Are you confused on the proper use of the term Realtor® when marketing you or your website? I was. So, I called the National Association of REALTORS® to get some clarification. I talked to a wonderful person at NAR by the name of Mary Newell in the Trademark Department. Here are some of the things I learned.
The two main factors when trying to determine when and how to use REALTOR®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE®, or REALTORS® in the simplest terms is:
* How will the public interpret it? * Does it denote membership?
Now for a little more detail, continue on...
REALTOR®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® and REALTORS®
1. These terms are meant to distinguish Members of the National Association of REALTORS® from non-members.
2. These terms are restricted to Members who practice in the real estate business. A real estate business is defined as real estate brokerage, land development and building, property management, real estate counseling and real estate appraising.
3. These terms are meant to inform the public when the real estate practitioner is a Member (in good standing) of the National Association of REALTORS® and that said member adheres to the highest professional standards and a strict Code of Ethics.
Proper Usage of REALTOR®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® and REALTORS®:
1. The terms must convey to the public that the real estate practitioner is a Member of the National Association.
2. The terms are to be used solely, to identify a real estate practitioner as a Member of the National Association of REALTORS®.
3. A Member may use any of the terms in connection with the name of his business, even when the other services offered by the real estate practitioner do not fall under the guidelines of real estate business.
4. The term "REALTOR®" does not refer to your profession.
How To Test For Proper Usage REALTOR®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® and REALTORS®:
* Simply remember that the word "REALTOR®" is meant to convey membership in the National Association of REALTORS®.
* If the word "member" can substitute for the word "REALTOR®", you have used the term correctly.
* If the meaning is changed in any way that does not convey membership, then the term "REALTOR®" has not been used correctly.
· Example: "Jane Doe is a lawyer and REALTOR®. This is incorrect usage, as REALTOR® does not convey membership to the public, but is being incorrectly referred to as a profession.
Proper Form of REALTOR®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® and REALTORS®:
* Capitalize every letter of the term used.
* Whenever necessary, use boldface print or italicize the term.
* The omission of the "®" registration mark is permitted when the use of the registration mark is not possible.
* Use separating punctuation whenever possible.
· Example of the NAR preferred type: REALTOR®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® or REALTORS®. · Example of separating punctuation: Jane Doe, REALTOR® or Jane Doe and Team, REALTOR® or Jane Doe and Company, Lawyer and Real Estate Broker.
Proper Usage on the Internet:
* Never use the terms REALTOR®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® or REALTORS® as part of your domain name or URLs which point to your website pages.
· The terms REALTOR®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® and REALTORS® may only be used to designate membership in the National Association and may only be used in this fashion.
* The terms REALTOR®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® or REALTORS® cannot be used as part of a phrase, such as I am the #1 Realtor in Anytown, USA.
* The terms REALTOR®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® or REALTORS® do not have to be separated by punctuation in an email address, nor is it required to be capitalized.
* Never hyper-link the Block "R" logo unless you are linking to Realtor.com.
This blog was not intended to answer all your questions. So, if you are still a little confused, you may want to click here to access the Membership Marks Manual. Or, you can give Mary Newell in the Trademark Department of the National Association of REALTORS® a call. I found her to be a great assistance in understanding the proper use of REALTOR®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® and REALTORS® on the Internet.
In the real estate business, whether you are a real estate agent, broker, mortgage lender, home stager, title rep, home inspector or virtual assistant, you're only as good as your word. We rely very heavily on "word-of-mouth" advertising in our respective businesses. So, it's very important that we can back that up with a reliable and honest work ethic.
I started Second Self Virtual Assistance in 1997 at my kitchen table because real estate professionals in my little town asked me for their help. I have built a reputation over the years of reliable service and integrity. Because of that reputation, my little company has grown from serving a few agents in a small town to serving a large group of real estate professionals across the nation. I am very proud to say that 95% of my business is referral-based.
