Real Estate Tech on the March: 3D and Drone Technology

Remember the “big book of listings?”

How about faxing spec sheets to prospective buyers. Single page summaries with one grainy photo and a lot of numbers were all you had. Well, those days are gone for good. New rounds of technology, specifically 3D and drones, are revamping the industry. I’d like to highlight two of the latest innovations that seem to be gaining ground with every passing month.

Drones:

Drones give you valuable (possibly never seen before) views of the home and surroundings in crystal clear HD video fly-bys. Once only the realm of the adventurous and ambitious early adopters, new regulations have come about to set rules to standardize drone flight rules, operator qualifications, and fair commercial use, while minimizing risks to other aircraft as well as grounded people and property.

These regulations allow new companies to start; and current ones to continue, without fear of costly future unknown governmental intervention. Rules clearly point out who can fly these drones; how and where they can be used.

New companies will help take Drone pictures mainstream, and increase competition. For the moment, drones are used mainly in higher price point neighborhoods, but this could change quickly if costs decrease.

Drones capture footage that was once only possible with helicopters or planes, at a fraction of the cost. Videos created with drone film can be professionally edited to create a dynamic showcase of a property, from a single lot in the city, to an entire estate.

Professional videos add the ‘wow’ factor to listings, impressing prospective sellers and buyers alike. This positions you on the leading edge of listings. If owning a drone and learning to use it seems out of reach, search in your area for a company that can handle the logistics while you just pay for the finished product.

3D Technology walk-throughs:

Just a few years ago, having 50 pictures online of a property seemed like enough.

(Or even a nifty slideshow, fading from one picture to the next…)

But new technology is letting buyers virtually “walk-through” a property with just a few clicks of a mouse, or swipes on a smartphone. Not just from their own sofa, but from any sofa anywhere in the world.

This new and unique home display has many benefits for your clients.

The visuals are impressive. They deliver never seen before views. Total 360 degree looks that eclipse and run circles around static pictures. This technology not only shows the property spectacularly, but also shows you to be a cutting edge agent who “gets it.” Remember, millennials are coming, and they like their technology.

The camera is placed at various points throughout the property, where it captures a 3D, 360 degree pictures that are seamlessly combined together to form an entire interactive map of each structure. It looks a bit like a dollhouse with exposed sides that can be rotated and flipped in any direction. The effect is an astonishingly real view of the house and it’s contents. It gives the feeling of standing in the house and looking left, right, up or down; a visceral view of the property that rivals, and in ways eclipses, actually being there.

The 3D camera can provide a competitive advantage and a true differentiation of your marketing plan from other agents in your area. The process is still costly, so like drones, it may be confined to the realm of higher priced listings for the near future. But we all know that technology is never static and as more competitors join the field, prices may very well decrease over time.

Learn more about Drones by clicking HERE.

Learn more about 3D Tech and cameras by clicking HERE.

Digital Content Package Now Included with Each Publication

It’s here! We know through our own marketing efforts how important it is to stay up on your digital channels. It’s likely you need lots of fresh digital content for your blog, Facebook, Twitter, marketing/content emails, and LinkedIn – perhaps you need content to post to even more places.

Successful agents consistently post content across multiple digital channels. We have many clients with staff dedicated to this very task. A strong, active web presence helps agents stay fresh in their networks and drive up their SEO. The information tends to be: new listings, recently sold homes, events they are attending or hosting, positive client feedback, and helpful info for homeowners (which is usually purchased through a service or shared from another website).

We’d like to assist with this effort. One of the reasons you might be mailing a 12-page Discover publication is because it breaks through the clutter, setting you apart. The content inside your paper can work for you in the same way on your digital and social channels. We are already producing custom, stand-out content for you – two stories about your neighborhood, a featured listing, and call-to-action imagery – so we are now breaking out and packaging these items together in multiple formats for you. You will receive several pieces per issue plus additional pieces with your first mailing, and we will show you exactly how to use them optimally.

This service, included with every publication at no additional charge, includes everything on the list below. Images will be provided in one format: low resolution, which is the ideal resolution for online channels.

