marketing: 5 Steps to Create a Referral Business You Love - 05/03/18 02:31 PM

“Without a strategy, you’re just throwing something against a wall and hoping that it sticks.” –Katie Lance
Real estate is filled with lead and referral opportunities but finding the right ones that work for your business can be challenging. Social media expert Katie Lance and our VP of Marketing Lisa Fettner recently hosted a webinar to discuss how to track your lead gen, focus your referral efforts and create content that attracts the clients you want to work with.
Follow these simple steps to identify referral sources that will help you create and sutain a business you love.
Track and manage your lead generation. … (3 comments)

marketing: Wondering Where We're Headed Next? - 02/15/18 12:37 PM

We really enjoy traveling to different industry events across the country. It gives us a chance to meet new people, see old friends and connect with the amazing agents in our network – and 2018 is shaping up to be a great year.
If you’re attending any of these conferences, drop us a line at marketing@referralexchange.com. We’d love to connect!
February: RE/MAX R4 – Las Vegas, NV June: CAR Woman Up! – Pasadena, CA July: Inman Connect – San Francisco, CA August: Florida Assoc. Realtors – Orlando, FL August: RE/MAX Broker – Washington, D.C. October: NAGLREP – Palm Springs, CA October: California … (1 comments)

marketing: Referral Gold in 2018 - 10/26/17 10:37 AM

Our VP of Marketing, Lisa Fettner, recently returned from speaking at the Xplode Conferene in Oklahoma City where she shared tips and ideas for boosting your referral business in the New Year.
If 2018 is the year you want to increase your referral business and make the most of your network, keep reading — and take the Referral Challenge.
Think “any” and “every.” ANY contact, conversation, or connection can be a referral opportunity, so it’s important to always wear your name tag or branded apparel EVERYWHERE. When you are recognizable as a real estate agent during your daily routines, the possibilities of who … (0 comments)

marketing: Maximize Your Digital Marketing Landscape - 09/28/17 11:43 AM

Managing your digital landscape has become a necessity to succeed in the real estate industry today. Amy Chorew, technology trend expert, author, speaker, and VP of Learning at BHG Real Estate recently joined us to share how to focus your online presence and marketing efforts.
During the webinar, Amy shared how to track your digital presence, showcase yourself and your brand, and determine which channels and platforms are best for you.
The digital marketing landscape includes awareness (video, social, network display), consideration (targeted display, SEM, lead providers), action (retargeting, reputation, CRM) and retention (retargeting, email).
Step 1: Define your market by knowing your market. … (0 comments)

marketing: Five Keys To Turning Lead Gen 'Dates' Into Long-Term Relationships - 08/25/17 09:01 AM

Lead generation is a lot like online dating. It’s important for agents to create a virtual online relationship with their clients and prospects if their programs are going to be successful. There’s no “magic bullet,” but with focus and planning, online lead gen can definitely boost your business.
Below are five ways to make your lead gen efforts more successful.
1. Be trustworthy. Make sure your photo is current and that your information is consistent on all business-related sites.
You might prefer your photo from 10 years ago, but a prospective client MUST be able to recognize you at a coffee shop based … (0 comments)

marketing: 3 Budget-Friendly Ways to Boost Sales & Attract More Clients - 08/24/17 11:03 AM

You’ve been there before and you’ll be there again—whether you’re working through a rough patch or in the thick of your slowest season—you still need to drive sales and attract new clients.
If you need a budget-friendly way to drive more clients, we have three ideas to try. Whether you plan to partner with a home stager or put your Twitter skills to the test, you’ll be one step closer to closing your next deal.
Cross-Promote with Other Agents and Partners.
A simple but effective way to broaden your reach and attract more clients is collaborating with like-minded agents or companies that offer complementary … (1 comments)

marketing: 5 Free Apps to Help Potential Clients - 06/07/17 11:28 AM
As an agent, you can make yourself more valuable by giving your clients tools that will help them during the buying or selling process. The following web and mobile apps allow clients to prepare for homeowner finances, learn about the cost value of energy efficient appliances, and much more. Be sure to send this list to any new clients you’re working with.
Homestyler
Value: Helps clients customize space to imagine it as theirs
It can be hard to imagine a home as yours when you hate the furniture, layout and general look and feel. Clients can use the Homestyler app as they look through … (3 comments)

marketing: Maximizing Your Lead Gen ROI: 5 Tips for Lead Management Success - 04/20/17 09:21 AM

Converting purchased leads can be challenging and frustrating. Prospects don’t return phone calls or emails — and it’s often difficult to stand out from the digital crowd. When managed effectively, however, online lead gen can be a lucrative supplement to your current business. Our VP of Marketing, Lisa Fettner, recently hosted a webinar alongside Kimberly Cameron of Better Homes & Gardens Preferred Properties and JLA Realty’s Ryan Bokros, to discuss tips to get you closer to the close.
During the webinar, Lisa, Kimberly, and Ryan shared five best practices for turning cold prospects into closed deals:
Help your leads get to know … (0 comments)

marketing: Webinar Recap: Learn How to Build Your Personal Brand - 03/16/17 08:45 AM

