Renee's Blog

Marketing at 70mph

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:25:56 -0500

Being on vacation and in a city that is not my own has taught me a lot about how real estate agents market their listings and what works for me as a buyer. Calm down, I'm not purchasing but I am the public since I am not an agent. How do you make sure buyers can find you and your listings? Yard signs? Homes & Lifestyles ads? Those are good but you need to start thinking like someone who has never been to your area. Think like a foreigner. Use your vacation this year to get that feeling and try to figure out what you would do as a consumer to search for real estate. I've driven along I-80 in Salt Lake City and have seen huge banners strung across homes saying 'For Sale'. There's a phone number below it. But see, the problem is that I AM DRIVING 70MPH and can't really write down a phone number!! I drive by a listing and see a brokerage sign. Again, a phone number. Too many numbers. I pass on because I AM DRIVING! So, I go to my trusted friend, my computer, and do a Google search for 'Salt Lake City real estate'. I assume this is what a lot of buyers do, too. I picked the 2nd listing because it had the word 'Best' in the title. I did all of this without thinking about why I did it. I was not in analytical mode. I was in consumer mode. Here's what I want as a consumer. I want web addresses! I want an email address! I want simple and quick ways to get information on a listing on my own time, not during business hours. I'd like a website that's easy to remember and maybe a code to get me to the listing I just passed. Not a long 5 digit code but something I can remember without having to write it down. ListingDomains.com is one way to get me, the consumer, a short & simple way to access a listing's information and your webpage. Another way is through Point2. Create a professional account and create a unique domain for each of your listings.

No, I may not be buying immediately but you need to capture the buyers when they are non-committal mode. Turn them into buyers. It may take months but get them to your website and keep them there with a home search. Grab them while they still don't have a REALTOR. While you are on vacation this year, use the opportunity to think like a foreigner. Think like someone who knows nothing about real estate. Most importantly, think like someone who is driving 70mph.

FREE VA Marketing Pieces

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Mon, 26 May 2008 21:53:47 -0500

Looking to get some marketing pieces out to your potential clients/current clients? I've designed these pieces and they are free for you to use. I can send you the files to edit yourself. #1) Flyer advertising my Postlets service. I also offer to customize this flyer for my customers to hand out to their sellers. Created in Word.

#2) Memo board services postcard to remind customers of some of the services I offer. You can customize with your own services on the post-its. Created in Publisher. 1/2 page.

FRONT/BACK

If you prefer to have me customize it for you I can do that as well for $7. Hope you get some use out of these.

Are you Twittering?

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Mon, 26 May 2008 20:13:10 -0500

I know. There are so many new programs/interfaces/networks popping up everyday and it's a daunting task to sort through them all. One of those new applications is Twitter. With Twitter, you can post what you are doing at any time throughout the day. My first thought was, "why would anyone care what I'm doing?" After giving it some thought I figured it could be a great way for me to subtly remind agents about what I could be doing for them as their VA. I am planning on posting the projects I am working on (without the customer's name of course). That way, an agent may think of hiring me for the same type of project or it may give them an idea. My second question was, "how could real estate agents use this app?" I can't think of any. Can you?

P.S. I've also added my Twitter to my website and blog.

What does your email address say about you?

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:34:54 -0500

What does your email address say about you? Does your email address end in 'yahoo.com', 'aol.com', 'comcast.net' or some other ISP ending? If you are using an email address linked to your internet service provider, then you are saying that you aren't taking your business as seriously as you could. I understand that using an email from your provider is easiest but it's not difficult to get a professional address. If you are using your ISP address then you seriously need to consider purchasing a domain name and email address to go along with it. It doesn't cost much (maybe $9-12/year) and will really help elevate your image from hobby REALTOR to full-time professional REALTOR. My suggestion, use your name (first@firstlast.com). It projects a very intentional image. See if your name is availabe. If you need help setting it up, let me know.

P.S. If you are using your broker's email address (remax.net; coldwellbanker.com; cressyeverett.com) then you may want to consider obtaining your own personal email address JUST IN CASE you ever switch companies. You still will want your clients to find you.

Need more web traffic?

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 08:35:35 -0500

One of the most important reasons to have a website is to create a reason for visitors to visit your site - over and over again. Lots of people, real estate agents included, don't offer a solid reason for consumers to revisit their sites. Add some value - add a widget. I've just added a document/url to pdf converter to my services page . So, for everyone out there - if you ever need something converted to pdf form, please visit my site and you can do so there for FREE. All you do is upload your document or paste in your url and you will receive an email back with the pdf attached. I hope you enjoy pdf conversion as much as I do. Really, I do.

Color Q Profiling

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:47:14 -0500

This post is quite beyond the event but it's something I've been meaning to get to you since. Shoya Zichy presented a seminar hosted by the Young Professionals Network of the Chamber of Commerce. She is the author of "Color Q Profile System that basically breaks everyone down into 4 categories (red, blue, green, gold). I generally don't like the idea of dividing people into such structured categories but my category really described me to my core. I'm a Blue sub Gold. I live for ideas but not neseccarily the actual see-through of that idea. I like to dream big. Blues seem arrogant and don't respect authority. But that's not always a bad thing. It's true - status doesn't mean anything to me. That explains a lot! Even more enlightening was meeting 4 other 'Blues' and realizing that I'm not crazy as my husband seems to believe. I'm just a frantic list-making, idea-launching-but-not-carrying-out Blue and I'm not ashamed. The Gold part of me acutally made a chart of my current spices (in alphabetical order) and posted it on the inside of my cupboard.

