16 Small Online Tweaks to Win Big in 2016

<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Featured in <a href="http://realtormag.realtor.org/for-brokers/network/article/2015/12/16-tweaks-win-leads-in-2016-social-media" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>RealtorMag</b></span></a></span><br /> <span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Partial excerpt from the workbook </span><a href="http://amzn.com/1508652325" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Plan to Win</b></span></a></div> <b id="docs-internal-guid-11950fc1-ad1a-2663-e39e-c8df9e887027" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are you ending 2015 feeling “blah” about how to effectively grow your business using online mediums, like social media and a blog?  Well, let’s shake that feeling off for 2016 by creating some small, new habits that will bolster your online appeal and connection to prospective clients.  </span><br /> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirumM73qycG-jHDSaFdAml7sNH5DkOCPoT8ki-awNOZbUGe285BQW9OMX99TZP_qdWJH7818cjn58rYQyPkkgoIEGKM4XhLkD1D_M18VwcwNl91nsREFv0NlfDuh2oCG9nsWNWzK980a8/s1600/Screenshot+2015-12-17+10.09.42.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirumM73qycG-jHDSaFdAml7sNH5DkOCPoT8ki-awNOZbUGe285BQW9OMX99TZP_qdWJH7818cjn58rYQyPkkgoIEGKM4XhLkD1D_M18VwcwNl91nsREFv0NlfDuh2oCG9nsWNWzK980a8/s400/Screenshot+2015-12-17+10.09.42.png" width="322" /></a></div> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By the way, get our 2016 online lead-gen checklist at no fee by requesting access: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3Yx5IZJ_spJUkJKc1ZsWUpHR3c/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">click here</span></b></a>. You can download it, post it on your wall, or whatever else that will help you use it.</span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 20pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 26.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Social Media Posts</span></h1> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have found that lead generation from social media is no longer a popularity contest (it’s not about how many views you get) but rather about making genuine connections.  I love sharing a real estate tidbit and getting several messages in my inbox from potential clients that need help.  Their messages are not visible to the world (so I won’t get brownie points for superficial likes) but it is still a win because they are interested in my business’ services - yes!  To that point, implement these suggestions to increase your online relationship building (i.e. online lead generation!):</span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <h2> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">1) Share something that is interesting and tell WHY you think it is interesting</span></span></h2> </div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What you share can be the latest housing market tips, the newest construction community being built in your area, client testimonials, or even the fun new restaurant in your farm area at which you had lunch today.  </span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But more importantly, can you answer the question, “Who cares?” with each post that you make?  If you found the best article in the world but you do not share WHY it is relevant to your audience, you may have just lost your audience!  Some social media sites call it “link litter” where you just post a random link and do not give context on what it matters.  Stop posting unattractive listing photos and random real estate articles on your personal page that do not provide value to friends and followers!</span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">2) Use <a class="" href="http://snip.ly/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Sniply</b></span></a> EVERY TIME you share content that is not your own to stay top-of-mind</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/nC-8L3I6Ogc2ATw5O0FOoTkcCd7GsgQnVwQyNESld05xqhbUrbdKaZkcoOB2nwdElX7frg1BDbIQB7HK3cAjXfCfgToJW3-BP1jUP91mPkhlHgTqQAM5WRY21pudJsb5pNmzZefU" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Screenshot 2015-12-16 16.26.37.png" border="0" height="436px;" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/nC-8L3I6Ogc2ATw5O0FOoTkcCd7GsgQnVwQyNESld05xqhbUrbdKaZkcoOB2nwdElX7frg1BDbIQB7HK3cAjXfCfgToJW3-BP1jUP91mPkhlHgTqQAM5WRY21pudJsb5pNmzZefU" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624px;" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot of sharing other's content with a Sniply CTA</td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I get it - you may not always have time to create original content.  But have you noticed that if they click on the link of someone else’s content, they are taken away from your site!  Sniply allows you to share someone else’s content without stealing it but still keeping your face, call-to-action, and a button to link back to your website, top of mind.  Sniply is available as a <a href="http://snip.ly/integrations/Chrome/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Chrome browser extension</b></span></a> so you can quickly share great articles and still make connections with your readers.</span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">3) Always include a value-driven call-to-action (CTA) </span></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A CTA is simply an offer of value that you make to your network, which should be done not just on social media but in blogging, e-newsletters, postcard mailings, and anything else you write for your business.  </span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For example, you have a great new listing that you share some interesting photos from and state, “Could this be your dream home? Click here to see if you qualify” and the link then takes them to your preferred lender’s prequalification form.  Or, if you have a creative graphic of your listing that just sold in under 15 days, your CTA could be, “Want this to be yours?  Find out how much your home is worth by clicking here” and then the link takes them to your CMA automated software (such as <a href="http://cloudcma.com/api_widget/81c4bda02e22cede57c421069707f1d8/show?post_url=cloudcma.com&source_url=http://honestrealtygr.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>CloudCMA</b></span></a>, etc.).  Are any of your targeted new home communities offering buyer bonuses such as additional money towards closing or free appliance packages?  If so, what are the conditions?  Share that!  For example, "Would you love free appliances to go in your new home?  I know how!  Text me today for details."  There are many other ways you can spin this to add value and really get people to eagerly contact you.  </span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those were just a few examples of the hundreds of CTAs that you can include with everything you write.  The key is to make sure it is something that your specific target clients would find interesting.  If you posted something and the answer to “What’s in it for me?” cannot be answered with a quick glance of the social media post, then go back to the “drawing board”.</span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">4) Know your ideal client and share what interests <b>THEM</b> (not just you)</span></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If your target clients are millennial first-time home buyers, why are your social media posts about senior adult communities?  If you want to reach move-up buyers that likely are searching for bigger housing because they have new familial additions (i.e. mother-in-law moves in, new baby, etc.), then why are you posting on small condos and lofts in high-rises?  </span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do some soul-searching and decide who you typically tend to attract as clients and who you want to attract as clients.  If these two do not match, it may because what you are putting out there does not resonate with your desired clientele so change it!</span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">5) Follow a weekly posting schedule & use automation</span></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am sure today’s real estate market (plus whatever else is going on in your life) has you busy.  But if you are connecting with your social media friends only once or twice a year, it is no wonder that you are not reaping the rewards of lead generation.  Create a schedule where you post something of value at least once a week.  Remember, real estate requires that you stay top of mind and weekly, relevant, fascinating social media posts are a great way to do that.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An easy way to post regularly is to use automation. There are various tools to help like <a href="http://bufferapp.com/" target="_blank"><b>Buffer</b></a> (still my personal favorite for real estate), <a href="http://meetedgar.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Edgar</b></span></a>, <a href="https://friendsplus.me/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Friends+Me</b></span></a>, <a href="https://hootsuite.com/#/contacts" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Hootsuite</b></span></a>, and the like. Try them all to see which is the easiest for you to consistently use. Automation apps will start your conversations for you, which is half the work. You simply then need to...</span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">6) Engage (build online friendships)  </span></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here is another lead generation tip that can take just minutes a week but actually win you clients.  Set aside at least 30 minutes a week to respond, like, and comment on the comments you have received and the new/popular posts that show up in your social media feeds.  </span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, depending on the social media site you are on, you can search by life events like “new job”, “buying a home”, “selling a home”, and so forth to see who may be in need of a real estate agent in your area so you can reach out.  This can make you privy to potential leads without spending any money on ads so try it!</span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 20pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 26.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blogging</span></h1> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It you love to write, then you should harness your passion into a lean, mean lead-generating, blogging machine!  I heard someone say recently that blogging does not work to generate leads anymore. Au contraire mon frère.  Blogging is simply an opportunity to share your specialized expertise about the various aspects of real estate that you love.  That can always work, when you work it!  However, I see too often folks post a handful of random, irrelevant, boring, poorly written blogs, to never return after just a couple of weeks, and then wonder why blogging did not generate leads.  My friend, blogging is not a sprint but a marathon!  If you want blogging to be a lead generator, I challenge you to commit to writing a dynamic post at least once a week for 6 months and then see how many connections have been made from it.  Here are some to help:</span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">7) Always use pictures, videos, and links to keep your readers, <i><b>reading</b></i></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>  </b></i></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The fun thing of being a real estate agent is that you see some of the most intriguing, charming, odd, quirky, unique, and cutting edge home features so share them in your blogs.  You may even want to have an IDX plugin on your blog to feature specific homes from your local MLS.  This will help readers stay engaged from start to finish, just make sure you have the necessary permissions to share your images and videos, especially if you include other people.</span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Secondly, link to the restaurants, shops, schools, community organizations, hospitals, volunteer organizations, and other local finds and attractions that you mention, being sure to include a blurb on why you like, dislike, or are indifferent towards them.  </span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/3xIYw_M0y-QarbMofunjmVjlbiAsnymQpoZSaGQq2kt8La6UoxfV8tsnxUVYKhPiFAJQ1D4fIW1WMSrU6O-9ElFqdUkZHlcikEKXK9NsjwLJiGn52Aefe9dmQ5lf5Qsc4EMcCiva" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="media-20151120.png" border="0" height="624px;" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/3xIYw_M0y-QarbMofunjmVjlbiAsnymQpoZSaGQq2kt8La6UoxfV8tsnxUVYKhPiFAJQ1D4fIW1WMSrU6O-9ElFqdUkZHlcikEKXK9NsjwLJiGn52Aefe9dmQ5lf5Qsc4EMcCiva" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624px;" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blogging allows everyone to share their voice and opinion so give your warm and fuzzy reason why you are writing today’s post.  Get away from sterile scripts and let your professional opinion shine through in the post.  This will again strengthen your blog in Google's eyes as a resource and local authority, helping you to rank on the first page when folks search for terms and local businesses that you have showcased.  That's the point of it all - to get people to see your blog and contact you!  </span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BONUS STEP: When you include businesses, schools, and other organizations in your posts, send them a press release or a similar notice. As you more consistently blog, some organizations may link back to your site from their page.  That equals free traffic and increased authority in Google's results - another win!  This will take you consistently sending press notices and building a blog that truly shares life and real estate in your “neck of the woods”.  Thus, following a weekly posting schedule is vital. </span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">8) Be an amazing storyteller who uses strategic, pre-defined keywords </span></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What story does your real estate business tell?  You may get glimpses from the testimonies that your clients leave you.  Or, from the recounts of your day that you share with your family and friends.  What has them sitting on edge, rolling on the floor laughing, or in tears?  Those are the magnetic, heart-warming moments to capture and retell in your blog.  </span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For instance, when you are writing about a community/subdivision, share what makes the residents smile (or protest - such as heinous, overbearing street lights).  Move beyond simply reiterating all of the sales listing information and share what makes the community a home.  </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, </span>specifically<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> answer, "What makes this community a great home?"  You can and should ask the </span>residents,<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> but you can also perceive what makes people love living there - share it.