Breaking news...! I am the latest official victim of the C1B1 Flu, aka 'The Blog Flu.' (See one, be one. See a blogger, be a blogger... get it?) Oh, never mind. that's much to corny for the sophisticated minds at Active Rain. ;)
It had only been a few hours since my last post when I started composing this one, but then I fell asleep. For some reason my mind was still writing even though my fingers had long ago ceased to type. And, if you haven't read my last post, (T-Minus 10 Days and Counting...) you may want to, because unlike episodes of '24' there is no recap of previous events at the beginning of each new post.
Okay, maybe just this once...
- In my past life, some folks thought I was a pretty good 'writer,' but aren't we all? (We write new chapters in our lives every day).
- Yesterday I was terribly afraid of blogging, ranking it just above a root canal and just below an IRS audit. (Today, I'm petrified that my new blog won't live up to my readers' expectations).
- Starting June 1, 2009 aka Mid Year's Day, [revision: Mid Year's Day is ACTUALLY June 22] I will begin my quest to become a professional blogger by writing a daily blog tentatively named, 'Mr Gotham's World' (http://www.MrGotham.com). If you try to take a peek today, though, all you'll see is a GoDaddy parked screen).
- My somewhat mild case of Procrastination-itis is frequently compounded by my CPS, Chronic Perfectionist Syndrome. (I 'launch' in nine short days and I haven't even decided between the Squarespace and Wordpress platforms. ARGH!)
- In my opinion Realtors should read at least one real estate blog each day; even if you're writing daily as well. (Don't musicians listen to various styles of music for inspiration?)
- Vlogging is the wave of the... PRESENT. (Ha! I bet you thought I was going to say 'future').
- Occasionally, my addiction to Michael Arrington's Tech Crunch (http://www.techcrunch.com) interferes with prospecting. (I'm now in an outpatient treatment program. LOL).
Brevity is key, now that my midnight deadline is approaching more rapidly than a swarm of teenage girls rushing the stage at a Kris Allen concert.
While installing Xobni (a VERY helpful Outlook plug-in) a few days ago, I noticed an overabundance of e-flyers in my inbox. Even though I receive nearly a dozen e-flyers promoting 'coming soon,' 'new,' or 'reduced price' listings each day, I rarely open any of them. It would probably be more effective to just put the MLS number in the subject line and leave the body blank, because 9 out of 10 times I have to research the MLS for more information anyway.
An easy, cost-effective alternative is to send a Flickr photo slideshow, using a bit.ly url. I recently sold a listing in 5 days, at 101% of list price with multiple offers using this technique. According to the other agents; the detailed descriptions, high quality photos and easy navigation instantly impressed their clients. And, the ability to quickly forward the slideshow allowed me to reach the maximum number of potential buyers in the shortest amount of time. Here is an example: http://bit.ly/eBZdN
Advantages of sending Flickr slideshows using bit.ly:
- They are very easy to create and the presentation is extremely impressive.
- Unlike other tools, they are easy to open and view immediately.
- The URL's traffic, viewer location and other data can be tracked using a bit.ly account.
- The 'Show Info' option provides as much or as little information as deemed necessary
- The agent's brand, not the marketing company's, can be featured and promoted.
- Free Flickr accounts can be created for a brokerage, team or individual agent.
- The necessity for the $24.95 'Pro' upgrade is eliminated by creating slide shows for each listing.
While it is a fantastic way to promote listings, Flickr has specific guidelines regarding the sale of goods and services on its site. Taking a brief moment to review these guidelines will help ensure a seamless experience. Please report back on the effectiveness of this tool.
As always, feel free to follow me on Twitter: @GothamRealtyGrp
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