t e B u y e r ’s A g e n t C o u n c i l , I n c .
A w h o l l y - o w n e d s u b s i d i a r y o f t h e N a t i o n a l A s s o c i a t i o n o f R E A LT O R S ®
Decem ber 2015 · Vol um e XXI V · Num ber 12
Marketing
Tune-up
If you’re like most real estate professionals, you already dedicate time and money
to promote your business. But marketing may not be your strongest skill and you
probably wonder how to get more from your efforts. Is your strategy on target?
Are there better ways to execute your plan?
Usually, the best marketing efforts aren’t about discovering a “silver bullet.”
Instead, they require choosing a strategy and a set of tactics that are a good fit
for your market and for your personality. Often, it’s not WHAT you do, but how
well you do it.
There are MANY different ways to market yourself, including advertising,
mailings, e-marketing, social media, networking, and homebuyer seminars, to
name a few. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you need to accomplish every
tactic. Instead of spreading yourself thin, it’s better to concentrate on a small
set of tactics.
If those tactics are also aligned with what you enjoy doing, there’s a much
better chance you’ll stick with your plan. Consistency, after all, is a big part of
the marketing battle.
This issue of Today’s Buyer’s Rep explores ways to sharpen your businessbuilding efforts. Look inside for three examples of agents who are pursuing
different marketing strategies, based on their interests and objectives. Then
consider other ways you can tune up your own marketing plan, plus resources
from REBAC that can support and simplify your efforts.
LOOK INSIDE...
REALTORS® Conference
& Expo Highlights
page 3
Three Marketing Approaches:
Agent Profiles
page 4
6 Ways to Tune Up Your Results
page 7
MEMBERSHIP
UPDATE
Congratulations!
Dues Renewal
Sweepstakes
Winners
Thanks to every member
who already renewed their
REBAC dues, including
these lucky winners of the
dues renewal sweepstakes:
Jackie Spahl, ABR®
WORTH QUOTING...
“Don’t judge each day by the
harvest you reap, but by the
seeds you plant.” Consumer Awareness
Campaign Continues!
REBAC is helping buyers understand the value of buyer representation with
special ads that encourage them to use ABR® designees for their home
buying needs. The ads are appearing on HGTV.com in various formats.
Once clicked, viewers are directed to the consumer area of REBAC.net
where they can access home buying resources and are encouraged to find
an ABR® in their area, using the ABR® membership directory. Originally
scheduled for August through October, the consumer ad campaign was
extended into December.
Charles Stephens, ABR®
Austin, Texas
Bonny Crowley, ABR®
Portland, Oregon
Their prizes? $250 Visa
gift cards! If you haven’t
already renewed your dues,
we hope you’ll stop by
REBAC.net soon. You can
still save 5 percent on
your REBAC membership
when you renew online
by 11:59 pm CST on
January 4, 2016.
Connect online with fellow ABR® designees for news, tips, and referrals!
REBAC.net
@abrebac
TBR • December 2015
2
- Robert Louis Stevenson
Naples, Florida
2
R
C
G
REALTORS®
Conference and Expo
Attendees in the ABR®
Designation Course.
2015 photos
!
Great turnout for the ABR® Designation Course!
John Rosshirt’s colleagues and friends
cheer him on while he accepts his
2015 EverGreen Award.
REBAC Hall of Fame winners pose with their awards.
Left: Victoria Doran
Right: Connie Glass Birnbohm
Not pictured: Sharon Goodin and Krista Shortreed
ABR® Instructors Melanie
McLane and Lynn Madison
ABR® Instructors
Peter West and
Rhonda Ivey-Lentini
ABR® Designees enjoying the reception.
TBR • December 2015
3
Photo Op
Now in his late 20s, Brett lives in and farms a trendy downtown
neighborhood. As a younger agent, he knows he needs to find
ways to stand out in his market. One of his favorite hobbies
is photography. He already shoots his own listing photos,
but would like to use photography to promote his real estate
services. He knows that good images are a natural attentiongetter, but he needs more than interesting photos—he needs
a solid marketing plan that generates leads.
Brett’s Strategy
Key Steps
Social media marketing is increasingly relying on images
for content delivery. Brett’s photos can provide him with
plenty of content, but his results will depend on using them
effectively. That means:
To execute his strategy, Brett takes several steps, including:
Variety — Brett needs a good mixture of photos, including
the properties he represents, but also images of his
neighborhood (storefronts, parks, architectural details,
etc.), special events (outdoor concerts, farmer’s market,
etc.), and people (window-shoppers, street musicians, etc.).
He’ll also want to slip in occasional personal photos (out
with friends, walking his dog, etc.)
