Below is a picture of a postcard that was received by several of our agents in Central Ohio from a Re/Max brokerage. The card is an obvious form type letter whose message should be targeted towards a real estate company who does not enable their agents to "self promote" or provide them to tools to "self-promote," and use new media.
The irony for me in this card is that Real Living provides many more tools to self-promote than the Re/Max. Some of them include...
A broker site that drives leads directly to agents
Agent websites that can be used for self-promotion and lead capture
"Talk to me NOW" and "Text me now" buttons on agent and broker pages
A full suite of postcard templates agents can personalize for self or property promotion
Robust training platform including 101 (tools training), 201 (advanced agent training) and several "new media" trainings including blogging, Facebook, Twiitter and more.
At the end of the day, I could go on and on. However, I encourage brokers, managers or recruiters to know their audience and competition prior to sending post-cards like this one. Otherwise your message will not resonate.
In my role as vice president of marketing I've consistently heard two common phrases, over the past few months with respect to social media (Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, etc.)...
1. I don't have time to participate in social media.
2. <insert social media outlet here> will not find me customers.
I recently compiled a few staggering stats that I wanted to share with respect to this commentary...
Generation Y will outnumber Baby Boomers by the year 2010 and 96% of them are active in social media.
Today's new generation of homebuyers, Gen Y and Gen Z (the next gen behind Y) consider e-mail passé. In fact some universities including Boston College are eliminating e-mail as a form of communication to students.
Social media is the #1 activity on the Internet right now - it has overtaken porn.
If Facebook were a country it'd be 4th in population behind USA which is 3rd behind China and India.
80% of all US companies use Linked-In as their primary source to hire employees.
Time it took the following media outlets to reach 50 million users...
Radio - 38 years
TV - 13 years
Internet - 4 years
iPod - 3 years
Facebook - added 100 million users in the past 9 months
18% of television ad campaigns yield a positive ROI because 90% of people who can fast forward through ads do.
The fastest growing demographic on Facebook is women 55-65 years old.
So in response to the two comments I mentioned earlier, I pose this single question...
With these stats, and keeping Harley Sr.'s (founder of Real Living) infamous "See the People," speech in mind, how can you afford not to create time for social media? Social media is where you'll find and "see the people" of today and tomorrow.
Social media is not a "flash-in-the-pan" fad that will go away. If you are not in the social media game, jump-in! Because of social media we are no longer searching for news, it is finding us. Likewise, Realtors everywhere are connecting with consumers via these venues everyday.
Our very own Real U offers a Social Media 101 class. Sign up online today and get in the game. When, via social media you connect with a past high-school friend or former co-worker and sell them a home, you'll be thankful you did.
I looked into Trendgraphix for a report outlining the top companies selling homes in the upscale ($400k+) Central Ohio market YTD. Here are the results...
This is a 27% market share in the upscale central Ohio market! Our marketing, tools, systems, sites and agents all contribute to this success! If you are interested in joining our professional firm so you too can use statistics like these when going on a $400k+ listing presentation, please connect with me or one of our sales leaders.
Great news! We're extending the Peace of Mind, Job-Loss Mortgage Protection Plan! It will be extended for another month - buyers must go into contract prior to September 30, 2009 and close prior to October 31, 2009. The website PDF's will be updated by tomorrow to reflect these dates. This extension will also afford more time for our refinance initiative to work as well as the buyer/seller initiative. Remember refi customers are eligible too.
It is also noteworthy to mention that we'll be introducing another consumer promotion, simultaneously, in conjunction with the conclusion of Peace of Mind. The next program, while I cannot share the details yet, will be another differentiator for Real Living. It will create positive excitement in the market, help agents attract listings, help managers/owners with recruiting and generate publicity. Like the Peace of Mind Plan, the new promotion will be available network-wide and as an organization we are dedicated to 2-3 of these promotions annually.
