Gary Vaynerchuk sounds off for 120 seconds on the fact that our technology is moving so fast that “anything you do is going to be known”. Take a moment to watch this video, I think he is on the right track.
Kelvin Humenny of North Vancouver has created inHabit which designs, builds and installs small prefabricated dwellings for art, music, work and living. Could be a good for a place like Whistler or a cabin that is in need of an extra room.
Seth Godin recorded a podcast with a few big name authors the other day. Definitely worth the time to listen. Along with Seth is Chris Anderson the author of The Long Tail, Tim Ferris the author of the Four Hour Work Week and John Jantsch.
(click on the play button to listen - no software needed to hear podcast)
boomp3.com
Think ActiveRain, Trulia Voices, Zillow Discussions but then take out the broad nature of those sites and you have MyRealPlace.com. MyRealPlace.com is a “complete realty resource for buyers, sellers, investors and realty professionals” specifically targeting the lower mainland of British Columbia. I met with co-founder Jonathan Lyon yesterday and discussed his new business. They are quite new (June 07) and seem to have quite a few users. Take a moment to check out their site and let me know what you think - just add comments to this post. Maybe having a real estate community website super focused on a specific area is the future.
Our pal Shane Gibson has posted some sales help videos on his sales blog (http://www.salesacademy.ca) Check them out. Shane has lots of interesting things to say and many helpful tips for those who want a hand in the sales world. Shane has also been a speaker at our Vancouver Real Estate Technology Meetup.
Jordan Behan the President of TellTenFriends.com posted a list of tasks you can do to create some buzz marketing around your business. He has even promised to complete the list personally for his business. Here is the list from Jordan’s site (via Ron McDaniel):
1. Email an Old Friend or Acquaintance
2. Contact a Stale Connection
3. Email Extended Family
4. Call Someone You Have Never Talked To
5. Congratulations Call or Note
6. Send a Surprise Letter
7. Any Day Card
8. Mail a News Clipping
9. Social Networking
10. Online Directory
11. Squidoo Expert Lens
12. Tag Your Website or Blog
13. Blog/Message Board Comment
14. Join/Participate in an Online Group
15. Talk to a New Person in Person
16. Contact a Reporter or Writer
17. Contact an Old Employer/Employee
18. Customer Follow-up
19. Call/Email a Person You Respect
20. Mini Announcements
21. Digg Your Site
22. Flickr Fun
23. Personal Success Email List
24. Did You Know? - Trivia
25. Instant Messaging
26. Text Messaging
27. Email a Useful Link to Someone
28. Testimonials
29. Celebrate Success
30. Write a Blog
31. Have a “Get To Know You” Meal
32. Host a Dinner Party
33. Arrange a Networking Lunch
34. Publish an Article
35. Meet More Neighbors
36. Send a Press Release
37. Give a Speech
38. Volunteer
39. Online Interview/Podcast
40. Conduct a Survey
41. Local Government Involvement
42. Open House
43. Interview a Leader
44. YouTube.com
45. Meet Business Neighbors
46. eNewsletter or Newsletter
47. Produce an eBook
48. Nominate an Organization
49. Challenge a Coworker to a Buzz-Off
50. Podcast Show
51. Host a Seminar or Training Session
52. Unexpected Booth
53. Organize a Group
54. Become a Board Member
55. Conduct a Focus Group/Roundtable
56. Conduct a Customer Contest
57. Organize a Charitable Event
For more information feel free to contact Jordan directly as I’m sure he would be pleased to speak with you about buzz marketing and how you can take it to the next level for your business.
Jordan Behan
778-840-TELL(8355)
jordan[at]telltenfriends.com
www.telltenfriends.com
Redfin.com points out the dos and don’ts of real estate listing descriptions. Articles in the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post give a few examples as well.
Worth taking a look at these articles especially if you have ever written “must see!”, “an overabundance of exclamation points” or “new paint” within your listing description.
There was an article in yesterday’s Vancouver Sun about which words in a listing description help and which hurt. It was an interesting article about the use of specific words and how they can impact the sale of a home. You can read the full article here (c/o LA Times via the Houston Chronicle - not the Vancouver Sun).
I have spoken about agents providing value and not just data…. this is a great example of the value of a real estate agent. Anyone can write a description of a house. But a real estate agent should provide value in writing a description of a house that is using stats and facts like the ones in this article so that the home sells faster and for its full value.
Those that help
•Handyman special
•Curb appeal
•Move-in condition
•Landscaping
•Granite
•Gourmet
•Golf
Those that hurt
•Motivated seller
•Good value
•As-is
•Clean
•Quiet
•New paint
On a side note and I think a good example of having information available on the internet for all to see. I was trying to find this article on VancouverSun.com but for some reason it is not there. (I’m not sure why, maybe they only have the rights to use it in the newspaper and not on the internet.) Either way, it took me less than 2 seconds to Google the authors name and find the exact same article but on the LA Times website. So I linked this blog post there.
Why does this matter to you? Well, I run into agents all the time that want to limit the information they put on the internet thinking it will bring them a “lead” when that person has to call or email to get the details they want. I suggest to you that you are actually losing that lead by doing this. A simple Google search for the address, building name, mls#, etc will most likely provide the information that the searcher is looking for - and it won’t be your website they end up on!
I see so many emails that have poor or non-existent email signatures. Your email signature is a very important marketing tool and there are so many agents who do not use it correctly, or even at all. Now, there is no right or wrong, but here is what I think…
Here is a bad example:
Stephen P. Jagger
Founding Partner
Combustion Labs Media Inc.
www.ubertor.com
email: steve@ubertor.comDirect Line: 604-537-4548
Fax: 604-608-3418
Here is a better example:
Stephen P. Jagger
Founding Partner
Combustion Labs Media Inc.
http://www.ubertor.com
email: steve@ubertor.comDirect Line: 604-537-4548
Fax: 604-608-3418Our Real Estate Blog: http://ubertor.com/blog/
Customer Service Website: http://support.ubertor.com
Live Chat: http://www.livehelp.ubertor.com/
Notice that at the very least the links are linked. There is nothing worse than thinking you want to go to the email senders website and then having to cut and paste the link from their email. It should be as simple as a click. Make sure you put the http:// in front of your web address. (this is especially annoying to see in craigslist when you want to see more photos and the website is not a link)
Other ideas to add to your email signature:
- your website
- your direct phone number
- your blog
- brief info about your newest listing
- a quote (not my favorite, but sometimes can be effective)