1. Expand his photo library. In addition to keeping his
eyes open for impromptu photo opportunities, Brett
schedules an hour each week to head out with his
camera and build his photo collection. (For him, this
feels like protecting time to enjoy a favorite hobby.) He
also schedules time to edit and enhance his photos,
so they’ll look their best on different social media
platforms. (Square photos for Instagram, portrait
orientation for Pinterest, landscape for Facebook.)
Continuity — He’ll be more likely to attract and maintain
followers if he posts on a regular basis, ideally at least once
a day. To make this easier, he’ll use Hootsuite to schedule
several days’ posts at a time, tweaking the companion
text that appears with each image on Pinterest versus
Instagram, for example, to match the conventions of each
platform.
2. Push traffic to his site. Brett’s social media efforts are
much more effective if followers also visit his site.
To encourage this, his profile pages display his real
estate branding elements and he adds links to his site
whenever possible. He also republishes all his photos
on a blog built into his site, adding short keywordbased descriptions so search engines will find and
index his content.
Reach — Brett will be strategic about his posts, putting
a higher priority on content about local businesses that
are already active on social media. He’ll make sure these
businesses see his posts (by tagging them), hoping they’ll
share it with their own followers, expanding his reach. He’ll
also make effective (but not excessive) use of hashtags to
make it easier for people to find him.
3. Supplement with paid ads. To boost his efforts, Brett
decides to make limited use of sponsored ads so he
can increase the likelihood of the right people seeing
his most important posts. (For example, a great photo
of the view from a new listing could be promoted on
Facebook to people ages 25-40 living in his primary
zip code.)
Results
Six months after implementing his plan, traffic to Brett’s site is up 30 percent and several leads have mentioned seeing and liking
his photos. He’s also formed new networking connections with local businesses featured in his images and has already
gotten two referrals from these contacts. In time, he expects his results to grow even stronger.
Note: these articles are written from the point of view of fictionalized real estate agents.
4
TBR • December 2015
Continued on page 6
Content is Still King
Jennifer loves working with first-time buyers, partly
because they’re so excited about owning a home, but
also because they’re an excellent source of repeat
business and referrals. She knows today’s first-time
buyers, primarily Millennials, have lots of questions
and will search online for answers. Sharing good
articles that answer their questions is a great way to
capture their interest. She realizes original articles
are best, but can only commit to spending one or
two hours each week on developing content.
Jennifer’s Strategy
Key Steps
Jennifer’s primary objective is to create content that will
improve traffic to her website and generate more leads,
especially among first-time buyers. To do this, she’ll need:
Jennifer’s most important activities include:
Good Topics/Keywords — Jennifer will develop a list of
potential topics and keywords she thinks local firsttime buyers will be drawn to (using online research and
creative brainstorming), including the names of popular
neighborhoods and buyers’ most frequently-asked questions.
Over time, her results will tell her what works best, so she can
refine this part of her strategy.
Outsourcing — To support her efforts, Jennifer will hire
a part-time assistant with good writing skills and a basic
understanding of real estate topics. She’ll give her assistant a
list of topics and discuss key points for each article over the
phone, then review/edit their drafts. Her assistant will also
help post and distribute the articles.
Leverage — Jennifer wants to get as much mileage as
possible from her content development efforts, which means
finding ways to share her articles beyond her website/blog.
REMINDER!
If you use non-original content (photos,
articles) from other sources, it’s essential
to obtain permission or a license to use
that material. “Sharing” content is fine
(e.g., posting a link to a good article on
your Facebook page), but you can’t “take”
content (e.g., copy/paste someone else’s
article or photo onto your website).
1. Develop an editorial calendar. Mapping out a content
plan is the best way to stay on track. Jennifer starts by
noting upcoming community events (a great option for
adding local content) and other important dates (like an
article on homeowner tax credits leading up to April 15).
She fills out the rest of her plan with a mixture of other
interesting topics geared to first-time buyers.
2. Use multiple distribution channels. Each of Jennifer’s
articles are published on her website (on a blog) so her
site directly benefits from stronger search engine results.
She also shares each article via her social media business
accounts and republishes them in their entirety on her
personal LinkedIn profile. Additionally, she distributes
each article as the lead story in her emailed newsletter,
followed by links to three good articles published by
other sources.
3. Create an e-book. At some point in the future, Jennifer
will compile her most popular posts for first-time buyers
into a downloadable e-book (a free download, but
requiring an email address). In this way, she’ll have an
even stronger tool for capturing solid buyer leads from
her website.
