BloodhoundBlog

There’s always something to howl about.

Category: Marketing (page 73 of 191)

May 12, 2008

Using YouTube video cameras to create text plus video landing pages

by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

Hunter Jackson of IBlogColumbia.com wrote to me yesterday about the possibility of doing video testimonials with the RCA Small Wonder, a CMOS-based video camera like the Flip Camera we discussed a few days ago. Like the Flip, the Small Wonder has a built-in USB connector, and it also uses AA batteries for maximum uptime. Some users have had complaints about video quality, especially in low light, but a very cool feature of the Small Wonder is its ability to use 2 GB SD cards for storage. Each card holds up to four hours of video, so you can either just keep shooting, or you can record onto one card while you’re uploading your videos on another.

The cost? Ninety bucks at Amazon.com.

Here is Hunter’s first chapter of a video diary of a home-buyer’s journey through the escrow process:

This works as a blog post, or as a series of posts, but the video can also be blended together with interstitial text to create something like the Realty Reality posts I used to do, but with video instead of photos for the illustrations.

I’m short on time to play with this, but I think this may be a very effective way to integrate video into real estate web sites: Text plus video landing pages.

Technorati Tags: , , , , ,

May 12, 2008

UNCHAINED PodCatcher: May 12, 2008

by

Commercial Real Estate Finance Expert
Structured Debt and Equity
Licensed Real Estate Broker in AL, CA, and FL

Author website

I’m going to start offering a little update on BloodhoundBlog. I’ve been spending a bunch of time listening to podcasts about social media marketing, to prepare for UNCHAINED. I thought I’d start sharing a few of them with you. Here is what I listened to, last week:

Real Estate Radio USA did two great interviews :

Laura “@Pistachio” Fitton discussed how to use social media in your business. Laura is the foremost authority on Twitter and goes by the handle @Pistachio. This is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you’re attending UNCHAINED.

Travis Greenlee owns a solo practitioner marketing business. His social media marketing tips are a must for the folks who work out of their home (sound like you?).

MediaBlather gives us “How to Promote Your Blog” (Paul Gillin, author of The New Influencers hosts this weblog with David Strom). They also hosted @Pistachio in a topical interview about Twitter

Download, strap on the headphones, and jump on the treadmill. These will keep you busy for about 2 hours.

May 12, 2008

Are you an investor looking for a rental home that will stay rented? Buy a home that’s worth living in

by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

This is my column for this week from the Arizona Republic (permanent link). I wrote this last Tuesday, but it coincides nicely with Barry’s post this morning.

 
Are you an investor looking for a rental home that will stay rented? Buy a home that’s worth living in

I represented tenants for my first two years as a real estate licensee. Working with tenants didn’t pay very well, but it was a good way to get a lot of real estate experience very fast. Gradually I started working with home buyers, and then with home sellers. By now, I only work with tenants as a courtesy. It still doesn’t pay very well.

But in those two years, I saw an awful lot of rental homes. Or, more precisely, a lot of awful rental homes. Again and again, I would find myself wondering why anyone would think a particular house would be appealing to tenants. Not just the condition of the property, often atrocious, but simply the location itself. It’s astounding to me how many vacant rentals are situated nowhere near where tenants might want to live.

In the years since then, I’ve represented a huge number of investors. Market conditions haven’t been kind to them lately, but Phoenix is once again a market ripe for landlords. Prices are low and cash flows are positive. If landlords buy the right properties to use as rentals, the homes should rent quickly and stay rented.

So which homes will work best as rentals?

I’m looking for a home in a built-out suburb. Buckeye is a bargain for owner-occupants, but why would tenants move to a town with no employment base? What I want are jobs, schools, shopping and entertainment, all nearby, with decent freeway and bus access. I want a north-facing home; tenants read their power bills, too.

Am I looking for the cheapest house? No. Price matters, but what matters more is livability. Parents worry about the kids taking a header down the stairs, so I want a single-story home. There has to be at least a little grass in the back yard so toddlers can romp.