</span></div> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Additionally, be sure to say the name of the community more often than not throughout the entire blog post.  Why?  Because Google's search bots will see your post as a credible, expert source, driving your site higher in search rankings.  </span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "arial"; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">9) Give it away to capture contacts (leads!)</span></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">What remarkable, valuable information can you share with your readers that will intrigue your target clients and win you blog subscribers?</span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is imperative that your site has several ways for people to leave their contact information, especially email addresses.  Check out </span><a href="http://addthis.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>AddThis.com</b></span></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, <a class="" href="https://www.hellobar.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>HelloBar</b></span></a>, </span><a href="http://optinmonster.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="gr-progress" style="color: blue;"><b>OptInMonster</b></span></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and other similar plugins that capture contact information in exchange for offering a freebie that people can read if they leave their email address.  </span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For example, if your specialty is working with veterans, you can offer a download of the various grants and programs available for veterans when buying a home.  Or, if you work near a medical center, why not offer a downloadable infographic that explains the various doctor loans and programs available to medical professionals buying a home? Think about what information your target client would jump at the chance to have and offer it.</span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">10) Repurpose instead of reinventing</span></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Check out apps like <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/tweet-old-post/installation/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Revive Old Post</b></span></a>, <span style="color: blue;"><b><a class="" href="http://www.sumall.com/" target="_blank">SumAl</a>l</b></span> and <a href="http://www.coschedule.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>CoSchedule</b></span></a> in order to automatically share your blog posts to your various social media sites.  One blog could equal 10 - 20 different social media posts throughout the year, saving you time and energy that can be re-directed to the actual selling of real estate.</span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 20pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 26.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Monthly Email Newsletter</span></h1> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brokers and agents alike can use email marketing as an easy way to connect monthly with your database and share interesting buzz from your business.  Check out the monthly e-newsletter of one of my phenomenal clients (<a href="http://snip.ly/TVlk" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">REALTOR® Tracy Wick</span></b></a>) that keeps her top of mind with her network, while generating business leads from her database.  </span></div> <b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is not about mimicking her style or even length (because yours may be shorter) but notice these key points: </span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">11) </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She offers several items of value including a giveaway, </span><br /> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">12)</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> She is her community's expert and shares her knowledge of upcoming events, </span><br /> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">13) </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She is relevant - it is holiday time and she shares holiday information that HER audience is interested in (you have a different audience so what is relevant to them will be different), </span><br /> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">14)</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> She shares her listings in a non-boring, non-salesy way, </span><br /> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/X_DLDKprXKUfV_EK99hN-TEWyCPS-w7h2FPxQm8-IXCyq4UOMEbdUrBJrMQ3erxAh2EHBJ32OOMPm0ElTAV2znT9a8Y2bgxvHkQDmhfp24WHM5yUBWH2ACjSKeKExnMl6M3E0rK1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="-All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like, and trust.---Bob Burg.png" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/X_DLDKprXKUfV_EK99hN-TEWyCPS-w7h2FPxQm8-IXCyq4UOMEbdUrBJrMQ3erxAh2EHBJ32OOMPm0ElTAV2znT9a8Y2bgxvHkQDmhfp24WHM5yUBWH2ACjSKeKExnMl6M3E0rK1" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">15)</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> She gives several call-to-actions (some real estate related, others just fun) to connect/engage with her readers and to get them to REACH OUT TO HER.  Your CTAs can even include asking for referrals, which is a “tried and true” staple of real estate lead generation, and</span><br /> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">16) </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She is herself!  It is vital that you, “Do you!”, “To thine own self be true” and whatever other similar saying comes to mind.  Notice that Tracy’s fun-loving personality exudes throughout the newsletter so do not feel you have to hide who you are.  Real estate is all about authentic relationships so do not be afraid to freely express yourself in a professional manner.</span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: black; float: right; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are 6 steps to creating an effective e-newsletter (or you can mail it through the post office using sites like </span><a href="https://hellobond.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Bond</b></span></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or <a href="http://www.handwrytten.com/" target="_blank"><span class="" style="color: blue;"><b>Handywrytten</b></span></a>).  But, these tips should not be isolated to simply email marketing - infuse them into your blogging and social media postings to generate big online leads in the new year.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><b>Have more questions about helpful real estate technology and lead generation?</b> Ask away by following me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LearnWithLee.Realtor" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Facebook</b></span></a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/learnwithlee.realtor/"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Instagram</b></span></a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/leedavenport8?sub_confirmation=1"><span style="color: blue;"><b>YouTube</b></span></a>, and <a href="http://google.com/+leedavenport"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Google+</b></span></a> or by visiting <a href="http://www.learnwithlee.realtor/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>LearnWithLee.Realtor</b></span></a>.  And, be sure to get a copy of the 5-star rated workbook, <a href="http://amzn.com/1508652325"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Plan to Win</b></span></a>, to transform your real estate sales game plan.  Here's to your success!</span></span></div>