Modified title bar (“header”) in a social-media-friendly shape
Home Value Report call-out box (if you have one)
One each of all your additional call-out boxes
Flip-book URL of entire paper for web use (with working links)
Thumbnail of the top of your paper where the headline is visible, or of the full front page if you prefer
Word doc of each article
Image of Featured Listing
Image of Sold Stats or “Market Update” box

We’ll help you use these items effectively. Our friendly Discover staff will spend as much time as it takes to ensure you are getting the most out of your digital content package. These are our suggestions:

Use on your blog or website (5 posts per month):
- Articles – post full articles
- E-Edition – post the modified header image and underlay the flip-book link, which will take them to your whole 12-page publication. Include a paragraph about how you publish a community paper and what to check out this month
- Featured Listing – post the featured listing spread, discuss the listing, and include a link to the listing itself
- Sold Stats image – post this diagram and talk briefly about what that data means for the community
Use on marketing emails (4 emails per month):
- Articles – use these as stand-alone content emails (2 per month). TIP: include the community name in the subject line so recipients don’t think it’s generic content, and be sure to include a link to the corresponding blog post to help SEO
- E-Edition – use this in your e-newsletter (with the title bar image as what to click to get to it) or as part of an existing email. We advise not sending this as stand-alone email due to the redundancy with other content
- Featured Listing – use this as stand-alone email. Include the Featured Listing picture and link it to the blog post about the listing
- Sold Stats – use this as a stand-alone email with the image, brief market update, and a link to the blog post you created
- We advise a maximum of 6 emails per month, so keep this in mind when considering other emails you plan to send out
Use on social media (5+ posts per month):
- Each item – post all of the above on all platforms by using the image, writing a short description, and linking to corresponding blog posts, other webpage, online form
- Call-out boxes – use these images, especially the Home Value Report, as images for Facebook advertising or posting. Because it’s pretty promotional, we recommend restrained use of these as organic posts; they are better suited as paid ads. Use your home value report URL, online form, or other URL as the link for the image
- We recommend at least one Facebook and at least three Tweets post per day. In general, more is better, as long as your content doesn’t suffer too much. Don’t be afraid to post the same article and market update a few times in a month, and be sure to continue to your regular posting

We hope you’re as excited about your digital package as we are! As the season slows, now is the time learn how to take full advantage of all these wonderful digital resources. Yes, there is a learning curve, but we promise it is worth the investment, and that it will soon take little time and become second nature. Please let us know your feedback, and… Happy Marketing!

A User’s Guide to Microsoft Office

Choosing the Right Program in Microsoft Office

With a multitude of programs out there, how do you know which one is right for the task you are working on? One of the most common suite of programs used in business is Microsoft Office. So which programs in office should you use for what? Let’s break down the three most commonly used components of the Microsoft Office suite.

Word to your Mom.

Word (your modern day typewriter)

Word should be used for, well, words. Anything that is in a narrative form, such as letters, memos, outlines, simple signs and fliers, etc. Word also has the capability for mail merges, where word is used for the document portion of your merge and pulls in your information from a database source, such as Excel or Access, to create multiple letters and envelopes or labels.

Excel (a super fancy calculator and simple database program)

Excel should be used for “flat” data or anything that requires computations to be performed. What do I mean by flat data?

Who you calling flat?

Any data that is not related to other data, such as a single table of data, would be flat. So, for example, if you have a list of customers that you need to maintain, excel would be a great option to maintain that data. Additionally, Excel does have many advanced features, including the ability to perform complex computations as well as some simple database functions.

This party is getting crowded!

Access (data as far as the eye can see)

Access is used for “relational” data, this is the right option if you are maintaining large quantities of data that needs to have relationships set up. So if you find yourself with a file folder full of excel files containing data tables related to your customers, it might be time to maintain that data in Access. But I don’t just want to store my data, I want to extract useful information from my data, you say. No problem! Access also has the capability to run reports and queries on your data, helping you gather information quickly and easily.

Knowledge is Power

Did you know that Microsoft offers free tutorials online for the office suite of programs? Visit their learning center at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/office-training.aspx

Five ways top real estate agents in the country establish themselves as community leaders

Top real estate agents know the value of becoming the go-to person in their community. Here are five ways they’re getting ahead.

Why is being the “go-to person” in your community so important for a real estate agent? The industry is a very personal business, people need to feel comfortable with the agent they choose. Establishing yourself as that go to person assures people that you are a community leader, and the person they want to work with. Being active locally will create new business, referrals and lasting friendships within the community.

Hold free seminars – educate people on the local market, refinancing, retirement. Free seminars are a great way to meet people in the community and let them know you care. You are their real estate agent, and their resource when it comes to anything industry related.
Host an annual past client party – rent out a movie theater, the local zoo or just have a BBQ. This is a great way to show appreciation to your past clients and build a personal relationship with them. Also get referral business!
Consistent direct mail and online marketing – As a real estate agent, you always want to stay in front of your market. Marketing will allow the general public to know you, people want to work with someone they know and trust.
Community Fundraisers – Hosting fundraiser events for the local schools, or building a team to participate in a cancer walk are great ways to show you care about the community and are actively giving back.
Advertise that fact your audience and clients may call your office for anything – Need a contractor? Call my office, I can refer someone. Want to refinance your home? Call my office we will help get you on the right path. Just another great way to help people in the community and let them know you are their go-to real estate agent for everything and anything.