As professionals, I believe that we should simply follow "The Golden Rule": Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You. When a client comes to you and speaks ill of another professional, the best way to handle yourself with class and dignity is to listen to your client's concerns and offer them advice on how they can resolve their issue. A client who is already in distress over another real estate professional's treatment of them will be grateful to have a level-headed individual helping them out. We need not resort to tearing down our colleagues in order to get ahead. There is plenty of business for everybody.
In the end, as service professionals, we only have our reputations and that is it. If we work hard and provide the absolute best service we possibly can, that's all we can do. And what if we happen to build work relationships that ultimately become long lasting friendships? Well, that's the icing on the cake.
I recently read that only 5% of real estate agents post a formal Privacy Policy on their websites. So, I did a little test of my own. I randomly searched the Internet for real estate agent websites which asked for information from their website visitors. I found that not one of them had a "privacy policy" posted anywhere on their site.
You would think that, since internet users are willing to share some very personal information via social networks, privacy would not be an issue. However, these same internet users get very wary when asked for any personal information, even when it is just their email address. Strange, but true. They are willing to put family photos on My Space and let you know where they are having dinner on Twitter, but ask them for an email address and the sweat-beads begin to pop out on their forehead.
Why is this so? Because they don't know you and you are the dreaded salesman/woman. Sellers are afraid of you because you may make them sell their house and they know you will sell it for less than it's worth. Buyers are afraid of you because, once you get their contact information, they will never be free of the "hound from h#!!".
Just as you must overcome these fears in the real world, you must overcome them in the virtual world. But, how do you do that when you can't meet with them face-to-face? You give them what they are looking for: a little reassurance. You give them a Privacy Policy. It does not have to be long or complicated. As a matter of fact, you should keep it as simple as possible. I found a great online privacy policy statement generator that was easy to use and only took a few minutes to complete.
7 Privacy Policy Tips:
1. Start with a "thank you". 2. Let your visitor know that their privacy is important to you and will be respected by you. 3. Explain how their information will be used. If you are adding them to your contact database, then disclose it. 4. Give visitors an "opt-out" option. 5. Ask the visitor to contact you by phone if they are still uneasy. 6. Keep your Privacy Policy short, clear and simple. 7. Link your Privacy Policy to every page on your website.
If you are asking website visitors to share personal information, even if it is only their email address, then consider putting your visitors at ease by posting a "privacy policy" on your website. At the very least, include a simple statement such as "We will never share your information with anyone - ever!" and place it on every page that asks your website visitor for personal information.
Taking this little extra step may convert your next visitor into a prospect, who could then convert into a life long client.
Real estate is very local. Over 70% of users search for real estate by city and most use search engines when performing their search. But, there is a growing number of users who are using local sites for searching businesses in their area. The popularity of mobile phone apps is one of the reasons that local sites are gaining ground.
Google Local
You can put your business on Google Maps for free!
List your business name, address, phone number and a description.
Display your photo (up to 10). You can even upload a videos.
Place your business in more than one category.
Reporting system: I think the real power of Google local is their reporting system. G oogle supplies reports so that you can see where your "hits" are coming from and what search terms were used.
Validation required: Google will contact you by phone or snail mail (your choice) to validate the request. By the way, they call immediately, so keep the line clear. If you miss it, just click Validate by Phone and Google will call again.
Your business will appear within one day.
Yahoo Local
You can put your name on Yahoo Maps for free!
List your business name, address, phone number and a description.
Local.com claims over 10,000 visitors a month. Features free and premium listings.
My Thoughts:
Be sure to take advantage of multiple categories. I searched real estate in my city and got one group of matches. Then I searched homes for sale and got a different set of hits.
Forms were easy to fill out and submission only took a few minutes.
No keywords to manage.
Edits are easy and available 24/7.
Testimonials are good, but reviews are considered more trustworthy by users.
Reviews cannot be spammed; there are safeguards.
Reviews can be positive or negative. The good side of that is, it will keep you on your toes.
Most sites are free, but some do charge a monthly fee.
SEO advantage - links point to your site.
