Author Archives: Marketing Department

About Marketing Department

We are the marketing department for Homes & Land Affiliates, LLC., based in Tallahassee, Florida, USA.
by | May 28, 2013 · 12:19 pm

The keys to outstanding real estate branding

BirdsWeb

Birds of a different feather: What are the qualifications that set you apart from competitors?

When making the big decision to hang out your shingle, how much effort does it take to be sure your marketing will make clients want to raise the roof?

The amount of effort that goes into your marketing strategy doesn’t have to be overly time-intensive or stress-inducing — as long as you have a solid understanding of effective real estate branding.

Being clear about your professional identity can help you create a real estate brand that fosters unity in all of your future marketing campaigns. Take the time to ask yourself a few questions about the types of buyers and sellers you’re best equipped to serve. What are the qualifications that set you apart from competitors? How can past success become a selling point in the future?

There should be no mistaking the impression you hope to make because, even though they may not know it yet, buyers and sellers need you, and good personal branding has the potential to show them why.

Focus on fundamentals

Having identified everything that sets you apart and taken stock of the primary market you intend to serve, getting down to the nitty-gritty stuff — logo design, color schemes, listing advertisements — is easier than you think.

  • If you’re just starting out and still in need of a logo, commission a graphic designer to work some magic on your behalf. Often, creative typography can turn your name into an eye-catching, recognizable symbol.
  • Take advantage of easy-to-use online tools that are available to help you choose a color scheme, such as the Adobe website Kuler, which automatically generates precise complementary colors and hues based on any given color or image.
  • Do your best to determine some stylistic guidelines for your printed listing materials, like flyers or magazine advertisements. Find ads you like and use their design elements as a model to get your own creativity flowing. Don’t hesitate to quickly sketch things out — it will help you visualize the end result.

When top-producing Florida Realtor Gary Bartlett gave up his job as a local news anchor to try his hand in the real estate market, it didn’t take him long to recognize the importance of details like brand awareness.

“When I made the transition to becoming a Realtor, I quickly became a student of advertising,”

Bartlett said in an interview with Homes & Land.

The right consistency

Now that you’re ready to make a great first impression, it’s time to concentrate on the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth … well, you get the picture.

A consistent approach is proven to be the best way to win the hearts, minds and attention of consumers in nearly every industry. For the buyers and sellers in the real estate segment, a regular appearance from you in their favorite local magazine can go a long way toward building brand recognition.

There’s no doubt that magazines with a targeted distribution system garner a loyal readership. A majority of Homes & Land readers — 71.6 percent — report frequently reading a copy of the magazine, with many of them engaging in every issue.

Being seen consistently, both offline and online, can go a long way toward establishing and maintaining a foothold in your target market. A buyer on the verge of kicking off a home search, or a seller testing the waters before jumping into the market, are both more likely to discover and remember the agents they see on a regular basis.

The increased visibility you gain from regular ad placement also has benefits that extend beyond reaching new clients. As Bartlett pointed out in his interview,

“You’ve got to remain top of mind with your past clients because those past clients become referral sources for you.”

Keep in mind, too, the more unconventional ways to be seen and recognized. Using your knowledge of the local real estate market to compile and publish a market report can enhance your reputation, which will help build trust and instill confidence.

A market report will also be a magnet for your ideal clients, as facts and information about the area you serve can be plainly delineated and your analysis can present context and clarity.

Mindful of digital

Social media sites deliver some obvious branding opportunities, including personalized profiles, seemingly unlimited potential to grow your network and a platform for ongoing dialogue.

Investigating a few more of the ways the Internet can affect your real estate brand, though, leads to new considerations.

  • Where is your name and contact information placed in relation to the listing on a web page? Is it buried at the bottom? Look for real estate sites that keep such vital information about you above the scroll.
  • Does the website offer any way to feature you or your agency in a more prominent position? There should be an easy way to search for you, as well as options to increase the likelihood you appear among more broad search results.
  • If you’ve been showcasing your knowledge in printed market reports, is there an option to make it available online? The information in your report is valuable to potential clients, so a real estate website should be able to give you a means to publish it online.

