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Real Estate Marketing | Traditional, Innovative or Bleeding Edge?

By
Real Estate Agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Snyder & Company, REALTORS

The marketing of real estate has always been a process that changes. In fact, the one constant about real estate marketing, is that it changes rapidly!

Acceptable
Seller's have come to expect a level of service already. That level of service may vary from region to region, but I suspect that the norm looks something like: ads in the local paper, ads in the local Homes magazine, postcards to the neighbors, open houses, maybe some actual door knocking. A good base from which to begin an all encompassing marketing effort.

Team366 Aha! ChimpGood
Used to be a time when an agent could Wow! their clients with the prospect of having their home marketed on the agent’s own site, the broker’s site and likely Realtor.com. Frankly, seller’s take that for granted now! Having a store front on the internet is great, but how will prospective buyers find your home if they don’t know the name of the agent or agent’s company?

Better
In the last two years or so agents would Wow! their clients by showing them how easy it was for Google (the all knowing search engine) to find the agent’s name and website(s). This is in addition to pushing the property out to the usual sites that properties end up (Realtor.com, broker’s website, agent’s website). Not bad, but there are better results to be had!

Best
Last year, Team366 started to use a system, incorporating narrated video walkthroughs, that pushed our clients’ properties to the corners of the internet, in addition to the usual spaces. And we did it with amazing success! The board average for listings sold by agents in the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors was under one out of five! Less than 20%!

Team366 sold 64% of the listings we took last year utilizing this system. The system we use creates between 400 and 1000 links back to our client’s property. Sound crazy? Check out the Try a Google search for 1815 Cranberry, Ann Arbor, MI or 3121 Forest Beach, Torch Lake, MI. You’ll see anywhere from 350 to over 1,000 links that Google has indexed about these properties.

If Google can find 1,000 links of a home’s address in its index, that means that there are 1,000 instances where prospective buyers can find your home!

Long tail marketing for sure!

Our experience has shown that the average agent generates about 10 links back to their clients’ property. Try it out yourself! Go to Google and type in the address of a home you know is currently on the market.

Seller's need every edge they can get in this market!

Missy Caulk
Missy Caulk TEAM - Ann Arbor, MI
Savvy Realtor - Ann Arbor Real Estate
Are you submitting the video's to all those sites or is google just indexing?
Mar 09, 2008 08:29 AM
Todd Waller
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Snyder & Company, REALTORS - Ann Arbor, MI
Todd Waller | Real Simple Real Estate
Missy, Oddly enough, the answer is YES, on both counts. I submit the videos and then Google indexes them with all the other listing submissions.
Mar 09, 2008 08:34 AM
Missy Caulk
Missy Caulk TEAM - Ann Arbor, MI
Savvy Realtor - Ann Arbor Real Estate
...and the name of your new company is ?????????????????????
Mar 09, 2008 08:36 AM
Maureen Francis
Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel - Bloomfield Hills, MI
Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel

Hey, I think I fixed the backlink from my blog to this post on your blog.  Did it work this time?

Missy, I am thinking it will be Team366 since they are already branded. 

Mar 09, 2008 07:11 PM
John Hokkanen
SurfTheTurf.com - Encinitas, CA
Encinitas Real Estate

I think it is great that you're getting out there and doing this video work.  You may wish to think about your editing some....just get rid of some of the dead space.  I also suggest that you may want to think about letting someone else operate the camera so you can be in the picture.  Here's an example of what we do...It's also a bit of a home-grown kind of thing, but we like what we're doing, and no one else is attempting to do this sort of thing where we are.  It takes practice to get in front of the camera. 

Example Video: http://www.encinitascarlsbad.com/page.cfm?page=PlayVideo&Video=tours/1671Plover.wmv

Mar 10, 2008 06:13 PM
Todd Waller
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Snyder & Company, REALTORS - Ann Arbor, MI
Todd Waller | Real Simple Real Estate
John, Thanks for the comments! With regards to getting in front of the camera, I have no desire to make that happen. I don't want "me" to become the spotlight of the video. If I wanted to highlight myself or one of my other teammates, we could do agent highlight videos. Rather, I believe the consumer is more interested in the property than the agent.
Mar 10, 2008 10:13 PM
John Hokkanen
SurfTheTurf.com - Encinitas, CA
Encinitas Real Estate
Well....I think you might want to expand your approach.  "This Olde House" isn't called "This Olde House Host," and the star of the show is the house even though there is a guy showing you around.  I think you can achieve both, and I think there are some pretty significant benefits to getting in front of the camera.  I noticed that the camera that you are using doesn't have a huge field of view.  If your field of view was a tad bigger, then being in the show would not consume so much of the screen.  But it is a lot harder.  Good luck.  JH
Mar 11, 2008 08:49 AM
Sandra Carlisle (Ayers)
Berkshire Hathaway California Properties - Newport Beach, CA
Real Estate Marketing & Sales

Incredible...  I just googled a listing I had (712.5 Narcissus Corona del Mar, CA) and one that was NOT listed with me (501 Morning Canyon Road Corona del Mar, CA) and the results are incredible!  I had 28 SOLID links back to me and the home while the other property 1, 3 if you give the link  a lot of leeway...

I CAN'T WAIT FOR MY NEXT LISTING PRESENTATION!!!!

Great post!

Mar 11, 2008 10:18 AM
Todd Waller
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Snyder & Company, REALTORS - Ann Arbor, MI
Todd Waller | Real Simple Real Estate

Sandra - Thanks for the 'pat on the back!'  I hope this tip helps on your future presentations.  It has been an absolute no-brainer in my marketplace.

John - Your point is well taken about who the star of the show is.  I am curious what you believe the benefits of getting in front of the camera are.  I've yet to hear a client or prospect tell me that they wished I was in front of the camera, but maybe I am missing something here.

Mar 12, 2008 03:33 AM
Sandra Carlisle (Ayers)
Berkshire Hathaway California Properties - Newport Beach, CA
Real Estate Marketing & Sales
We use a company called eHome Tours here in Newport.  They come in and do a professional video.  You can either pay more and have a lovely sounding lady with a great accent "Tawlk about the home..." or you can record your own.  They also give you the option of having a snippet at the beginning of each home tour where you give your spiel.  (I've yet to jump in front..)  The best part is, you can use your snippet on every house without having to redo it.  It's about $395.  (More if you add the accented voice.)  Worth every penny in my market.
Mar 12, 2008 10:08 AM