Take a step back to see what type of content you have available. Your blog, your newsletter(s), information on your website, various services that you subscribe to that push content to consumers, etc. Determine what your rights are to that content and if you can share it. (Above all, respect copyrights.)

Next, once you have all your content assembled and know what content can be redistributed, determine the best methods to share the content. Think of your blog, your Twitter account, Facebook notes and status updates, targeted ads leading to a landing page/specific pages on your website, etc. What content would work well as printed pieces to generate leads? Consider all the possibilities and weave them into your marketing plan.

What are your best practices for content marketing?

I recently downloaded a number of real estate apps.  Some were from individual agents or their companies, others were “helpful” real estate tools.  Regardless, as I started going through them, one thing became apparently clear — someone didn’t thoroughly test the app!

A few crashed while using them — shutting me out of the app entirely and having to start from scratch when I re-entered the app.  Another one just didn’t look right on my phone even though it was downloaded from my phone for my system.  And still another would work…until I clicked on something!

The key here is test, test and test — over and over and over again.  I was merely curious what these apps had to offer.  Home buyers and sellers aren’t going to have the same level of patience and forgiveness to go back and “try it again” (or again and again and again).

No matter what you try to do online — whether it be an app, an email attachment, a link, a landing page, a fill-out form — take the time to test it on different Internet browsers including those of smart phones.  Make sure that the item looks right, the links are correct, tasks can be completed as they are laid out.  The time you invest in testing will result in happier users — who will reward you with their business!

Let us know how you test your electronic marketing to ensure it’s working as designed.

Generally speaking about emails that you send, the greatest number (30%) will be viewed within two hours of sending the email.  After seven hours, 50% of the total opens will have occurred, 75% after 23 hours and 90% of your opens after three days have passed.

The take away is that immediately after you send your emails, the greatest number of opens will happen.  The news is freshest at that time and the interest is greatest.

MailerMailer also points out that keeping links and landing pages active from your email long after you email them is imperative.  When you are dealing with buying and selling homes, you know that the decision process is a long one and recipients of your emails are more likely to save your emails, refer back to them and click on links and offers long after the email first went out.

Let us know how your open rates are doing for email marketing.

According to the Direct Marketing Association, in 2008 email marketing returned $45.06 for every dollar spent on it.  They predict that by 2013, the same return on investment will drop to $37.99.  Depending upon the email marketing service or program you use, your returns on email marketing could be huge.  What can you do to ensure your email marketing will still be relevant and provide good returns for you in the future?

• More is not better.  Don’t treat your email list flippantly and broadcast to the list all the time.  You’ll burn out the recipients with too much contact.
• Be relevant.  Ensure your list(s) are segmented so that appropriate messages are going out to the right recipients.
• Ask for permission, again.  Don’t assume that once someone signed up for email that they’re interested in receiving your messages forever.  Be kind and re-ask.
• Monitor activity.  If your click-through rates are stagnating or dropping and your undeliverables are increasing, rethink your email marketing list.  Work to add new contacts to it continuously.

Share your best practices to get the most from email marketing for the long-term.

• If you’re really interested and feeling like you can get a word in edgewise, you will likely interrupt the person and ask for clarification.
• If you’re tired or not super interested or don’t feel comfortable stopping the conversation, you just let the issue slide and walk away not really getting all the information you could.

The key here is to be very careful when you are talking to buyers or sellers.  And, this includes more than just face-to-face conversations.  When you are blogging, tweeting, writing a mail piece or email newsletter, an online or printed advertisement or any other communication, it’s important — imperative — to be totally clear.