Here’s the magic bullet: If Read more

May 11, 2008

Put Voicemail Testimonials On Your Blog Or Website: Audio Editing For SalesPeople.

by

Instigator, anthill kicker.

Author website

Social proof.  It’s what people need to do business with you.  They may not say it consciously, but they need it.  One of my (many) websites, at Ten Day Team, I’ve put up some significant testimonials.  Realtors are always afraid that several things will happen:  The lender won’t return his calls, the lender won’t get the job done, there will be endless delays, and they won’t get paid. They had that fear since time immemorial.  I like consumer business, I love agent-referred business.  So I have to use some artillery to soften them up.  What better than a parade of agents and customers affirming that I, Chris Johnson, do a good job?

To prove that I’m an OK guy, I’ve gotten a few people to say good things about me.  I didn’t edit MUCH of the testimonial content, generally limiting myself to shortening pauses and deleting "ums" that were bookended by pauses.  Edits are easy enough to spot, people have acute BS detectors, and an edited testimonial does more harm than good.  Every website I do in the future will have customer testimonials–in this fashion, because it’s so easy. 

The entire process–start to finish–including learning how, took two hours.  Aside: One of the keys to life is to presume that you can quickly figure out how to do something because someone has had the same problem before and has posted about it.   This is posted for WordPress, but I’ve done this stuff on other blogs and sites.  Email me, and I’ll help if I can, and walk you through doing it on a non WordPress site.

Step 1: Get Some Audio.  Here is the letter I sent out to my clients:

Dear {name}

Thanks for the opportunity to serve you.  One of the things that is important to my practice is the ability to continue to win and keep the trust of my clients.  It would honor me a great deal if you could simply leave me a voicemail message at my phone number,614-839-4850 telling me how I helped you.   Read more

May 11, 2008

Number1Expert Re-Launches as Number2Expert

by

Real Estate

Author website

n2elogo.gif

In a surprise move, website template provider Number1Expert has announced plans to rebrand as Number2Expert. This decision came following their inclusion of Trulia widgets on the myhomes.asp pages of all of their client sites. Here’s an example.

When asked about the decision, a spokesman said, “To date, our clients are providing Trulia with over 11,000 links. We live in a web 2.0 World, and transparency is very important. Since we’re effectively promoting Trulia as the #1 real estate expert, we felt it important to re-brand ourselves to more consistently mesh with this strategy.” He then added, “We’re very excited about the new opportunities that will arise with our market position as the Number 2 Experts.

The widgets that Number2Experts places on their template sites have been a hot topic in the RE.net as of late. Demonized by real estate SEO’s, and heralded as powerful, free online tools by others, the real estate world cannot seem to come to a consensus.

Be sure to keep an ear open, and an RSS reader ready for more news to come regarding this intriguing topic.

trulia-awareness-ribbon-180.jpg

May 11, 2008

Three Words Speak Volumes About The Power Of Social Media Marketing

by

Commercial Real Estate Finance Expert
Structured Debt and Equity
Licensed Real Estate Broker in AL, CA, and FL

Author website

THIS is the brave new world.

Greg Swann and I gave two presentations as a little warm-up for UNCHAINED. Lisa Capes of Chicago Title of Arizona and Juan Chaves of Mortgage Solutions of Arizona sponsored the event. These folks did a first class job and packed the room; both are worthy of your consideration if you sell real estate in Phoenix.

I went through my presentation about how to use social media in your marketing efforts. After a complete discussion about the merits of LinkedIn, I announced that I would be moving onto Twitter. I clicked over to my Twitter stream, and saw this.

I had never met the man but I knew who he was. Nick Bastian was the guy with huge grin on his face.

Now THAT is an example of all how to use all five pillars in 20 characters. Thanks, Nick. You nailed it!