Become a Local Yokel and get your name out there for all the world to see. You will be all over the map and all over the web in your locale.
Don't you love it when you can get expert advice from an expert, especially when the advice is free? If your answer is yes, then you are just like millions of other people. Included among those millions are people seeking real estate advice. I believe when people have questions, they want to come to a real estate professional. But (and it's a big one) they are afraid of you. The fear of being "SOLD" keeps them away. So, how do you combat that fear? By becoming an expert in their eyes, an expert that only wants to provide them with helpful information and advice for free.
Here are ways that you can establish yourself as an expert while giving the public what they want:
* Website
~ Allow website visitors to ask questions via a no obligation and free information "ASK ME" page. ~ Allow website visitors to ask questions via a "CHAT WITH ME" widget.
* Email Campaigns
~ Create a Buyer Tips email campaign with just one tip in each mailing. ~ Create a Seller Tips email campaign with just one tip in each mailing. ~ Create a Hot News email campaign and send your contacts the hottest and newest real estate news (just one per email). ~ Remember to ask at the end of each email if they have a particular real estate question or problem that you can help them with. ~ Remind them that you are always available by email and always respond within 24 hours. The sooner, the better.
* Blogs
~ End your blog with an invitation for users to submit questions regarding the subject of the blog or anything else that may be of importance to them. ~ Create an "ASK ME" page on your blog site (many sites allow you to create and customize pages). ~ Create a link from your blog site to your website "ASK ME" page.
* Articles and eBooks
~ Experts write articles. It is only a little more detailed than a blog, after all. ~ Experts write books. Create an eBooklet in a PDF format and place it on your website as a free download.
* Authority Sites
~ Posting on authority sites establishes you as an expert in your field and in the community you serve. ~ Posting on authority sites maximizes exposure. ~ Sites such as RealtyTimes.com need and want Realtors to post the current market conditions in their area. * RealtyTimes allows several Realtors to represent an area. * RealtyTimes allows you to post as often or as little as you like. ~ Sites such as Trulia and Zillow allow you to answer questions posted by their users. * Trulia introduces you as an expert. (Trulia quote: "Browse answers and get advice by thousands of locals and experts") * Just answer one question and you are established as an expert. * The more you respond, the more you are viewed as an expert. * The more you are viewed, the more likelihood that you will generate leads from your expert opinions. * A response to a question can result in hundreds of views and all those viewers view you as an expert. This question "Buying an as-is foreclosed home, needs repairs. FHA? What's the best negotiation method?" received 5 responses, only one of which was a real estate agent. The question received 101 views in less than 24 hours.
Answering questions and giving real estate advice comes naturally to real estate professionals. They are asked questions on a daily basis by their peers and by the public in their offline world, so it is only natural that a real estate professional should establish themselves as an expert online as well.
Ask me how you can become an expert in your field and I'll show you how I became an expert in mine.
A great way to find out exactly what your target market expects of you and/or your website is to ask them via a survey. Many times, your family and friends won't tell you how you can improve your services, how to improve the information you provide or in what ways you can improve your website. They won't tell you because, in most cases, they don't know and, if they know, they are afraid to tell you. Another reason family and friends don't know how to help is simply because they are not currently a buyer/seller or a member of your niche.
The purpose of a survey is more than the obvious (you want their opinion). A survey allows you to build a relationship of trust. There is a saying I am quite fond of, "Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care". A survey lets your target market know that you care about their opinions and meeting their needs.
Who to survey:
* Website visitors * Blog readership * Prospects * Clients past and/or present
Where to post a survey:
* Post a short survey on your blog. * Email a survey to your contact list or to a specified target group. * Post a survey on your website for a specified amount of time.
How to ask survey questions:
* Keep it simple, concise and focused. * Ask short simple questions that can easily be answered with a yes or no. * Ask multiple-choice questions. * Mix it up a bit with both yes/no and multi-choice questions. * Conclude your survey with a comment box for additional feedback.