addthis.com, blogging, bond, coschedule, email marketing, handywrytten, hellobar, optinmonster, revive old post, sniply, social media, sumall, tracy wick

16 Small Online Tweaks to Win Big in 2016

Featured in RealtorMag Partial excerpt from the workbook Plan to Win Are you ending 2015 feeling “blah” about how to effectively grow ...

3 Apps to Prepare Sellers for D-Day

<a href="http://www.inman.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Add-heading.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Add heading" class="size-medium wp-image-215157 alignright" height="400" src="http://www.inman.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Add-heading-300x300.png" width="400" /></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-weight: 400;">Article originally written for and published by <a href="http://www.inman.com/2015/11/30/3-apps-to-prepare-sellers-for-d-day/" target="_blank">Inman News</a></span></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div> <span style="font-weight: 400;">For home sellers, D-Day stands for an important strategic operation, critical to the successful mission of selling their home: DECLUTTERING.  Clutter is the home seller's seemingly innocent but conniving mortal enemy to getting to sold in the least amount of time for the most money.  "</span>Over 140 million people over the age of 50 years old are now facing the overwhelming task of downsizing and handling all the personal possessions found in estates" as explained by Julie Hall, The Estate Lady® in What am I Going to Do with All My STUFF?  And clutter is by no means a generational phenomenon - clutter clings to the best of us.<br /> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Decluttering connotes work (it may take hours/days/weeks to purge), emotional anguish (<em>it is hard to say goodbye to yesterday</em>), and insult (<em>what do you mean would-be buyers won’t like ____?!</em>) for many.  Yet sometimes, the sting of decluttering is minimized when homeowners realize they can declutter for dough, dinero, dollars, or cheddar. </span><br /> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">D-Day is not just a matter of taking everything to the dumpster (<em>talk about adding further insult</em>).  Nor, is D-Day the time to annoy your neighbors with an obnoxious yard/garage/estate sale that may expose you to pickpockets and other criminals.  Instead, help your homeowners see that their treasures may actually be worth a pretty penny or two to others without the nuisance of setting up, policing, and haggling a yard full of strangers on their off day.   </span><br /> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Here are 3, no-fee apps/websites to get your iPad-or-smartphone-using, home selling clients excited about the prospects of cashing in on their D-Day:</span> <br /> <h2> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Letgo</span></h2> <a href="http://www.inman.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Screenshot_2015-11-13-13-18-34.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot_2015-11-13-13-18-34" class="size-medium wp-image-215140 alignright" height="300" src="http://www.inman.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Screenshot_2015-11-13-13-18-34-169x300.png" width="169" /></a><a href="http://us.letgo.com/en" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Letgo</span></a> is a free app and website that allows your sellers to visually catalog and market their home goods that they want eliminated for D-Day.  You home sellers can post each item in less than 30 seconds from their smartphone or tablet devices.<br /> <br /> Plus, your clients can easily share the details of their goods with their Facebook, WhatsApp, email and other contacts with just a extra few clicks.  No more unattractive, awkward emails from home sellers to their family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers desperately and annoyingly pawning off their discards.<br /> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Letgo allows shoppers to search for items that are near them, which is great for shoppers that are not looking for anything in particular but will buy something that grabs their attention (so great pictures matter!).  Shoppers can also search by category or a specific item type on Letgo.  </span> <br /> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Shoppers can ask questions and submit their offers to you sellers either in the exact amount that was posted or they can try to negotiate with your clients - it will be up to your home sellers to decide if they want to do the “dance”.  As a bonus for you, this may give your home sellers some practice in negotiating before receiving offers from home buyers.</span> <br /> <h2> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Wallapop</span></h2> <a href="http://www.inman.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Screenshot_2015-11-13-14-01-19.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot_2015-11-13-14-01-19" class="size-medium wp-image-215141 alignright" height="300" src="http://www.inman.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Screenshot_2015-11-13-14-01-19-169x300.png" width="169" /></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://us.wallapop.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Wallapop</span></a> is the newcomer of the bunch.  It has the same great features of LetGo but it may not have as many users near your home selling clients (meaning a smaller pool of shoppers) based on how popular it is in your area.  However, Wallapop can still be an effective app to use because lower users also means less products to compete against.  This may work really well for your home sellers that do have large networks and just want an organized catalog system (that is free) through which to share and sell their home goods.</span> <br /> <h2> <span style="font-weight: 400;">OfferUp</span></h2> <a href="http://www.inman.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Screenshot_2015-11-13-14-09-22.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot_2015-11-13-14-09-22" class="size-medium wp-image-215143 alignleft" height="300" src="http://www.inman.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Screenshot_2015-11-13-14-09-22-169x300.png" width="169" /></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://offerupnow.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">OfferUp</span></a> is the sophisticated cousin of the other two apps.  In addition to the features of the other two apps, OfferUp allows shoppers to specify a search radius, manually edit the search location (the default is based on one’s current GPS location), and sort items by how close they are in proximity or how recently they were added to the app.</span> <br /> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">OfferUp has an Instagram feel, in that you do not get bogged down in the details and descriptions.  Instead, shoppers are able to scroll through the picture gallery to see what catches one’s eye and suits one’s fancy.  Then they can message your home seller, who will receive an alert.  </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">As with Wallapop and Letgo, shoppers can accept the posted price or negotiate.</span> <br /> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large; font-weight: 400;"><b>Tips to raise your stock with your home sellers as they use these apps:</b></span><br /> <ol> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Encourage your clients to follow prudent safety practices to make sure they are not dealing with criminals or others that mean to do them harm.  For example, your clients can avoid having strangers traipse through their home by arranging to meet at a nearby Starbucks or other busy, public store.  </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Also, your clients would be smart to do what we do and ask for a copy of the shopper’s driver’s license before a meetup.  Then send that to their family members or friends.  Or, recommend your home sellers use an app like <a href="http://www.inman.com/2015/09/09/5-surprisingly-useful-apps-for-agents/" target="_blank">bSafe</a>.</span></li> </ol> <br /> <ol start="2"> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">  Suggest to your home sellers that they use all 3 apps simultaneously!  Since all of them allow quick picture uploads and written descriptions, why not cut and paste the text to each app?  Your home sellers belongings will have wider exposure, meaning they will likely sell faster - yippee!</span></li> </ol> <br /> <ol start="3"> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">  If your home sellers are not financially able to hire a home stager, these apps can also be used to purchase a few tasteful, inexpensive pieces that can compliment and accent the existing decor.  For this reason, you or someone from your team may want to download these apps and send recommendations from time-to-time to your clients.</span></li> </ol> <br /> <ol start="4"> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">  Will everything sell?  It depends on if there are buyers looking at that moment for what your home seller has to offer.  Thus, I highly recommend you add some time constraints to D-Day (i.e. if the items do not sell in ___ days, then items will be donated, etc.) to ensure you can list the home at the most opportune time.  For example, it makes no sense spending the best part of the summer trying to declutter and miss ready and willing homebuyers.</span></li> </ol> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <span style="font-weight: 400;">I hope that was helpful for you.  As another helpful tidbit, get ready to join our next </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><b>Facebook Ad Freestyle </b></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">(by Google Hangout).  If you have a question on running Facebook Ads in Real Estate, then this Q&A session is a must.  There is no fee to participate so </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/events/c33dutgu9qrj0m95159dgfq13h0"><span style="font-weight: 400;">click here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to learn more and sign up.  Happy selling!</span> <br /> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><b>Have more questions about helpful real estate technology?</b> Ask away by following me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/YourRealEstateInformant"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Facebook</b></span></a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/learnwithlee.realtor/"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Instagram</b></span></a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/leedavenport8?sub_confirmation=1"><span style="color: blue;"><b>YouTube</b></span></a>, and <a href="http://google.com/+leedavenport"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Google+</b></span></a> or by visiting <a href="http://www.agentsaroundatlanta.com/"><span style="color: blue;"><b>LearnWithLee.Realtor</b></span></a>.  And, be sure to get a copy of the 5-star rated workbook, <a href="http://amzn.com/1508652325"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Plan to Win</b></span></a>, to transform your real estate sales game plan.  Here's to your success!</span>

apps, clutter, home seller, mobile apps, sellers

3 Apps to Prepare Sellers for D-Day

Article originally written for and published by Inman News For home sellers, D-Day stands for an important strategic operation, critica...