May 10, 2008

So…You’re Coming to Phoenix

by

Commercial Real Estate Finance Expert
Structured Debt and Equity
Licensed Real Estate Broker in AL, CA, and FL

Author website

All presentations to be held in the Steele Auditorium at the Heard Museum. This schedule for Unchained is subject to change:

Sunday, May 18, 2008:

8-10AM Registration. The conference starts at 10AM and ends at 4PM.

Zillow Workshop

The Power of E-mail Marketing by Ron Cates

Hyper Local Blogging UNPLUGGED by Laurie Manny

Sunday is “Bonus Day” so food will not be served. The Museum Coffee Shop will be open at 9:30AM- 3PM. The Heard Museum will be open until 5PM and admission is complimentary for conference attendees. Presentations on Sunday will not be included in the DVD set.

No evening events planned.

Monday, May 19, 2008

The conference starts at 8:30 AM and ends at 4PM:

Unchained Epiphany- Greg Swann

The Way of the Hunter Brian Brady

Working Lunch- Twitter- @BradCoy & @AndyKaufman

The Way of the Farmer- Greg Swann

Real Estate Website Makeover- Mary McKnight

6PM- No Host Happy Hour at the Radisson  Light Hors D’Oeuvres Complimentary

A Continental breakfast will be available at 8AM; coffee and water are complimetary throughout the day.   Lunch will be complimetary.The Museum Coffee Shop will be open at 9:30AM- 3PM. The Heard Museum will be open until 5PM and admission is complimentary for conference attendees.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Conference Starts at 8:30 AM and concludes at 4PM

Traditional Marketing For A Web 2.0 World- Steve Hundley, Louis Cammarosano, Jeff Brown

Blogging For Dollars- Laurie Manny, Theresa Lussier

Working Lunch- Zillow Mortgage MarketPlace for Real Estate Agents- David Gibbons

Keynote Presentation- Glenn Kelman

Online Reputation Management- David Gibbons

Black Pearls and Commencement

A Continental breakfast will be available at 8AM; coffee and water throughout the day. Lunch is complimentary. The Museum Coffee Shop will be open at 9:30AM- 3PM. The Heard Museum will be open until 5PM and admission is complimentary for conference attendees.

There is a morning and afternoon break for personal phone calls. This schedule is subject to change.

Our UNCHAINED Faculty include:

Brian Brady

Jeff Brown

Louis Cammarosano

Ron Cates

Brad Coy

David Gibbons

Steve Hundley

Andy Kaufman

Theresa Lussier

Glenn Kelman

Laurie Manny

Mary McKnight

Greg Swann

May 10, 2008

At last, a use for video in real estate that I don’t hate: Using the Flip video camera to collect and post video testimonials

by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

One of the the things I like about working with Brian Brady is that, when we’re together, or even when we’re just talking by phone, marketing magic happens. We spark ideas in each other, and marketing strategies emerge that neither one of us had foreseen.

Last week, Brian suggested that I buy a Flip video camera for us to use at Unchained. Fast, easy, fun YouTube videos, like a Polaroid Swinger for the new millennium.

I don’t remember who came up with what, but we worked out a strategy for using the camera to make unique, viral content at the conference. You’ll have to wait until next week to see what we have in mind.

But I got on the net — take note of how real people shop, if you would — and researched cameras and prices. The best instant availability I found was the Flip Ultra with 60 minutes of flash video memory for $135 with tax at Sam’s Club. I bought one for Unchained, set it up and learned how to use it.

The video I showed of Brian last night was shot with the Flip camera, but it’s not as good as a camcorder for mid-range or distant shots. Up close, though, it’s the cat’s pajamas.

And that was something I realized while I was talking: The Flip camera is the absolute most perfect tool for collecting testimonials. Testimonials are credible because they’re not written by you. Video is credible because of its verisimilitude. By asking questions, you can direct a video testimonial to bring out the information you want to convey to other viewers.