The right branding strategy will help all of your marketing and advertising fall in line. And just for a little reassurance, remember that great and important brands can come from humble beginnings. As proof, one such brand is listed by Forbes Magazine as the most powerful in the world — as we all know, the seeds that grew to be Apple Inc. were planted in a garage.

• Watch Gary Bartlett’s Homes & Land interview about branding
• Read about HomesAndLand.com features
• Check out our Ad Makeover Gallery

Leave a Comment

Filed under Advertising, Design, Marketing Minute

Tagged as , ,

by | May 21, 2013 · 9:49 am

Luxury real estate: Leap past high-end listing hurdles

HL7249Image1

Ever needed enough space to park 100 cars? That’s roughly the amount of space available inside a 12,000-square-foot luxury home. Now let’s throw in crystal chandeliers, a few fireplaces, custom cabinetry, a gym, a game room and a lot the size of two football fields. Type up a listing, slap on a price tag and get that house on the market. Piece of cake, right?

Not quite.

The Herculean task of finding qualified buyers for high-end properties is as difficult as it is rewarding. The blood, sweat and tears (and dollars) that go into each transaction could easily give way to feelings of despair. But arrive at a closing or settlement and see the achievement boost your stature in the luxury real estate market.

It’s time to make the odds work in your favor, which means it’s time to set aside the conventional approach and elevate your listing’s profile.

Fly a banner for the manor: Since bigger is better, avoid pictures the size of postage stamps. Large, high-quality listing display photos — appearing both online and in glossy magazines — present a more eye-catching first look at your luxury property.

Mind your mail: Once your listing is polished to perfection in print, be sure to take advantage of direct mail to get the magazine in the hands of the right audience. Who is the right audience, you ask?

High-end home seekers: The right audience is affluent and qualified; and not every media source is equal when it comes to building trust and reaching this demographic. The market research experts at Nielsen, for example, determined magazines are top dog in the trust-building department.

Inroads in the old country: Remember to reach out to our neighbors across the pond. According to the National Association of Realtors, 20 percent of all international buyers in 2012 came from Western Europe.

Say “ni hao” to Asia: Hello, China! The NAR found 39 percent of all international buyers in 2012 came from Asia. Your listing plans should include a gateway to these up-and-coming global players.

Looking for the total package? Find out how your local Homes & Land publisher can tailor the right combination of advertising to fit your specific goals. Be sure to ask about the Estates & Homes section for high-end properties, and our international partnership with The Wall Street Journal.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Advertising

Tagged as , , ,

by | April 18, 2013 · 3:01 pm

“Responsive Web Design” And Why It Matters In Real Estate

What is your customer’s real estate search experience like? Do you find viewing websites on a smartphone or tablet frustrating? If you are scrolling or panning side to side to see the whole page, your customers are as well. That’s because most websites are behind the curve when it comes to functioning on smartphones and tablets. It requires a design change that until recently wasn’t available. For the real estate agent, a website with responsive web design meets the needs of a growing mobile audience – and increases visibility.

2013 has been declared the year of Responsive Web Design (RWD) by technology news sources like Mashable.com. Meaning, more and more websites will be implementing this design to adjust to the many devices used today. The increasing use of mobile web access demands it.

Mobile Experience Drives Actionstk164365rke

Mobile browsing is fast outpacing desktop browsing. At the same time, more than 80% of people are disappointed with their mobile browsing experience and would use their smartphones more if it improved (source: smashingmagazine.com). How a real estate site behaves on a mobile device is crucial to how much viewers use it – and that affects the likelihood of them contacting you.

As an agent, it benefits you if buyers and sellers have an enjoyable and satisfying web search experience that is smooth and complete. A website that isn’t mobile friendly risks losing traffic and ultimately business. Statistics prove it. 91% of people in the U.S. have their mobile device within reach all day, every day. 70% of mobile searches result in action within 1 hour (Source: Mobile Marketing Association). Think about that for a second. Are you benefitting from these on-the-go action takers?

How it Works

The content on a PC screen hasn’t transferred very well to a smartphone or tablet until now. Responsive Web Design, a term only recently coined in 2010, means that no matter what device you are using, smartphone, tablet, or desktop, the image adjusts according to the screen size of the device it’s being viewed on. Your clients need and expect full functionality on their mobile device just as they would get on a desktop. Responsive web design allows for that and enables easy reading and navigating.