Clear 4 Frustrating Facebook Ad Hurdles

<div style="text-align: center;"> As featured in <a href="http://realtormag.realtor.org/for-brokers/network/article/2015/12/clear-4-facebook-ad-hurdles" target="_blank">RealtorMag</a> Broker-to-Broker Section</div> <br /> <div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1AFeWSkru2xt7jBNGZoxmC0Qmg9uA1RHlwv-GGmXebEW-UjMTMbJktYwxsACSJcYhaRzxVHL6KBke_wHYDTtdka_OUvCuac3xaAibLDUpkSl9RkKE3AwiXrCDa6Q4fBArlXWwsOkpEBE/s1600/dec15_BB_facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1AFeWSkru2xt7jBNGZoxmC0Qmg9uA1RHlwv-GGmXebEW-UjMTMbJktYwxsACSJcYhaRzxVHL6KBke_wHYDTtdka_OUvCuac3xaAibLDUpkSl9RkKE3AwiXrCDa6Q4fBArlXWwsOkpEBE/s320/dec15_BB_facebook.jpg" width="320" /></a>Have you ever thought about which Facebook posts you engage with and which ones you skip? You may find that you like, share, and comment on posts with a funny, wise, or emotional spin.<br /> <br /> What does that tell us, as brokers, about using social media to grow our businesses? It means it’s time to employ the social media golden rule: Share with others as we would have them share with us.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> That means it’s time for you and your agents to <span style="font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.7em;">stop posting unattractive listing photos and random real estate articles on your personal page that don’t provide value to friends and followers.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> This is even more vital when you go the extra step to spend your hard-earned dollars on Facebook, or even on Instagram, a growing social platform that Facebook now owns.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> Creating a Facebook or Instagram ad — which can both be done using <a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/help/162528860609436" style="color: #0066cc;">Facebook Power Editor</a> — is like creating a work of art, and executing that ad is a science. I’ve created a set of tips to help you get over four of the most common hurdles to running successful Facebook and Instagram ads, both in the creation stage and in the execution phase. Feel free to share them with your agents. <br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: 19.2px; line-height: 32.64px;">Here are the main issues you may encounter when running ads on Facebook and Instagram, and how to avoid them.</span></div> <ol style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.7em; margin: 12px 5px 1em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px;"><br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiW6MBZV6cEmSkkAgKFftooE8cWYEOzMtuRSG_6Gppe0MMNuD8ivJrVVSMHdIMaaHL3eETRks2w93JR-AhrDEZ_7lJ4VG6fxE1ub_HtIF1B3jLA69qKlaIyC5zYyylEfj2HIIEVbRsxCnwd07zHpky-exrre3KzIDKdc-de6s2ssK7mAzy3WFgF488Wlu5QJR_UurhZmckgKOSTQHEgjw=" /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /> <li style="list-style-position: inside; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong>Low clicks:</strong> If an ad isn’t getting many clicks, then it probably isn’t appealing or relevant to the target audience. The image and call to action need to be click-worthy (remember the social media golden rule). Pique prospects’ curiosity with text like, “Can you afford this home?” Or “You won’t believe this backyard.” Or, “Want to tour this beauty?”</li> <li style="list-style-position: inside; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong>High clicks but low inquiries:</strong> You might need a better lead-capture system. You or your agents should either upgrade the current landing page where the ad is linking to, or use the new Lead Ad Forms in Facebook’s Power Editor. This tool allows the prospect to auto-populate a contact form with his or her information already loaded from Facebook, such as name, e-mail address, and phone number.</li> <li style="list-style-position: inside; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong>Attracting the wrong people:</strong> All the clicks in the world won’t help you out if they’re not from people interested in buying a home in your area. Make sure you and your agents are targeting ads based on specific locations, demographics, interests, or behaviors. Examples of these parameters include employment with a local company, income, current location, age, home ownership status, and whether viewers like certain pages.</li> <li style="list-style-position: inside; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong>Cost:</strong> You don’t want to dump money into a marketing campaign that isn’t going to provide a good ROI, so advise agents to set up a three-day test campaign with a budget of $1 per day to gauge the strength of the ad. If it generates at least 10 percent of total views result in clicks, then they should increase the daily budget to drive more traffic.</li> </ol> <div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eM-PzcUQN4V9WLbx84w9NuRjw2h1n37TsVs8O6aOc6vMV-LBkZCsFStBk9P5FLTuvs2UtMdYGXLMTFZRXKe7AhskyP5gJa2Yz3Er5D427a9HeYAbVnlHCWELt2AvevcSdwooNDqSztI/s1600/FacebookHangoutTestimonial.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eM-PzcUQN4V9WLbx84w9NuRjw2h1n37TsVs8O6aOc6vMV-LBkZCsFStBk9P5FLTuvs2UtMdYGXLMTFZRXKe7AhskyP5gJa2Yz3Er5D427a9HeYAbVnlHCWELt2AvevcSdwooNDqSztI/s320/FacebookHangoutTestimonial.png" width="320" /></a></div> For more in-depth help, I invite you and your agents to join me at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 8, for my next complimentary <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/facebook-ad-freestyle-registration-19273555724" style="color: #0066cc;" target="_blank">Facebook Freestyle Session</a> webinar. This is not a scripted, drawn-out presentation, but a forum where participants can ask specific questions and share ideas.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> Have other questions about real estate technology? Ask me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/YourRealEstateInformant" style="color: #0066cc;" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/learnwithlee.realtor/" style="color: #0066cc;">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/leedavenport8?sub_confirmation=1" style="color: #0066cc;" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, and <a href="http://google.com/+leedavenport" style="color: #0066cc;" target="_blank">Google+</a><u>,</u> or visit <a href="http://www.agentsaroundatlanta.com/" style="color: #0066cc;" target="_blank">LearnWithLee.Realtor</a>.</div> <br /> <!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtormag.realtor.org%2Fsites%2Frealtormag.realtor.org%2Ffiles%2Frmo_files%2FDetanglingFBAds.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiW6MBZV6cEmSkkAgKFftooE8cWYEOzMtuRSG_6Gppe0MMNuD8ivJrVVSMHdIMaaHL3eETRks2w93JR-AhrDEZ_7lJ4VG6fxE1ub_HtIF1B3jLA69qKlaIyC5zYyylEfj2HIIEVbRsxCnwd07zHpky-exrre3KzIDKdc-de6s2ssK7mAzy3WFgF488Wlu5QJR_UurhZmckgKOSTQHEgjw=" -->

agents, brokers, facebook ads, marketing, realtor magazine, webinar

Clear 4 Frustrating Facebook Ad Hurdles

As featured in RealtorMag  Broker-to-Broker Section Have you ever thought about which Facebook posts you engage with and which ones you ...