So why is all of this important? I think it's good to know what makes you tick, what your downfalls are, and where you need to ask for help from others who are more inclined to a certain talent. As difficult as it is for me to admit that I'm not perfect, I'm reminded of it time and time again. It's comforting to know that there are others to help me where I lack and that I have not failed simply because I am not good at everything. The Color Q Profile system also goes into depth about how to relate to the other color profiles (how to lead them, how to 'sell' them, how to be lead by them).

Check out a mini-assessment I'd be interested in knowing which color you think you are.

All items provided with permission of the author.

Farming Contest Idea

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:10:09 -0500

I was in the process last night of coming up with new Just Listed marketing ideas when I had an idea along a different line. I wanted to come up with something that was different from what most agents are currently doing and I wanted a way to utilize farming postcards more effectively. So, here's my idea:

Select a farming area
Send ALL Just Listed/Just Sold/Farming postcards to this area ONLY
Start a contest that goes like this - the first person to collect and keep 10 of the agent's postcards and calls the agent will receive a $50 or $100 restaurant gift certificate.

Here's what this would accomplish:

Several, if not many, people will start collecting the postcards and holding onto them, giving them more of a shelf life and more effective marketing
Residents will be excited to collect another postcard and will watch for them in anticipation
Many people will collect 10. They will ALL call into the office to speak to the agent. A relationship is born and the agent will stick out in their minds when they think of listing their homes.

Here's something I don't understand and maybe someone can enlighten me. Wouldn't it be more effective to send Just Sold postcards to the same farming area every time instead of just doing the homes around the house an agent just sold? I mean, the neighborhood around the home MAY have someone looking to sell and they may not. This postcard could be the only postcard the homeowner ever receives from the agent and so the agent is pushed out of their minds just like the other agents who only send them one card. If the agent send the postcards to a selected farm area each and every time they will see how much work the agent is doing, how much they are selling, and agent recognition is much more promising.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

$1400 Clubhouse

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 22:53:01 -0600

Argh! Sometimes I don't like my best friend - my computer. This is now my 2nd time writing this post. NOTE TO SELF - do not press the backspce button unless you are editing something.

Anyway, this post will be much shorter than what it was previously. I've had 5 printers in the last 6 months. Clarification - I STILL have 5 printers.

With the amount of printers I've had, my kids know to get excited when the Dell boxes are unloaded from the DHL truck. Tai & Baylee made no exception to the rule when my newest printer was delivered last week, bringing along with it a huge & sturdy box to convert into a clubhouse. Well worth the price if it occupies them for 3 days straight. The packing foam is a whole other story.

The Dell 5110cn is an upgrade from my 3-week old Dell 3110cn color laser printer. I needed something that would be more compatible with my 6,000/month printing cycle. The 5110cn offers a duplex printing option, a 500-sheet capacity tray, super fast speeds (40ppm black & 35ppm color) and fantastic graphics. I now print twice as fast with less work in between. I just have to wonder - by the end of summer, will I still have the same printer?? I hope not.

By the way - if you are looking for a good color laser printer, I have my Dell 3110cn printer for sale for $200 ($550 from Dell) - no toner or usb printer cord included. Comes with a transferable 3-year next-day on site service warranty.

Property Widgets in Blogs

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:12:50 -0600

We all know to get listings on the internet because that is where the buyers are looking. Period. My Assistant provides a service to our agents that syndicates their listings to 10-12 classified websites. We do this via a Postlet (www.postlets.com). It's a free site (we charge $7 for the input, maintenance, and upload to Craigslist). We also design a flyer for the agent to give to their sellers (printing costs extra). Postlets provides a property widget (3 size samples below). I'm trying to find ways to use these widgets and would love your input. Here are my ideas thus far - 1) websites to feature listings, 2) blogs 3) would love to be able to embed in an email - any ideas?

Small:

Medium:

Large:

RESPA / IDOI Compliant Printing

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 09:15:42 -0600

Don't worry about RESPA violations. Let My Assistant design and print your marketing pieces - and at a great price! I have the experience and creativity to get the job done.

Quality Laser Prints
Flyer on 32lb glossy stock - .30
1/4 page postcard - .18
1/2 page postcard - .35

Design Fees
Flyer - $7
Postcard - $10

More prices
Samples Slideshow

Picture Slideshows

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:42:19 -0600

Have I said this before: I LOVE TECHNOLOGY! Seriously, I am in love with it. I get most excited over finding applications and ideas that are easy and truly useful. Where is this going?

I've recently (today) added a flyer/postcard/misc. slideshow to my Blogger page. It's awesome! I can't wait to add more to it as I do more work.

I know what you are thinking - "Why do I care?" Well here's my thought:

On your own webpage you could add a slideshow of your featured properties or maybe on your testimonials page add a slideshow of satisfied customers. Pictures are worth 1,000 words. Make those pictures work for you.

Need more info on setting up a slideshow for your webpage? Call or email me.