Digital Engagement Leads to You Responsive Design Smartphone Tablet

To view a good example of a real estate search site with responsive design, take a look at HomesAndLand.com. Homes & Land is a leader in technologysolutions that support its advertisers. The recently completed makeover of the website improves both the desktop and mobile user experience. With faster page load times and easier navigation, buyers can quickly and easily search and view real estate listings and have the same experience whether they’re on a desktop, tablet or smartphone. Larger property photos easily display on both smartphones and tablets, encouraging the viewer to stay engaged. That translates to them being on the site longer because it delivers what they need and want. Agents gain greater exposure as a result. If prospects can find you easily while they are mobile, that’s a good thing.

In a survey conducted in late 2012, 63% of Homes & Land’s readers indicated they are likely to drive by a listing after seeing it in the magazine. 72% also said they would then find that same property online. Many buyers out for a Sunday drive, looking at houses or open houses, now have full website functionality on their mobile device thanks to HomesAndLand.com’s use of RWD.

People use mobile devices for both work and play. So, by all means, if play means looking at houses on their tablet, who are we to stop them or frustrate them with a poor viewing experience? For serious house hunters, responsive web design means getting what they want when they need it. Real estate sites with responsive design provide a satisfying experience for buyers and sellers, which can mean more leads for you. Perhaps you’ll be getting more requests for a showing while they are sitting in front of your listing.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Advertising, Industry Articles and Trends, Products & Services, Tech Tips

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | April 10, 2013 · 3:10 pm

What Every Agent Should Know About Marketing

There is an overwhelming amount of information about the “best practices” of marketing. Classes are taught about it, books are written, and coaches pitch their programs. One of the most important tenets of marketing, and often the most forgotten, is that successful marketing requires patience and persistence.

This can be difficult for impatient real estate agents who want to see instant leads from short-term efforts. However, studies show consistent contact turns prospects into clients and generates a second wave of upcoming business. Your goal as an agent is to make sure prospects that are in the researching stage become convinced that you are the agent to contact when they are ready. Win them over through a well thought out marketing plan and determination.

It’s a well-known fact that real estate is a constantly flowing and changing business, as evident by the current market and the ups and downs experienced over the past decade. Successful agents, and anyone who advertises for that matter, grew their business during these cycles by staying in front of potential customers with the following three objectives.

Raise Your Visibility in the Market

Reach your target audience everywhere they might look. To be effective, reach them through multiple avenues: your website or blog, real estate search MM Graphic April 2013sites, social media, print advertising, and don’t forget direct mail. Yes, a combination of online and offline methods is best. Magazines and direct mail put you in front of prospects, eliminating the need for them to search for you. Simply asking for their business can make an impression upon a potential seller and resonate with them down the road.

Your goal is to be so high on the visibility scale that people immediately think of you when they think about real estate. In his book, The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, Gary Keller said, “…buyers and sellers seem to have room in their minds for only one or two real estate agents. In the battle for real estate consumer mind share, you’re either first or second or you’re out of contention… So the big question and challenge is how to win those first two positions of real estate mind share with enough people.”

Earn Your Prospect’s Trust

Advertising when others are not can make you appear more stable than your competitors. How and where you advertise impacts whether or not you receive serious consideration. The real estate market, as an indicator of the overall economy, has been in the news so much lately that people are paying attention. All real estate is local, right? So where is the best place for people to get local market information? It should be you. Use market reports, testimonials and real estate niche magazines to provide information and enhance credibility. Consumers trust magazine advertisements and content over all other sources of media. Add to that word of mouth referrals and you’ve covered both the front end (credible advertising) and the back-end (happy customers) to explain why they should choose you. The more consistently prospects see you and your message, the more likely they are to trust and respond.

Stay Top-Of-Mind

To be effective, implement your plan no matter what the market is doing. That may involve budgeting ahead. When the market is hot, you need that Marketing Minute Sales Contact Graphic-01contact to prevent your competitors from stealing your visibility and therefore market share. When the market cools, the consistency is even more important. If prospects stop seeing you, they stop thinking of you. When others have put their marketing on hold, you’ll have gained attention and remain top-of-mind when things pick up.