4 Secrets to Online Leads Becoming Your Buddies

<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Excerpt from <a href="http://amzn.com/1508652325"><i><span style="color: blue;">Plan to Win: Transform Your Real Estate Sales Game Plan</span></i></a></span></div> <div style="line-height: 1.38; text-align: center;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://blog.resaas.com/articles/2015/11/4-secrets-to-online-leads-becoming-your-buddies" target="_blank">As featured in RESAAS</a></span></div> <div style="line-height: 1.38;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></div> <div style="line-height: 1.38;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: black; float: right; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>One out of 10.  One out of 25</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.  Those numbers make me sad when I ask agents and brokers how many of their online leads convert to clients and closings.  When I hear such staggering statistics, my first encouragement is to “close the back door”.  </span></span></div> </div> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-87cdb57a-1274-3fd0-44c2-c5cd8f1f00ca" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/6KSw214BoD5HgqbB7i09-7h6S8ANOH3WsMQBjnuggNHtfToVwQrtSJsr5E6ynAIh1vnwPtLPI1W4xFudzgLrEBdR6Aefy0_ctUy_5S01Uzv_S2ZMpVHsXGkWqqf8lJUp1wfmQEME" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="4 Reminders to Lead-Gen (3).png" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/6KSw214BoD5HgqbB7i09-7h6S8ANOH3WsMQBjnuggNHtfToVwQrtSJsr5E6ynAIh1vnwPtLPI1W4xFudzgLrEBdR6Aefy0_ctUy_5S01Uzv_S2ZMpVHsXGkWqqf8lJUp1wfmQEME" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is the real estate professional’s “back door”? Many times we spend a hefty amount getting people to become aware of us by liking our social media pages, viewing our listings, reading our blogs,  subscribing to our emails lists and the like - that’s great because we are getting people into the “front door” of our businesses.  But, too often we have left the “back door” open for them to leave and disconnect from our services and offerings.  The “back door” is left open by not befriending (nurturing, engaging, following up - whatever term you call it) with the interested person.  </span></div> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Imagine going to an opening party for an art gallery where you do not really know anyone.  You hesitantly enter and look around for someone to connect to.  You walk around and see an eye-catching image or an informative write-up that holds your interest for a few minutes here and there.  But no one, particularly the hostess, actually invites you to join a conversation.  You continue to meander through the exhibit without any meaningful connection and you spot the most intriguing aspect of the exhibit, an open back door.  You quietly, unnoticed by the hostess, escape, appreciating what was on display but not purchasing any art because you never made a connection with the hostess.</span></div> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Guess what?  That may be exactly how online leads feel when they visit your websites and social media pages.  You have interesting things for them to view and read but YOU have not made an unique, personal connection to the site visitor. And as quiet as it is kept, the difference between working with a REALTOR and just a website is the human connection factor.  Zillow and the other guys’ websites cannot currently rival specific, personalized attention from a real estate professional - you!</span></div> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So how can you “close the back door” and turn your online leads into comrades that know, like, and trust you enough to use your realty services?</span></div> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">SHARE</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> informative, engaging content about real estate (including your listings and positive reviews), life, and community.  Share what actually gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling.  If you put on your consumer’s hat, would you think the post was relevant?  Or, does it at the least bring a smile to your face?  If the answer is “no”, then do not pass Go! Return to brainstorming and try again.  </span></span></div> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Use <a href="https://buffer.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Buffer</b></span></a>, <a href="http://meetedgar.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Edgar</b></span></a>, Hootsuite (my least favorite but too each his own) and other automation apps to help you share consistently on your social media sites.  Use <a class="" href="http://snip.ly/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b class="">Sniply</b></span></a> each time you post using other people’s content in order for your information to show up and not be lost in third-party content.</span></div> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">SERVE</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> your audience.  You can serve your audience by offering valuable downloads and other deliverables that can make the home-buying or selling process easier.  For example, you can offer a downloadable guide that identifies all of the new home communities under construction in your area along with the builder perks that are being offered.  Or, you could host an online webinar for veterans selling their home, those relocating to your area, or any other topic relevant to your ideal targeted client.  Use <a href="https://www.hellobar.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Hellobar</b></span></a>, <a href="http://addthis.com/"><span style="color: blue;"><b>AddThis.com</b></span></a>, and other similar website plugins to ensure that you get contact information in exchange for the valuable resources you provide at no fee.</span></span></div> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> </span><br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">CELEBRATE</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> their successes.  Social media relationships are a two-way street.  If it is all about you and your great business, then you may not make as many friends as you hoped.  My favorite thing to do is to use the Facebook birthday and other special moment alerts to send my online contacts an email, text message or physical greeting card in the mail (depending on their contact information that you have) using the <a href="https://www.justwink.com/app" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">JustWink mobile app</span></b></a>.  This sets you apart from the myriad of other people and agents that simply post to their page.  Also, if you use the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.phone&hl=en" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">Hello by Facebook</span></b></a> mobile phone app, you can now call any of your contacts that have a Facebook phone number, even if that contact never actually gave you their phone number in the past - what a great loophole that allows you to make a very personal connection in celebration of a special day. </span></span></div> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>INVITE</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> your online buddies to meet you in person.  Have lunch, grab </span>coffee<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">, do an informal training, host a homebuying seminar, and whatever else you can think to do. </span><a href="http://www.agentsaroundatlanta.com/2015/04/are-you-real-estate-misfit.html" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Based on your personality</b></span></a><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">, you may do better with one-on-one meetings as opposed to group settings - do you!  Check out </span><a class="gr-progress" href="https://calendly.com/" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">Calendly</span></b></a><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or </span><a href="http://assistant.to/" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Assistant.to</span></b></a><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (for the email addresses you have) to make scheduling face-to-face meetings easy. But be safe by using apps like </span><a href="https://instagram.com/p/8PKcYOmSSL/?taken-by=learnwithlee.realtor" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">bSafe</span></b></a><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></span><br /> <div style="line-height: 1.38;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div> <div style="line-height: 1.38;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By the way, check out the rest of</span><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="http://amzn.com/1508652325" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Plan to Win</span></a></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for more thought-provoking exercises to get your brain wheels turning and your real estate sales thriving.  </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And follow Lee </span><span style="line-height: normal;">on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LearnWithLee.REALTOR" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Facebook</b></span></a><span style="line-height: normal;">, </span><a href="https://instagram.com/learnwithlee.realtor/" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Instagram</b></span></a><span style="line-height: normal;">, </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/leedavenport8?sub_confirmation=1" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>YouTube</b></span></a><span style="line-height: normal;">, and </span><a href="http://google.com/+leedavenport" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Google+</b></span></a><span style="line-height: normal;"> or by visiting </span><a href="http://www.learnwithlee.realtor/" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>LearnWithLee.Realtor</b></span></a><span style="line-height: normal;">.  </span><span style="line-height: normal;"><i><b> Here's to your success!</b></i></span></span></div> </div>

addthis.com, assistant.to, bsafe, buffer, calendly, edgar, friends+me, hello by facebook, hellobar, hootsuite, justwink, resaas, sniply, social media

4 Secrets to Online Leads Becoming Your Buddies

Excerpt from Plan to Win: Transform Your Real Estate Sales Game Plan As featured in RESAAS One out of 10.  One out of 25 .  Those nu...