What to ask in a survey:
* Website design: Do they find the text easy to read and the site easy to navigate? * Website content: Did they find the information they were looking for and was it helpful? * Customer/Client service * Are you aware: Tax credits for first-time buyer or home improvements, low down payment loan programs, the benefits of an FHA loan, etc. * Questions that provide the type of feedback you feel is important.
Survey Tips:
* Assure participants that any private information will remain private and confidential. * Always say Thank You. * Publish the results of the survey on your website or blog and invite comments.
Don't forget to thank all those who participate in the survey with a "thank you" and a free gift. I think the best gift is something that can be downloaded immediately after the survey is completed. You could offer a free report or an ebook of interest to your target market. An automated email sent immediately after the survey is submitted that includes the gift attached is also acceptable. Make sure that the gift you choose is of value and will make the participant feel they have been rewarded for their time.
The answers to your survey may be enlightening or surprising. But, whatever the results are, act on them. It is not your opinion that matters. It is the opinion of those you serve. After all, they are they ones that will keep you in business.
Enter the Amazon Kindle marketplace with your blog. Your blog subscribers will be able to read your blog while on the go using their Kindle app.
Amazon has just announced its new publishing and blogging tool that allows you to upload your blog to the Kindle Store. Thats right - any blogger can enter the Kindle sphere!
Subscribers will be able to subscribe to your blog for $0.99 to a $1.99 per month. As blog owner, Amazon will share the profits with you.
You can create an new account, enter your setup information, including your blog feed, in just a matter of minutes. You can then preview the blog immediately after setup.
Establish yourself as a real estate expert in your community with a published blog on AmazonKindle and get paid for your efforts.
Personal computer technology is rapidly changing. At the top of the list is the rapid advancement of mobile phones. Generation 4 smart phones already affect our lives and most certainly will affect the way we market our business in the future.
Italy already has more mobile phones in use than people in the country. Current statistics show about 84% of Americans use a mobile phone. "Americans" in this example are defined as 84% of the total US population: men, women and children. By the year 2013, that figure is expected to reach 100%. There are four times as many mobile phones than personal computers in America. Statics also estimate that as much as 10% of all web traffic is accessed by mobile phones. The home buyers of the future (your teenager) use text messaging more than emails or voice conversations. Young people consider talking on the phone or emails "old hat".
As of today, there are over 6,700 apps (program applications) available for mobile phone users. Reading the latest novel is fast becoming common place. This is a strong indication of how mobile phones will affect your marketing, blogs and websites in the future.
Here are some mobile phone applications (apps) which make your blog or website visible to the "mobile client":
Some real estate professionals still do not see the need for a website or a blog, but you and I know that the web and mobile phone technology is the way of the future. Make your site visible.
Buyers and sellers are looking for information. Property searches or estimating their home's value may bring them to your website, but providing them with all the information they need will bring them back. The longer a visitor remains on your site and the more times they return increases the possibility of converting them from a visitor to a client. So, give them lots of reasons to make your website their one-stop home resource center. Create a one-stop resource with customized informational pages.
1. Home Page (First Page) The information on your homepage is your opportunity to grab someone's attention. Give a brief overview of your community, market conditions and your services. Always include your contact information.
2. Service Page Tell your prospective buyers and sellers what you are going to do, how you are going to do it and why you are the best person to do it.
3. Contact Page Even though you have placed your contact information on the home page, you want to make it easy for your website visitors to contact you. This page should contain a "Contact Me Now" button, which will send you an email. Many agents are including a "Chat Now" button both here and on their homepage. This page should include your name, your company name, addresses, mailing address (if different), email address, office number, cell phone number, fax number and your website address.
4. About Us This is the page that tells your visitors why real estate is your passion. This is the page to toot your own horn by listing your educational accomplishments and industry awards. This is the page where you can also get up close and personal. Include any information, web links, articles or press releases as well as photos of you and your staff. You will also want to include a "Contact Me Now" button on this page. If you work with a team, include a "Meet The Team" page.