This graph of time-honored statistics shows us that the decision to act is made not after 2 or 3 encounters, but after many, repetitive exposures. If you’ve ever engaged in a marketing campaign to promote your business, you probably have seen this to be true. If you haven’t reached your target audience at least 5 times, you may have quit too soon to win them over.

Go the distance. Often we’re tempted to give up without realizing how close we are to reaching our goal. An inspirational scene from the hit movie Facing the Giants  illustrates that we often create our own limitations based on what we see and not on our true potential.

Every step you take toward increasing your visibility, gaining trust, and holding that top-of-mind spot brings you one step closer to increased prosperity. Don’t lose your hard-earned visibility. Elevate your presence and remember patience and persistence will pay off!

Contact your Homes & Land marketing partner today to learn how Homes & Land’s integrated offerings can help you with your marketing strategy.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Advertising, Industry Articles and Trends, Interesting Takes, Marketing Minute, setting goals, Working Tips

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | March 15, 2013 · 3:24 pm

Are You Influencing Your Sphere?

“But Mother, how could you? I am a Realtor!” 

One day Patti Ketcham was visiting her mother in the home where Patti grew up and her Mother said, “Oh, I keep meaning to tell you. I get these cards from this nice neighbor down the street about the value of my house. I have kept them all for years, so if you ever need them, you know where they are.” Patti Ketcham has sold real estate in Florida for more than 30 years. She also teaches and does agent training statewide. Yet, her own mother suggested she seek the advice of a “nice neighbor and Realtor!”

This is an interesting phenomenon that plagues many Realtors — their Sphere of Influence (SOI) does not think of them as a Realtor of choice. They will call on strangers rather than family or close friends to help them with a real estate transaction. How can you make sure your friends, family, and acquaintances remember not only what you do, but know how well you do it?

Keep these 4 steps in mind as you circle back and revisit your inner circles.

147051387

Make sure your sphere of influence knows what you do. Remember to ASK for the business. You cannot garner their trust and support if you fail to ask for the job. Many people have no idea how a Realtor is paid for their time and service. Talk to your SOI about the process and let them know you want referrals.

Secure new leads in your circles outside of real estate. Make a list of everyone you know: lawyers, teachers, dry-cleaners, friends and family. Use that list daily to nurture those relationships. You already have a core group in the places you frequent on a regular basis — the gym, your book club, your volunteer activities. Make sure this group knows you want and need their referrals.

In “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, Dale Carnegie said, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” Get to know those in your sphere of influence a little deeper. Ask questions that could help you help them later on. People will feel good about the conversation (and therefore you) because you listened.

Family and friends also should be viewed this way – you can train them to think of you beyond the normal role they see you in, as relative, team parent, committee member, etc. Look for opportunity to educate them on the topic of real estate.

Remember to network and SHARE, SHARE, SHARE your knowledge.  Give freely of good information. Publish your expertise so your SOI can follow and share. Talk with your sphere about the current market. For instance: reduced interest rates, first time homebuyer incentives, and new homeowner’s insurance discounts.

DON’T FORGET your network outside your area. Share the referral or relocation process with them.

Network and share, but don’t over-use your personal social media with your business posts. A great attention getter every now and then announcing a special closing or a new listing is fine for reminding them of what you do; but, use a separate account for daily marketing of your business.

THANK YOU! Thank you can never be said too much. Gratitude is a powerful tool and should be used constantly. Write a note to thank friends and family for referrals – especially them. This reinforces your professional image in their mind over the casual relationship that is so familiar.

Fountain Pen with Thank You NoteA closing thank you gift to your clients is not only an appropriate gesture; it also reinforces a positive lasting impression with them. They will remember you for future business or refer you to their sphere of influence.

Above all, enjoy the process. It can take time, but when you make an effort to contact even a small portion of your SOI every day and ask for their referrals, you will begin to see new leads generated. Maybe your mother will even remember to refer you!

Leave a Comment

Filed under Interesting Takes, Marketing Minute

Tagged as , , , ,