“…You, my friend, are a brand. Personal branding, by definition, is the process by which we market ourselves to others.” —Seth Price
Enhancing your personal brand can help take your business to the next level. Real estate writer and speaker, Seth Price, recently joined us for a webinar to share tips on how to create a personal brand in the complex world of digital media. When you think of Seth, you think of personal branding. For him, it’s the key to scaling a business, negotiating well, raising money and attracting new customers — yet you must build a reputation. Seth shared how … (0 comments)

marketing: Webinar Recap: Grow Your Referral Business with Social Media - 02/23/17 10:16 AM

We live in a very visual and virtual world — something social media plays a big part in. Different social channels allow users to share candid views into their business, offer two-way engagement in a fun way, help reach audiences who haven’t engaged with you online, and easily communicate your company and value proposition. Our VP of Marketing, Lisa Fettner, recently hosted a webinar alongside Orlando Realtor® and ReferralExchange member, Nicole Mickle, to share how to strategically use social media to generate business-sustaining referrals. During the webinar, Lisa and Nicole covered the following: 
• Benefits of the most popular social channels
• Essential … (0 comments)

marketing: The Must Have Lead-Generating Pages for Your Real Estate Website - 02/16/17 08:38 AM

By Elizabeth Christensen, Placester 
As a real estate professional, your time is limited and your tasks are many, which means you need to make the most of your website to attract, capture, and nurture the best leads for your business. By providing the right content in an appealing way, you’ll not only increase engagement on your site, you’ll also build trust necessary to secure leads’ contact information so you can start creating strong in-person connections. There are pages proven to increase traffic and conversion, and this post highlights the top ones. Scroll through to watch our webinar which features the best tips for … (0 comments)

marketing: Nurturing Your Referral Network Online and Offline - 01/05/17 08:14 AM

“People influence people. Nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted referral. A trusted referral is the holy grail of advertising.” –Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook
As a new year begins, it’s important to nurture your referral network in a variety of ways so that you continue to stay top-of-mind. Keep your contacts organized and updated in a Google drive or CRM to make your interactions with them more effective. Recording notes on each person such as when you last spoke with them and important details (e.g., dog lover, five kids) or notable dates (e.g., birthdays, relocation), will guide when and how … (1 comments)

marketing: 6 Ways to Improve Listing Photos for More Engagement on Social - 10/27/16 02:31 AM

With the rise of digital marketing and demand for compelling visual content, real estate agents now have to use a wide variety of tactics to reach and engage with their audiences across all platforms. With a heavy reliance on visual images to sell properties, it makes sense that social media is now a great platform to circulate listings.
Without well-shot photographs and carefully crafted captions or hashtags, however, you’ll have trouble driving any real leads from social. Make the most of your efforts with these six tips, which will help improve your listing photos to increase social media engagement.
 
1. Check your … (2 comments)

marketing: New Kids on Your Screen: Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook Live & Periscope - 10/13/16 02:40 AM

“Choose your social channels based on what your clients – and future clients – are using.”
 
Our VP of Marketing, Lisa Fettner, recently spoke at the California Realtor® Expo and explained the value in embracing the new social media channels that have burst onto the real estate marketing scene. Lisa shared how these social platforms are expanding to touch all generations, and how you can easily integrate Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook Live, and Periscope into your everyday marketing.
 
Snapchat
Snapchat has 100 million users (60% of which are under 24) who spend an average of 19 minutes a day on the platform. While … (1 comments)

marketing: Snapchat 101 – Part 3: Snapping Your Way to Success - 07/19/16 04:07 AM
We’ve been talking a lot about Snapchat lately and how it can help you be more successful. Hopefully you’ve caught our previous two blog posts, “6 Reasons Agents Should Join the Snapchat Phenomenon” and “Snapchat 101 – Part 2: Get started in 3 easy steps.” In our final Snapchat blog, we’re sharing tips on how to incorporate the real-time, photo app into your business.
 
Tell real-time stories. Real estate is all about telling a story, and Snapchat allows users to do just that. Potential buyers don’t just want to see the house for sale — they want to envision their lives … (2 comments)

marketing: Snapchat 101 – Part 2: Get started in 3 easy steps - 07/13/16 04:13 AM
So, you’ve decided to join the Snapchat phenomenon – now what? In the second of three blogs, we show you how to get started on Snapchat in three easy steps. Click here to read the first blog.  
1
         Create your profile and keep it consistent. This step might seem like a no-brainer, but you can’t begin to think about taking pictures or videos until you’ve created your account – and you want to make it easy for your followers on other social channels to find you. Download the app on your phone and try to use the same username (or … (1 comments)

marketing: 6 Reasons Agents Should Join the Snapchat Phenomenon - 06/13/16 02:24 AM

Managing Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram accounts for your business can be challenging. So is it really necessary to add another social media account to the list?
 
If we’re talking about Snapchat – the real-time image-based messaging app that has 100 million daily users, and your client base is primarily Gen Xers and Millennials – the short answer is yes. While you may be apprehensive to create yet another social platform, this app has already proven to be an excellent way to create client engagement and retention. Given below are six reasons you should embrace the Snapchat phenomenon.
 
         Millennials … (24 comments)