Why is the Peace of Mind Plan being extended? Simple, results don't lie. In May, prior to the Peace of Mind Plan, RL HER had a 17.2% market share. In July, RLHER's share improved to 21.8%. This statistic and "bump" is incredible and a direct result of our firm rallying and creating excitement around the promotion! The promotion is helping agents get listings and differentiating RL listings to buyers. I promise you, the next one will be just as great! Stay tuned!
One of our office managers sent this picture to me today. Consumers in rural areas really seem to take it seriously if a "Realitor" lies, cheats or steals.
Since 1967, Real Living took over the number one spot in central Ohio's real estate market and has yet to relinquish that position. Thanks to our great agents (who average more than three times the national transaction average), innovative technology and continual reinvestment into the firm, our goal is growth in Columbus in 2009 and beyond. Due to some of the initiatives and leadership in our firm, I believe that when this article appears in 2010 there will be a greater distance between us and the other central Ohio competitors.
This week Real Living is celebrating the newest program for buyers and sellers designed to provide additional comfort in this uncertain market... Real Living's Peace of Mind Mortgage Payment Protection Plan. Real Living is the first and only firm in central Ohio, Dayton, Cincinnati and Louisville to offer a program of this nature.
The Peace of Mind Plan is being implemented to differentiate our agents from the competition and to provide an opportunity to send a one-stop-shopping message to consumers.
Here is the scoop...
Real Living is covering the cost of an insurance policy that will pay the mortgage for up to 6 months (maximum of $1,500/mo) for a buyer upon involuntary loss of job. The buyer will receive one year of protection if they use Real Living Mortgage and buy any home on the market. They will receive 2 years of protection if they finance through Real Living Mortgage AND buy a Real Living listing! What a great message to relay to current listings... Real Living is doing all it can to sell your listing with this bonus incentive.
If you are not a Real Living agent and your buyer buys a Real Living listing and uses Real Living Mortgage, they too will receive the benefit. We appreciate all of our co-op agents! Or if you are interested in joining us please connect with me confidentially and I'll refer you to the office manager who is the best fit for your location.
Additionally, the Peace of Mind Plan will apply to those refinancing with Real Living Mortgage - these borrowers will receive 1 year of protection. Another excellent opportunity to reach out to your databases and position yourself with your past customers as their full-service real estate professional.
Real Living Momentum 2009 was a huge success. It all started with the best venue to ever hold the event, The Lifestyles Communities Pavilion (aka. the LC). The LC is an intimate venue that attracts well know bands in a close setting. Real estate is primed for a strong turn-around and this party served as the kick-off for Real Living.
Registration started at 1pm and below is a picture of the entry to the LC...
The event kicked off with Harley and Kaira Rouda opening the awards ceremony. Hundreds of Real Living agents walked the stage to receive their awards...
This year marked the firsts for a few new awards, The Harley Rouda Manager of the Year award, which was an old door. The door is symbolic of Harley Sr. starting the company on two old saw horses and an old door and the doors we as an industry open for Americans by helping them acheive the dream of homeownership. TAdditionally, we created another new award, an oar. The oar is awarded to the office who most effectively "rowed together" during the prior year by exhibiting the best support of all company sponsored services (e.g. RL mortgage, RL title, and RL Homegard warranty). Below, is Harley with the oar annoucing the winning office.
Immediately folllowing the awards ceremony, speaker David Knox spoke about a key topic, getting buyers off of the fence.
Next, we introduce the E-Team, online lead generation platform. This program generated much interest and Real Living's own Ric Devore introduced the program to the group.
The event concluded with an open bar, dancing, food, and the music of Conspiracy.
Nearly 500 agents, managers, guests and franchise owners joined the fun. This year's celebration will be tough to beat in 2010. Thanks to all who attended for a great evening of fun, networking, and bonding!!