5. Testimonials What other people think about you is important to your web visitors. Post client testimonials which speak to your expertise and knowledge of the real estate industry. Place a photo of the home or the client next to the comment to give it a "real" feel.
6. Buyers Page Use this page to add relevant buyer information, such as how to make an offer, your personal viewpoint of current market conditions, the importance of a home inspection, mortgage information, the escrow process, title information, inspection and repair negotiations and local or federal tax credit or buyer assistance programs.
7. Sellers Page This is where you would place relevant seller information, such as home values, your personal view point of current market conditions, negotiating the offer, inspection and repair negotiations, customary seller paid items, the escrow process and capital gains information.
8. MLS Property Search
9. Featured Listings
10. Current and/or Sold Property Statistics
11. Community Information Offer facts about the communities you serve. Tell people why you love the area and why they will, too. Include large subdivisions and/or neighborhoods, Create a photo gallery of your favorite sights in your town, local landmarks and interesting places.
12. Community Helpful Numbers and Links Here, you can list utilities, school district, local business, service organizations, entertainment, city and county offices and departments.
13. Community Events Calendar
14. Frequently Asked Questions Include an inquiry form that will allow someone to contact you with additional questions. Including a "Contact Me" form is a great way to begin a relationship with someone and an opportunity to change a visitor into a client. Just ask for a name and email address. Most visitors do not like to divulge too much information on the Internet.
16. Subscribe/Feedback Page Give your visitor the opportunity to subscribe to your blog or newsletter, offer suggestions or submit questions. Allow them to give you feedback through a survey or feedback form.
17. Real Estate News/Articles You can use a widget that will publish the latest real estate news, such as Inman.com, Rismedia.com or RealtyTimes.com. You can get articles from services and vendors or write your own.
19. Site Map A site map shows visitors how the site is laid out and which sections are where.
20. Privacy Policy Privacy continues to be a major issue online users. Reassure them that their privacy will always be respected and their information will be kept confidential.
Google has added a new element to its bag of tricks: profiling. When you search for a particular person by name, the Google search engine will now display up to four profiles at the bottom of the search results page. At this time, this feature only appears in the US. If you have a unique name, the last item on the search results page will look like this:
How Google selects profiles for display on the search results page are not quite clear as of yet. However, you will never show up unless you have created a Google public profile page. Like most social networking profiles, entering the information is fairly quick and simple.
The profile page, as you can see in the screenshot above, will allow you to upload a photo. Be sure, to complete the My Superpower section: be creative or serious, it's all up to you. My superpower is, I grant wishes to realtors. You can also do a bit of bragging about the great service you provide in the A Little Personality section.
Google's public profile page allows you to create links. You can link to your website, your blog or to your other social network profiles. If you already have a Google account, such as Blogspot, a suggested link will appear. If you do not want this link to be publically displayed, you can click the checkbox next to it to remove the link from your profile. You can control the order in which the links are displayed. You can also choose the display name for each link. The last option on the page is a customizable URL (restrictions apply). This URL may also appear in other search result links.
The profile page has three tabbed sections:
About Me: your profile information page
Photos: upload photos from your web-based photo sharing service
Contact Me: your contact information, which is not publically displayed. However, you can create contact groups which are allowed to access this information.
Real estate is Location, Location, Location. The Internet is Exposure, Exposure, Exposure. Here is another way to get your name out and about. I know that the point of joining social networks is to build relationships and to particpate. Nevertheless, I would like to suggest that you complete a profile page on as many networks as possible, even if you don't plan to use it on a regular basis. The more times your profile is on the net, the more exposure you get.
Google says:To give you greater control over what people find when they search for your name, we've begun to show Google profile results at the bottom of US name-query search pages. These results offer abbreviated information from user-created Google profiles and a link to the full profiles. We've also added links so it's easy to search for the same name on MySpace, Facebook, Classmates and LinkedIn.
Being a Virtual Assistant for real estate professionals is a great job! We provide website, marketing, search engine optimization, online listing service, Blogs, ghostwriting, contact management and a lot more.
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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