You can use Richard Riccelli’s testimonial plot line, for instance: “If you want to get to heaven you have to go through hell” — or — “Given my past negative experiences, I was stunned and amazed by the incredible service I received.”

So I’m standing there in front of a room full of people, realizing that I had just hit upon something new and really cool. The Flip camera is as small as my everyday digital still camera. I can easily wear it on my belt along with the Read more

May 10, 2008

Are There More Than 50 People Blogging In Real Estate?

by

Real Estate Broadcaster and Investor

Author website

Real Estate Radio USA

Yes, I know that there are blogs everywhere in this so called RE.net, Web 2.0 world, but lately it seems like I am walking down the halls of my high school. There’s the cool kids over by Mr. Hannah’s homeroom. Over there in the smoking lounge can be found the punks who always seem to just be hanging out. In the middle of the cafeteria is where the jocks can be found laughing it up.

By the theater lurking in the dark you’ll find the goths and the freaks, and over there, with the saddle shoes and pony tails next to the gummy floor are the gum-clacking gluehead Heathers all talking at the same time with nobody really saying anything.

Lately I have noticed that the cliques in the real estate blogosphere have become much more pronounced and apparently the Web 2.0 Realtor superdelegates seem to think they are speaking for the rest of the common folk. How sad!

Excuse me if I am wrong, but I thought that blogging in real estate was about buying and selling real estate. When did it become the muse of soda jerks who haven’t any real business and spend night and day writing and finger pointing about all that is not real estate?

Do I care, or for that matter, does anybody really care what this blogger is doing or what that blogger said about this guy or that guy…except if it is regarding a technique or strategy to help one another actually sell real estate?

Think about it for a second…the reason each of us took finger to keyboard to dive into this new world was because we thought it would enhance our business? I for one, call it selfish if you want, only intended to blog to attract eyeballs because eyeballs are important to advertisers and advertisers spend money.

Additionally, in learning how to efficiently blog and write, we created a radio show to help promote it. Now we have progressed to the point that we have taken what we have learned and are beginning our foray into a real estate blog to buy and sell houses.

Never did Read more

May 9, 2008

Brian Brady at today’s Unchained preview show: “If your clients are already on LinkedIn, someone else will introduce me to them”

by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

As I had mentioned, we did a couple of BloodhoundBlog Unchained preview shows today in Phoenix, one for Realtors and one for lenders.

Tempe Realtor and real estate weblogger Nick Bastian wins the endurance award for attending both sessions. Nick surprised Brian Brady by Twittering about Brian’s discussion of LinkedIn, a piece of which is shown below, while Brian was delivering it.

The events were a big kick for me. I sold a house yesterday, and the buyers (whom we have discussed as the Halversons) dropped by to sign some paperwork. And Cathleen and I listed 14237 North 11th Street in Phoenix early today. The seller is fellow Realtor David Pinelli, who is now working in the equestrian suburbs of Boston, but who until lately was working with Allan Pinel in Palo Alto. David was able to come to the Realtor portion of the presentation this morning, a nice reinforcement of the ideas Cathleen and I have been talking about with him for the past two weeks.

As Brian discusses below, we met a lot of really interesting people who are excited about the potential of blending Social Media Marketing into their buinesses. The whole day was a blast, which makes me think that Unchained is going to be even more fun that I’ve been expecting.

Here’s where I end up: Our belief from the beginning was that the Seven Nights in Ireland style of conference — a vast excuse to behave badly far from home — was not for us. We bet on a real curriculum, a hefty regimen of demanding content, and our experience today shows that that bet will pay off.

I keep getting notes from very smart people whose identies I will keep concealed. The gist of their emails: “Kick Inman’s ass.” It seems like a worthy goal to me. BloodhoundBlog is the home of serious ideas on the RE.net, and BloodhoundBlog Unchained promises to be the locus of serious minds in wired real estate education. I don’t ever want for us to be anywhere but at the head of the pack.