Results
Four months into her new content publishing program, Jennifer’s
website traffic is up 50 percent, driven almost entirely by the new
articles she’s posting. (Her website analytics program also tells
her which keywords are generating the most traffic and helps
her refine future article topics.) So far, she’s received 20
percent more buyer inquiries. She’s also getting more direct
interaction with buyers on her blog. Jennifer is confident that
her strategy is on track and will improve further with time.
TBR • December 2015
5
Meeting the Right People
6
Laura’s suburban market includes a strong tech corridor
that attracts out-of-town employees. Numerous
buildings along the Interstate are branches of larger
corporations, including U.S. operations for several
foreign companies. She’s always been extremely
organized, making her a good candidate for corporate
relocations, but she realizes she’ll need to beef up her
connections with HR departments and related service
providers in order to earn new relocation business.
Laura’s Strategy
Laura decides to shape her strategy around these three
priorities:
Networking — Even though Laura has a solid track record as
a real estate professional, she lacks good relocation-related
contacts. She’ll need to establish several different types
of connections utilizing various networking approaches.
Face-to-face contact in business and social settings is her
top priority, but she’ll also investigate online networking
opportunities.
Consistency — Her business-building strategy will only
be effective if she maintains regular contact with her
professional network. In addition to scheduling opportunities
to connect (attending various functions, making
appointments, sending emails, etc.) she also needs to pay
attention to helpful information she can pass along to others,
which always makes a positive impression.
Systems — In addition to honing her systems for working
with buyer-clients (so her corporate HR contacts are
consistently hearing good things), Laura will need systems
to keep her own networking efforts equally on track. (See the
October 2015 issue of Today’s Buyer’s Rep for lots of tips on
building effective systems.)
Key Steps
To launch her strategy, Laura initially concentrates on three
steps:
1. Monthly visits to Human Resource departments. Laura
prepares and personally delivers real estate market
updates to the offices of her corporate targets. Her
market updates include pricing trends, other key data,
6
TBR • December 2015
1
2
and examples of interesting recently-sold properties.
The last page is an attractive summary of her relocation
services. After dropping off the report (this personal
contact occasionally triggers impromptu meetings) she
follows up with a PDF version attached to an email,
which makes it easier for her contacts to share her
updates with employees.
3
2. Join a Corporate Relocation Council. On the Worldwide
ERC (Employee Relocation Council) website, Laura
learns that a regional council covers her area. (Go
to tinyurl.com/TBR-WW-ERC for a complete list of
chapters.) She joins the group and starts attending
meetings, planning to sign up for one of their
committees so she can make even stronger connections
with relocation-related professionals.
3. More networking. Since Laura is the only agent within
her brokerage focused on relocation, she also works on
establishing contacts with numerous other resources her
buyers may need, like temporary housing, transportation,
and storage solutions. Having these added resources—
and discussing them with her corporate contacts—goes
a long way towards earning their confidence. Plus, these
secondary contacts may become valuable
referral sources.
A
S
Results
REBAC-homebuyers-handbookFIN.indd
Five months into launching her networking strategy, Laura is
seeing solid results. She’s gotten lots of positive feedback
on her market reports. Two companies have already sent her
transferring buyer-clients and two more have approached
her about their upcoming needs. She also joined the
communications committee of her relocation council, which
has greatly expanded her contacts with related professionals.
Laura feels confident that she’s meeting the right people and
building a solid base for future business.
1
e
6 Ways to Tune Up Your Results
1.
Know your audience. You’ll see much better results if
you consider every marketing tactic from your buyers’
perspectives. Instead of thinking about what you want
to TELL them, focus on what they want to KNOW. In
their eyes, this helps you come across as someone who
understands them, rather than someone who wants to
“sell” them.
2. Know where to find them. Strategize how you can
pinpoint where your buyers spend their time (which
businesses they frequent, what activities they enjoy,
which social media sites they prefer, etc.), and you’ll
be able to sharpen your tactics and eliminate wasted
marketing dollars. Online ads, for example, can be
honed to specific demographics, often including age,
location, marital status, hobbies, and income.
3. Have a plan. Don’t wing it. Your marketing plan should
be committed to writing and include a calendar of key
activities. This is the best way to maintain consistency
and maximize results. Too often, agents don’t stick to a
plan long enough for it to bear fruit.
Get help. Ideally, your marketing plan will be based on
activities you enjoy doing yourself. Realistically, you’ll
probably need a helping hand to set things up correctly
and complete some tasks. For example, a good website
programmer can set up your blog to optimize search
engine results and teach you the best way to post
content. It’s money well spent.
5. Measure results. The best way to improve your
results over time is to monitor your efforts and make
appropriate adjustments. Include a monthly review of
results in your marketing plan so this also becomes a
regular habit.