Real estate agents: Four reasons your direct mail campaign isn’t working

Real Estate is the Best Industry for Direct Mail Marketing

Over the last few decades, here at Discover we’ve made huge efforts at getting custom publications in the mailboxes of various industry prospects. We’ve tried the full gamut of small businesses marketing to a geographic farm. What we’ve found is that real estate is the best industry for direct mail, and yet, we still run into agents who don’t get results. Here we’ve come to understand a few basic principles about direct mail; when and how it becomes effective. These are our nuggets of wisdom.

(1) You are still building a community presence

Real estate is such a great industry for direct mail because you only need a few good leads to cover the cost of several mailings. This isn’t true for other industries, whose services are yielding much lower revenue per lead. But to get even those few leads, your mail needs to reinforce an image that is already familiar. Of course, your mail assists with the familiarization process, but having a few yard signs in the neighborhood and a booth at the fireworks will make you mail much more effective. That doesn’t mean that if you’re a new agent you shouldn’t use direct mail (we think you should), but you must realize that it probably won’t send leads your way for a long time.

We’ve found that agents who have been working in the community for 5 or more years, have 5% or greater market share in their farm. And those who participate in community events regularly get the best results in the fastest amount of time.

(2) You aren’t sending the right kind of mail

Ah, postcards. Even here at Discover we’ve dabbled with them. We learned early on that postcards can be a great tool for showcasing a recent sold or a hot listing, but they should not be used as the backbone of a direct mail strategy. Today’s consumers are highly distrustful of almost anything promotional, and it’s really tough to cram anything but self-promotion on a postcard. You’re go-to direct mail piece should speak to the homeowners in your community about what interests and concerns them. It should show, not tell, how you are an expert, member and leader in the community.

This realization was the genesis of our custom publication, which is designed to position agents as caring, contributing members of the neighborhood who are also successful real estate agents. Sending relevant, engaging content to your prospects is more effective over the long haul than promotional postcards or fliers.

(3) You aren’t properly prospecting or supplementing your direct mail with other forms of marketing

We’ve heard of agents who love the idea of direct mail so much that they rely too heavily on it, and it gets them nothing. A seasoned real estate agent knows that you’ve got to heavily prospect as part of your overall strategy. This includes regular phone calls, emails and even door knocks. If you’re calling on people you’ve been mailing too, you can use that as an opening line so the call doesn’t feel as cold.

Direct mail is also one of the least threatening forms of marketing because it is so easy. You send it. With your websites, social media, videos and emails, you’re taught to follow rules, cross-connect multiple channels and then analyze all of the metrics. We get it. But nonetheless, the fact is that even if you are a fantastic networker, direct mailer and community leader, if your prospects can’t find you online they’ll be turned off. To get the most out of direct mail you should:

Lead prospects to a beautiful, functional and well-integrated website. It should tie to all your social media and other online profiles and sites (like your broker landing page and Zillow profile), showcase listings, link to tools your prospects can use to value their home and search local listings, and feature regular updates and blog posts
Have a presence with frequent posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
Build and maintain a clean email list of past clients and future prospects. You should email them at least twice a month with interesting content that is non-promotional, including videos

We know it takes a lot of inertia to do all of this, but we have found that agents who take advantage of multiple marketing channels get more calls from the direct mail they send out.

(4) You aren’t mailing consistently

Just like with prospecting and email marketing, consistency is key. We’ve found that mailing a good, core piece at least every other month will pay off within 6-8 months (for an agent with presence, market share, and a good supplementary marketing program).
But what’s interesting is that once the agent mailing hits this “break-even” point, the leads don’t come in at a steady pace, they tend to come in faster and faster. It’s as though the continual reinforcement starts to take hold and homeowners start to associate the agent with “successful real estate selling.” At that point it’s exciting because it’s a matter of housing turnover more than trust building, because that’s already been accomplished.

We hope you’ve found this information helpful. We’re always here to share our experience and insights, so let us know if you have any comments or questions.

Top 21 Favorite Marketing Memes of the Month

Here it is, our top marketing memes of the month, chosen by the team at Discover Pubs.

Memes generate a good laugh, but they can also allow us to walk a day in each other’s shoes and experience the good and bad of our daily professions. As for marketing professionals, from the moment we sit down to our computers to the point that we think it’s time to leave, but can’t see the time through our strained eyes – we are creating and sending content through emails, social media, blogs and everything-in-between.

For the next few minutes give your eyes some relief, or hop into a set of your marketing friend’s shoes and enjoy our 21 favorite marketing memes of the month.