Under the Sells-Scope: RealtyBackOffice

<div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">As published in <a href="http://ypnlounge.blogs.realtor.org/2015/10/28/under-the-sells-scope-realtybackoffice/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>RealtorMag</b></span></a></span></div> <div> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0vC8MMXmILapvMDDG61VAJmb6UZTjn-i7hArz3bLVLrbiXYweqiJ3IvNrqk0_PCLgaqkq1C3EYXNm01zm4QbH3FHx9Qh-eu7BV40Fmp0S-5wZ987WFQczRWTsXHdejlTnkL6-98sIII/s1600/Me+with+the+RIGHT+realty+software+IG.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0vC8MMXmILapvMDDG61VAJmb6UZTjn-i7hArz3bLVLrbiXYweqiJ3IvNrqk0_PCLgaqkq1C3EYXNm01zm4QbH3FHx9Qh-eu7BV40Fmp0S-5wZ987WFQczRWTsXHdejlTnkL6-98sIII/s320/Me+with+the+RIGHT+realty+software+IG.png" width="320" /></a></div> <i><b>Why Under the Sells-Scope</b>:  As a broker, it can become quite expensive, both financially and relationally (because your staff's and agents' peace of mind counts!), to have the wrong office management software system. Yet, it can also be costly to explore new options due to the switching costs, downtime, and the staff and agent learning curve of getting acclimated to a new system. Therefore, to lessen these pitfalls, I know how important it is to have an unbiased review of the merits and weaknesses of a software program before you take the big leap to incorporate a new system and retrain your team. This is why we periodically place Under the Sells-Scope programs that claim to solve your realty business challenges to see if they actually do.</i><br /> <div> <br /> <b></b><br /> <b><b>Have you ever tried a realty office management software system that was touted to be made by industry experts, who were former brokers or realty office staff in a former life (usually before the recession and today's tech)?</b></b><br /> <br /> <br /> If you have, you may have gleefully signed up for the free trial or demonstration only to be disappointed by the inner workings of the system and its lack of compatibility with your actual day-to-day business.  You quickly realize that the system and its self-professed experts may be out of touch with the needs of realty management today.  You probably muttered, "That's a day (week, month) of my life that I won't get back!"  Often, we wish someone else could have shared their triumphs or war stories first before investing time, energy, and manpower.<br /> <br /> Well, today you get your wish!  I want to take <i>Under the Sells-Scope</i> (which are unsponsored, unbiased reviews) a new office management program that came on the scene commercially earlier this year (January 2015), <a href="https://www.realtybackoffice.com/" target="_blank">RealtyBackOffice</a>.  RealtyBackOffice has the taglines, "built by brokers for brokers" and "your real estate office in the cloud".  <b>Does it live up to those expectations?  Watch the video below to find out!</b><br /> <div> <br /> In this video, I explore how RealtyBackOffice stacks up in terms of:<br /> <b>+Transaction Management</b><br /> <b>+MLS Integration</b><br /> <b>+Automation</b><br /> <b>+e-Signing Platform</b><br /> <b>+Accessibility Issues</b><br /> <b>+Productivity Reporting</b><br /> <b>+Interoffice Communications</b><br /> <b>+Recruitment Reporting</b><br /> <b>+CRM/Lead Management</b><br /> <b>+Google Integration</b><br /> <b>+Dropbox Integration</b><br /> <b>+QuickBooks Compatibility</b><br /> <b>+And More</b></div> <div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/s_vi/vIHu5cc_v4Y/default.jpg?sqp=CMSB9bAF&rs=AOn4CLBXoz3hgeRjQOaSuuZUwiivQaEZXg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vIHu5cc_v4Y?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div> <br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEnuDpQNfx81r4dO3w3nf_mgPvIvsIJskpjGxTGNJBUu9fUPbXaECpT8FdkQzDUKK6VQ0F7fH5Fs6HQDrISs_b04ZPFugbfmR9Rfv8kf-1SAp-aiKNk-q7P4F57CBUMIQn1mQX6I9jY8/s1600/OfficeTech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEnuDpQNfx81r4dO3w3nf_mgPvIvsIJskpjGxTGNJBUu9fUPbXaECpT8FdkQzDUKK6VQ0F7fH5Fs6HQDrISs_b04ZPFugbfmR9Rfv8kf-1SAp-aiKNk-q7P4F57CBUMIQn1mQX6I9jY8/s320/OfficeTech.jpg" width="320" /></a>RealtyBackOffice is the brainchild of a current broker running three offices and his relevancy shows in the product's functionality.  I had an opportunity to do a live demo (which the above video summarizes) with Javier D. Alvarez, the founder of RealtyBackOffice and the Broker/Owner of <a href="http://xcellencerealty.com/" target="_blank">Xcellence Realty</a>.<br /> <br /> <br /></div> <div> Obviously based on this review video, I will need to put RealtyBackOffice back <i>Under the Sells-Scope</i> in 2016 to see how these updates work and improve your office's productivity.  Stay tuned for this and other office system reviews.  In the meanwhile check, out the previous <i>Under the Sells-Scope</i> on <a href="http://ypnlounge.blogs.realtor.org/2015/09/02/under-the-sells-scope-canva-for-work/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">Canva for Work</span></b></a>.<br /> <br /> <b>Have more questions about real estate and helpful technology?</b> Ask away by following me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/YourRealEstateInformant"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Facebook</b></span></a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/learnwithlee.realtor/"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Instagram</b></span></a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/leedavenport8?sub_confirmation=1"><span style="color: blue;"><b>YouTube</b></span></a>, and <a href="http://google.com/+leedavenport"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Google+</b></span></a> or by visiting <a href="http://www.agentsaroundatlanta.com/"><span style="color: blue;"><b>LearnWithLee.Realtor</b></span></a>.  And, be sure to get a copy of the 5-star rated workbook, <a href="http://amzn.com/1508652325"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Plan to Win</b></span></a>, to transform your real estate sales game plan.  Here's to your success!</div> </div>

office management, realtybackoffice, software

Under the Sells-Scope: RealtyBackOffice

As published in RealtorMag Why Under the Sells-Scope :  As a broker, it can become quite expensive, both financially and relationally ...

Do You Know How to "Profit with Your Personality©"?