6.
Mimic the pros. Pay attention to the websites you visit,
the emails you receive, and other marketing tactics.
Whose material appears fresh and attractive? Why? Like
wardrobes, marketing follows various trends. Study the
best examples (particularly in the real estate industry)
and commit to periodic updates of your own marketing
components so you project the most professional
appearance possible.
REBAC’s Marketing Resources
Did you know REBAC offers numerous tools that provide helpful shortcuts?
Visit the Member Center at REBAC.net to find these and other resources:
,
d
4.
A 4-Step Guide for
Successful Home Buyer Seminars
Marketing materials — postcards, flyers
and brochures available in several
themes, with customization options.
What How
Buyer
to Develop,
sPromote
Shou
and Present
ld Know About
Home Buyer Seminars
Property Portals
If you’re like most buyers, you probably
started your home search online.
What you’ve
found, however, may have raised
more questions than answers. That’s
because various
consumer-oriented portals operate
in very different ways and produce
very different
results. Understanding the nuts and
bolts of how listings are published
online will help
you gain access to the most complete
and accurate information.
THE SYNDICATION PROCESS
REBAC-homebuyers-handbookFIN.indd
1
A seller’s agent starts the home marketing
process by creating a
“listing” that includes key details
and selling points, as well as
photos. This information is usually
entered into the local multiple
listing service (MLS). All agents within
that MLS share access to
the most current details on every
listing and may, depending on
rule requirements, republish listings
on their own websites.
How Listings are Published Online
Because seller’s agents want their
properties to be seen by as
many consumers as possible, they
typically use syndication
services to republish listings on various
consumer sites. Even
though the listing agent created the
original content, their ability
to control future updates may be
hit or miss. Additionally, some
consumer sites sell listing information
to other sites, in a
process called resyndication, creating
further distance from the
original source.
IMPROVING YOUR RESULTS
Portals are hungry for as many listings
and as much content as
possible—that’s how they attract
visitors. But they may be less
interested in, or capable of, keeping
their content up-to-date. As
a result, buyers often find properties
that are no longer available
for sale or otherwise inaccurate details,
such as estimated values.
5/1/13 2:36Agent
PM
Listing
Published in
Local MLS
Creates Listing
Syndication Services
Listing Published
on Agent(s)
Websites(s)
Consumer Property Sites
Resyndication - Listing Published
on
More Consumer Property Sites
THE SOLUTION?
Work with and rely on a source who
can offer the most current and accurate
information. Your buyer’s agent has
access to the most complete inventory
real-time
of homes for sale, along with the
most timely details on prices, market
comparable sales, etc. Many buyer’s
status,
agents can also give their clients
access to proprietary tools that provide
updates on qualified properties.
emailed
If your only option is a portal, rely
on realtor.com®, which is more closely
integrated with the MLS system than
property sites and does the best job
other
of providing consumers timely, accurate
listing data.
The Accredited Buyer’s Representative
(ABR®) designation is awarded by
the Real Estate Buyer’s
Agent Council (REBAC), a subsidiary
of the National Association of REALTORS®
(NAR).
To learn more about REBAC and
access various home buyer resources,
please visit REBAC.net.
TBR • TBR
September
• May 2015
2014
7
Consumer one-sheets — 35 different
topics to add to your buyer packets
or to supplement your content
marketing efforts.
ABR® Facebook business
splash page — tell the world about
your ABR® designation by installing
this special tab on your Facebook
(business or group) page.
Consumer videos — add visual
pizzazz and explain the value of your
ABR® designation by embedding a
90-second video on your website,
your social media profiles, or other
media channels.
Networking tools — including the ABR®
Online Referral Network, the ABR®
Referrals & Networking Facebook
Group, and the “Find a Buyer’s Rep”
Referral Database.
TBR
TBR•••TBR
September
December
2015
TBR
September
• May 2014
7
Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council, Inc.
430 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
1-800-648-6224
[email protected]
TODAY’S
BUYER’S REP
December 2015 · Volume XXIV · Number 12
Renew Online by January 4, 2016 for Early Discounts
As 2015 draws to a close, we hope you’ll take a moment to reflect on this
past year, including the value of your REBAC membership. Please don’t
forget to renew your dues.
!
w
o
N
We’re proud of all the benefits we’re able to offer you as a
REBAC member, as well as the fact that membership dues have
remained at their current level since 1996, while the number
and quality of member benefits have consistently improved.
Renew your membership online by 11:59 pm CST on January 4,
2016, and receive 5 percent off your REBAC membership. Renew
today at REBAC.net.
We look forward to helping you make 2016 your most prosperous year.