Since taking over the marketing department at Real Living, I've had some eye-opening experiences. The first of which that I want to discuss is the formation of new listing syndication sites with local slants owned by local newspapers, radio stations and the like. On the surface and in your first meeting, here is what these wolves look like this... cute and harmless
But here is the real scoop...
These new sites have a great advantage because of their ownership. In Columbus, The Dispatch Media Group owns ColumbusRealEstate.com, in addition to the local newspaper, the local CBS affiliate, radio stations and localized free weekly newspapers. What great advertising opportunities to drive traffic to the site. When they came to our offices 2 years ago they stated, that they were going to be the #1 destination for Columbus homebuyers. Wait a minute; RealLivingHER is the #1 destination. Why would we fuel this engine who clearly stated their desire to beat our site in traffic??? They are simply trying to re-capture the advertising revenue they are losing from the traditional mediums our industry is fleeing from - e.g. newspapers. Ad revenue is paramount... Consumer experience is secondary.
The other one is WonderfulColumbus.com. This is a newer site owned by Clear Channel who is known for radio stations, billboards and possibly more. Again, a huge advantage of the site to be literally in bed with advertising venues to drive traffic. The goal of this site is similar to that of the aforementioned one.
Real Living HER does not and will not share with either of these sites. I told both of these sites that our data was too valuable BUT... if they were interested in paying us for them, we'd entertain that proposal.
I encourage you and your brokerage to do the same. By giving these local sites your listings, you are submitting to the fact that you see no value in your listings. You are giving listings to these companies for "free," enabling them to beat your site in the traffic game, all while creating another local media relationship who will suck your advertising dollars dry and detract from your ability to focus on your own web presence.
By not playing this game and sharing your #1 asset (LISTINGS) you eliminate their ability to provide a full-service consumer experience. They use fear to get us to share by leveraging their sister media outlets. Don't be afraid of the ads they'll run. The consumer will always seek out the real estate sites they trust to provide all listing information - e.g. YOUR site.
Think about it... If you are buying a home would you go to the sites who have 100% of the listings or 80% or fewer? Due to the fact that we don't share, ColumbusRealEstate.com will automatically miss 20% of the listings (1 in every 5 will be absent from search results) - even more depending on the suburb. Is this a good consumer experience? Nope.
Instead of sharing with these wolves, make your site the best in town! Use the dollars you and your agents will spend (today or eventually) with these imposter sites to create your own consumer destination. Otherwise you'll pay the price in the future!! Sharing creates another "newspaper" that we'll be complaining about down the road because they charge us too much and our customer's demand we post their listing here. Then, we'll end up like this buffalo... Surrounded, too dependent on the wolves and eventually... Dinner.
Yesterday on Yahoo Finance, this article appeared on the home page. The article lists 15 reputable companies who, "might not survive 2009." (read half way down the page to get to Realogy's write-up) Realogy is the parent organization of top brands including Coldwell Banker, Century 21, ERA, Sotheby's and the newly formed (and certainly underperforming, mostly due to timing) Better Homes. It's interesting that very few articles regarding the Realogy financial troubles even mention Better Homes.
Realogy's struggles have been well documented. You can Google "realogy bankruptcy" and find close to 11,000 results. Times are definately tough and it seems even tougher for the largest of companies. My firm, Real Living, sold Realty One (about 1,200 agents) in October to Howard Hanna, a Pittsburgh base brokerage. This move for us while at first seemed negative (mainly due to how fast we were growing and the sale marked our growth going the other direction) has been an extremely positive event. Our debt is now $0, our employees and resources are more focused than ever, and frankly there is less negativity as Cleveland is one of the most difficult real estate markets in the US. It is like a weight has been lifted, truly. I'm beginning to feel quite differently today than I did just 12-18 months ago... small is the new big in today's economy. The bigger you are the more problems, less focus and higher the stakes.
It'll be interesting to see what happens with this continuing Realogy saga. I certainly don't wish ill will on any competitor and hopefully this mess will not lead to....
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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