• Very few people outside of real estate professionals know what all the designation abbreviations mean behind your name on your business card.  Clarify them, and if you don’t have room to explain them, reconsider their value in winning over new home buyers or sellers when they aren’t explained.
• Acronyms about buying a home such as FHA, VA, HUD, LTV, REO, BPO, etc. should be defined somewhere for those brand new to the home buying world.
• Often used abbreviations or short hand should also be made clear.  Not all people moving to your area are locals and will automatically know that SHB means Sandy Harbor Beach in an advertisement or property description.  Not everyone — seller or buyer alike — knows what a short sale is; be sure to enumerate what it is for those considering buying one.  Think of other shorthand you use that isn’t clear to a new home seller or buyer.
• Understand what home buyers and sellers in YOUR area use in terms of terminology to refer to an area, a type of home, a process.  If you can use the terminology that they are familiar and comfortable with, they are more likely to tune in to your marketing and conversations.

You are an expert in real estate.  However, those you are working with and for aren’t.  Don’t make them “pick up the lingo” you are using; educate them as to what everything means and discuss the topic completely — asking if the person has questions as you go along.

Let us know how you keep your communication clear and complete.

You probably have a email marketing plan in place. And, the key to your email success is to make sure you’re keeping your message relevant to your audience, tracking your success through analysis (open rates, etc.) and managing your content and reputation that is portrayed through your email.

As you continue to refine and test your email marketing campaigns, you’re probably weighing the benefits of trying out some new electronic marketing methods. Mobile marketing is moving in strong with opportunities arising through text messaging, new websites and apps for phones. Rich media channels include video, podcasting and gaming. And, of course, social media continues to beckon with microblogging, social networks and user-generated content.

As you research these new marketing methods, be sure you understand how they work, what the true audience size is, ways to track and analysis the success as well as methods to integrate new marketing in with your existing marketing plan and budget.

Marketing opportunities will continue to expand, allowing you a chance to reach more home buyers and sellers effectively and efficiently.

What new electronic marketing are you using or testing?

And, when it comes to real estate, they want someone who is going to help them achieve all these goals…and then some.

The way that home buyers and sellers are looking at real estate transactions has evolved over the past year or so. These buyers and sellers are not likely to return to the previous purchasing and selling methods — both by choice and by the industry (tougher lending requirements, buyers wanting more for their money, etc.).

Where do you stack up?

One place that these consumers flock to is the web for reviews, comparisons, to simply check out services and compare different professionals to find one that answers their questions and concerns. They can’t compare you with other real estate professionals easily on price, but they can on how you present yourself and what you give to buyers and sellers — on value.

One way to make home buyers and sellers stay on your site and earn their trust is to pack it with relevant content that services their real estate needs. Guides to how to buy a home, how to sell a home, how to save money doing either, etc. are the type of information these consumers (your clients) are looking for when they land on your website. They want answers to their questions quickly, easily and completely.

You often can’t compete on price as you’re not selling a product. But, you can compete on service and how well you communicate, educate and inform buyers and sellers who are searching for a real estate professional to help them buy or sell a home.

Where do you fall during these consumer-directed searches?

Avoid using “lingo” or jargon in your forms that prospects might not understand. Doing so makes prospects feel as though you’re not really interested in talking to them—and will close your forms like a Pandora’s box. For example, real estate professionals often assume prospects are familiar with abbreviations such as CMA, MLS, ILD (formerly IDX), VOW, FSBO, REO, SF and so on—they’re a mystery to many.

When in doubt, spell it out. “Insiderspeak” only works with insiders; don’t make your prospect feel like an outsider.

Let us know how you avoid abbreviations or use the opportunity to educate about them on your web forms. 

With forms programmed to validate data, if the prospect doesn’t complete a “required” field, have a gentle and clear message ready about why the form is incomplete. It may be a typo problem (no @ in e-mail, no dot in dot.com) or a simple oversight. Whatever the error, an annoying “error” message is just that—annoying.

Consider using a friendly lead-in, such as: “Oops. Please recheck your answers. Some required information may have been skipped.”

Review your form to make sure that required info is not every field. Too much required info and the prospect will skip out.

Let us know how you talk to prospects when there is a problem filling out their web forms. We’d love to see your examples!