Technorati Tags: , , , , Read more

May 9, 2008

Bloodhound Blog UNCHAINED Social Media Marketing Conference brought to you by Zillow.com tickets go to full price tonight

by

Commercial Real Estate Finance Expert
Structured Debt and Equity
Licensed Real Estate Broker in AL, CA, and FL

Author website

I met the ninety and nine today and I LOVED what I saw. The next generation of social media marketers will learn this game quickly and excel. The next paragraph is for the 50-60 new readers we have on Bloodhound Blog (thanks for coming out today).

When Greg told you it was raining soup today, he meant it. You folks are on the cutting edge of real estate and mortgage marketing. Today, you entered the inside of the tesseract and saw the possibilities of the third dimension. Next weekend, you’ll figure out how you can warp time and supercharge your marketing efforts at the BloodhoundBlog Unchained Social Media Marketing Conference brought to you by Zillow.com. Take advantage of that special offer (URL on the card).

Y’all can stop reading here; the rest is for the folks who have known about UNCHAINED for five months.

The price for UNCHAINED will be $350 after midnight tonight. Act now.

May 9, 2008

Thinking myself out of business: a lone real estate agent faces the future

by

Real Estate Broker

Author website

loner.jpg Agents get leads from different marketing strategies, both offline and online, but where will most of the leads come from in five years? Looking ahead I’d have to say leads will come mainly from one source — Google.

Unless something changes, Google has the lion’s share of searchers. As more and more home buyers use Google to search for area information and sites where real estate listings can be found, it becomes obvious for listing agents and buyer agents that search placement is, and will be even moreso in the future, vital to success in the real estate business.

Before I go any further, I’ll address opposition to this statement by saying that some agents will continue to be successful using marketing methods outside Google search, but I’m talking about the majority of agents working in the real estate business full time. I’m excluding the mega-agents who attract buyers and sellers through their star status and obviously superior abilities of attraction and promotion — the majority of agents will not be stars. Plus, even the offline efforts that give an agent exposure might be eclipsed after someone gets online to begin searching — an agent’s name might appear in a magazine, or a billboard, or through the mail, or a flyer in a store, or on a “for sale” sign on the street, but when the buyer goes back to their computer to search, another agent who has mastered the art of placement will pop up and lead the buyer in a different direction. I predict the online presence will become more valid in the buyer’s mind than offline presence as consumers learn to trust and depend on the net more and more.

I don’t believe Zillow and Trulia will be major factors in lead generation. If they survive, they will be a draw for those curious about real estate in general, but searchers will be more sophisticated and agents will be smarter about SEO.

It’s my opinion that the majority of agents will need to get good placement on Google in order to be successful. Google placement won’t be the ONLY way to market, just the most effective way Read more

May 8, 2008

Two BloodhoundBlog Unchained warm-up events Friday in Phoenix

by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

Flat out and miles to go before I sleep. I’ve told Cathy to make my excuses this way: Greg is wearing three hats, and none of them is a nightcap. This is a reminder to you from me from last week:

If you’re in Phoenix on Friday, May 9th, Brian and I will be doing two 2.5 hour Unchained previews at the Mesquite Branch of the Phoenix Public Library (4525 Paradise Village Parkway North, Phoenix, AZ 85032). We’ll be talking to Realtors from 9:30 am to 12 Noon, and to Lenders from 1 pm to 3:30 pm. These two events are free — provided you pay attention — sponsored by Chicago Title and Mortgage Solutions of Arizona. RSVP with Lisa Capes at Chicago Title — 480-695-3136 — if you want to come.

Brian Brady is here in Phoenix, which is a real treat for me. I will tell you that he is itching to raise the price on Unchained tickets, so tonight may be your last chance to lock down the $199 price for all three days of the conference.

We may shoot some just-for-fun videos tomorrow. If we do, I’ll post them tomorrow night.

