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"PHONECASTING?" DELIVERING A PERIODIC NEWSLETTER VIA TELEPHONE

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Services for Real Estate Pros with Pro Mobile Photo

I am posting this as a question.  Please offer your opinion and/or expertise about how we might use this to benefit our consumers and our businesses.

Our local State university has implemented the mass-distribution outbound calling to campus community members to address weather closings, security alerts, etc.  And, we've all heard plenty about the political campaign robo-callers.

But, today the light bulbs flashed for me.  Today I consulted for a Senior Living Center about using one of these "robo callers" to remind its members of special events the next day.  (We'll spare the puns about "Age Appropriate Memory" issues with us seniors, for now, anyway.)  To my great surprise, the members of this senior center have nearly 100% been greatly delighted to receive about two calls a week to remind them of a special program at the center, or weekly pancake feed, etc.

I was so surprised about these seniors' delight about receiving these "robo-calls" because seniors so resoundingly criticized the political robocalls that use the same technology and same providers.

So, I went online and tried one of these systems/services.  You just load some phone numbers into a list on their web site, then give them your own phone number.  Their computer then calls you back and has you record the mass-distribution message that you will want sent to all those phone numbers.  It was extremely easy.

Then the senior center director and I discussed using the robocall system, (since it is so highly popular with members) to deliver a weekly Sunday-evening "Phonecast Newsletter" of upcoming events.  

And before we settled down, we brainstormed about how an enterprise, whether senior center or realty, might use such a robo-call system to deliver a monthly Phonecast Market Report. I know this sounds nuts.  But, hey, perhaps vision-impaired consumers might really appreciate a periodic housing market report via telephone?  Audio podcasts deliver much the same thing, of course.  But one might imagine a segment of consumers who'd rather passively get a newsletter via incoming phone call rather than have to remember to call in to an audio podcast each time.

If anyone has heard of using phonecasting for real estate, please share your thoughts and experiences.  (For a realy eye-opener treat, Google the word "phonecast."  

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Comments (3)

Jordon Wheeler
The Jordon Wheeler Group - Fairburn, GA
J W Group Real Estate Sales and Service

Hey Lee,

I have thought using this technology for a while.  I have not implemented it, but I think it can work to keep our brand on the forefront of clients' mind.  My plan was to have a positive message delivered in the early morning while people are in route to work or school to drop off kids.  It's great work you are doing with the seniors at the center.

Best of good success to you this year!

Mar 10, 2013 03:21 PM
Sandy Padula & Norm Padula, JD, GRI
HomeSmart Realty West & Florida Realty Investments - , CA
Presence, Persistence & Perseverance
I believe the telephone is a two-way medium. Once the called party realizes there is no personal interaction, the call will be terminated. Further, you need to continually 'scrub' the lst for new entries in the 'Do Not Call' list.
Mar 10, 2013 08:04 PM
Lee Alley
Pro Mobile Photo - Snohomish, WA
DIY Your Own Expert Smartphone Photography

Jordan: Interesting idea you have there.  It sure would be interesting if there is enough of the population of real estate consumers who would opt-in for yet one more information source inserted into their daily routine.  As long as they opt-in, then at worst they would know they did request the service.  In a way, similar to consumers opting in to subscribe to a newsletter service.  One key is that they don't have to take the call if it is from you via this service...they could listen to a voice mail later.

Norman:  That was my original inclination.  But very limited experience so far is that I was wrong.  People _are_ expressing enthusiasm.  And at the start of every call the system invites the user to opt-out, (after that person would have initially opted in).

Mar 10, 2013 09:49 PM