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJ9KPD4oMoUj_kFtJACBY2y_YZhJ4q_NsEH-rzLEREyp8oGN2JvdGFARCJP1b8w7Q4b44HpObmAJkSecI-OtYmmHI-8hfXpop-xvqodkOITiRmrqsVBMPftah41Lfk7bU8gONIKtRPq86VAbEeDEZLoQTy3bAmaIaY2Z7GaIDDDc3QuvHkZgmNLVE/s640/bridal-636018_640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="640" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJ9KPD4oMoUj_kFtJACBY2y_YZhJ4q_NsEH-rzLEREyp8oGN2JvdGFARCJP1b8w7Q4b44HpObmAJkSecI-OtYmmHI-8hfXpop-xvqodkOITiRmrqsVBMPftah41Lfk7bU8gONIKtRPq86VAbEeDEZLoQTy3bAmaIaY2Z7GaIDDDc3QuvHkZgmNLVE/s320/bridal-636018_640.jpg" width="320"></a></div><br></div> <br><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Are you on a hunt for more leads? Whether you’re new to real estate sales or a veteran interested in reinventing your lead generation strategy to keep your sales pipeline full, if you said yes, then you may be interested in hearing how top producers are leading the pack.<span></span></span>

disc, featured, lead generation ideas, personality

Do You Know How to "Profit with Your Personality©"?

Are you on a hunt for more leads? Whether you’re new to real estate sales or a veteran interested in reinventing your lead generation stra...

Get Over These 4 Facebook Ad Issues

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <span style="text-align: start;">Select excerpts from the workbook, </span><a href="http://amzn.com/1508652325" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Plan to Win</b></span></a><span style="text-align: start;">, developed to help you transform your real estate sales game plan.</span><br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <span style="font-size: x-large;">Have you been meaning to try Facebook ads but can't seem to get it going like you want?</span><span style="font-size: large;"> <i><b>Then check out the infographic below with some quick tips.  </b></i></span><br /> <div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5HX9t9uprVUmwnioujBS9GOmB8frL7_d66qwAFtR_ANZYJ1U8NzAM6LD3p1VCRQtK68-G8eaEa9t06Q-gr-0YELXre8WNpGtpOQbvCIBqvfj77JWB6R8cwvI0V_jvTE5aattmiJSfWs/s1600/Facebook+Freestyle+IG+%25286%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5HX9t9uprVUmwnioujBS9GOmB8frL7_d66qwAFtR_ANZYJ1U8NzAM6LD3p1VCRQtK68-G8eaEa9t06Q-gr-0YELXre8WNpGtpOQbvCIBqvfj77JWB6R8cwvI0V_jvTE5aattmiJSfWs/s400/Facebook+Freestyle+IG+%25286%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div> Have you ever noticed which Facebook posts you click on and which ones you skip?  You may find that you usually like, comment and reshare the ones with a funny, wise, or emotional spin, or those that feature people you know.<br /> <br /> What does that tell us as <span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.2px;">REALTORS</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;">®</span> using social media to grow our businesses?  That it is time to employ the <b><i>Social Media Golden Rule: Share with others as we would have them share with us</i></b>!  It is time out for posting (<i>cough... really spamming</i>) our social networks with random real estate articles and unattractive listing photos that truthfully we would not care about if we were not in real estate sales ourselves.  This is even more vital when you go the extra step to spend your hard-earned dollars on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media ads.<br /> <br /> Creating a Facebook Ad (or Instagram Ad since it can all be done from the Facebook Power Editor - <i>yes!</i>) is like creating a work of art; and, executing that ad is a science.  For some quick tips that can help you get over 4 of the most common hurdles to running successful Facebook Ads, both in the creation stage and in the execution phase, check out the infographic below.<br /> <br /> But if you need more in-depth help in creating Facebook Ads, join me for the next complimentary <b><i>Facebook Freestyle Session</i></b> I will host, this time online (<i>it was last in Atlanta to the chagrin of many of my RE friends outside of Georgia so this is for you!</i>).  <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lees-facebook-freestyle-registration-19273555724" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Click here for more information or to register</b></span></a>.<br /> <br /> By the way, my <b><i>Facebook Freestyle Session</i></b> is where you can get your most pressing questions answered on how to use Facebook Ads to grow your business.  This is not a scripted, drawn-out, boring webinar with nebulous points that do not impact your business. Rather, you join the session with your specific Facebook Ad questions and laptop in hand for 3 minutes or the full 30 minutes - it is a freestyle so it is your choice!  If you miss the online session, feel free to contact me if you would like to request a <b><i>Facebook Freestyle Session</i></b> in your "neck of the woods" as I love to travel around to help my fellow <span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.2px;">REALTORS</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;">®</span>.</div> <div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div> <i><br /></i></div> <div> <i><br /></i></div> <div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY6FDS-oyICdZIDorUsoWBNxPCxgPspjozvEFtZG-dhpOJhvsJ52YaOCy8IgeIjixGe9H-736ilZ-bUPgMrlXq6uVIIc-UFcXCPBzHVHL2t4duPsTipPOuG_4WirD5krZpJmHdUwRO9w/s1600/DetanglingFBAds.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY6FDS-oyICdZIDorUsoWBNxPCxgPspjozvEFtZG-dhpOJhvsJ52YaOCy8IgeIjixGe9H-736ilZ-bUPgMrlXq6uVIIc-UFcXCPBzHVHL2t4duPsTipPOuG_4WirD5krZpJmHdUwRO9w/s1600/DetanglingFBAds.png" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <b style="text-align: start;"><br /></b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <b style="text-align: start;"><br /></b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <b style="text-align: start;">Have other questions about helpful real estate technology?</b><span style="text-align: start;"> Ask away by following me on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/YourRealEstateInformant" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Facebook</b></span></a><span style="text-align: start;">, </span><a href="https://instagram.com/learnwithlee.realtor/" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Instagram</b></span></a><span style="text-align: start;">, </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/leedavenport8?sub_confirmation=1" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>YouTube</b></span></a><span style="text-align: start;">, and </span><a href="http://google.com/+leedavenport" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Google+</b></span></a><span style="text-align: start;"> or by visiting </span><a href="http://www.agentsaroundatlanta.com/" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>LearnWithLee.Realtor</b></span></a><span style="text-align: start;">. <i><b>Here's to your success!</b></i></span></div> <br /></div> </div>

ads, facebook, facebook ads

Get Over These 4 Facebook Ad Issues

Select excerpts from the workbook,  Plan to Win , developed to help you transform your real estate sales game plan. Have you b...