Technorati Tags: , , , , ,

May 8, 2008

I’m in Business to Make Money

by

Real Estate Renaissance Man

Author website

One of the best parts of BHB for me, is taking the ideas and the round tablediscussions that happen here and bringing them to the street.  (I must admit an occasional guilty pleasure taken, when I use the knowledge I glean from BHB to steer and even dominate these discussions.  I am shamelessly looking forward to Unchained, that I might return a 600lb gorilla in gorilla marketing.)  There has been some very interesting debate recently, both here and on other blogs, over the valuation of real estate services.  It is a tough dialogue because large amounts of money are involved and strong feelings abound. 

But asking the agents I work with what they think of the NAR, their sense on the moral obligation of a contract and how they value their services opens up new view points and sheds more light on these issues.  Recently I was talking to a Realtor I know and respect about how to answer the question of commission and agent value.  Now, there may be many right answers to this question; but I have yet to hear one that cannot be debated and diminished.  Not due so much to anyone’s superior skills as a wordsmith but rather the multi-faceted nature of the topic.  This agent and I, however, after deciding that the premise of the question itself was suspect, eventually decided that there is one answer that is inarguable, morally justified and epistemologically sound.  The very simple answer to the question of how one justifies their commission is this:

I am a real estate agent and, by definition, an entrepreneur.  I am in business to make a profit.  I charge what the market will bear.

May 7, 2008

What would it look like if home buyers actually shopped for value? An illustration of my kind of internet lead

by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

This came in over the transom, and I think it is a thing of beauty. The ludicrous notion that buyers don’t pay for real estate representation induces too many buyers to be lax in choosing their Realtor. Everything we do is based on delivering value, so we do best with people who are sharp enough to shop for value. When I read this in my email inbox, I sat and marveled at all that it portends.

Like this: Most internet leads stink. Suzy with no last name (aka SuZQ1983@hotmail.com) might be cute and spunky, but she’s probably not motivated, and it’s good odds she’s not financially qualified.

But: The internet enables serious people to shop until they find exactly what they want, even as it teaches them how to want wisely and in exacting detail.

And: People who shop that way will not care that a Realtor was a high school tennis star or the immediate past president of the Junior League. Everything that chummy, clubby Realtors have used forever to get by has gone by the wayside. When people finally learn to shop for value, they shop for nothing but value.

With that, permit me to introduce you to my kind of clients. The specifics have been fictionalized, but the underlying email is real:

Currently we are email interviewing several Realtors in our area of interest in Arizona. We would like your response as to whether you would be interested in having us as your clients. We have created this document introducing ourselves.

Summary:

We are a couple in our forties who are moving from the state of Washington to the state of Arizona. We have specific requirements for a house, and we have a short period to purchase it. Our current house should close at the end of June. In the event we can not purchase a house in with a close date near then, we will either rent or lease a home.

We are looking in the Glendale to Scottsdale area, and we are looking at the $360K to $460K price range.

  1. Who we are…

    Carl Halverson, government statistician working in the US treasury department. Carl’s hobby is Read more

« Older posts Newer posts »

Inventing Real Estate 2.0

Welcome to BloodhoundBlog, the national real estate industry marketing and technology weblog written by, for and about real estate professionals. Better yet, welcome to the wired world of real estate. We are busily inventing Real Estate 2.0 – technology, marketing, service and salesmanship. Like all Bloodhounds, we are smart, frisky and fiercely independent. We've built a spot on the earth – beloved over all – where each one of us can be who we are, no matter who that might be. We are committed to an idea of excellence that will flush the bums, the con-men and the crybabies out of the real estate industry. If you yearn to have your failures excused, your moral lapses absolved or your boo-boos kissed, seek elsewhere. But if you are sick to death of mediocrity – welcome home. Read all about us, subscribe to our feed and steel yourself for the hunt. We work hard, we play hard, we learn everything we can – and we bow to no one.

Media Contacts