50 Technology Things Every Realtor Needs On Their Bucket List
There are a lot of things mentioned in this list are on my to do list.
I need to just do them. Not to make execuses any more.
You know the movie with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, and they're checking off a list of things they want to do before they die. If you're technophobic and you'd rather cold-call the phone book than write a blog post or a Tweet, then this list isn't for you.
If, on the other hand, you're somewhere between a technology guru and stumbling around in the dark with a good attitude, check off these tech "should-do" items and see how you score. Get your bucket list score by counting those you check off and multiplying by 2 for a possible score of 100.
- Recognize that technology & the Internet are tools and not an evil plan hatched to rid the world of real estate agents.
- Realize that "websites" and "blogs" aren't in a battle to the death for Web domination. They're just two not-that-different ways to publish on the Web.
- Accept that the average real estate website visitor arriving from a search could care less about most of the "about you" stuff in their early visits. They want to search listings.**
- There are only 10 free listings on the first page of Google search results, and your chances of being one of those 10 and staying there long term for "yourtown real estate" are just about zip. Get over it.
- Understanding item #4, learn about "long tail" key phrases and how they can get you into the top 10 search results on a regular basis.
- Understanding item #5, get an IDX search solution that resides on your site, not in a "frame." The keywords and phrases there will make you a star on the local real estate SEO scene.**
- Resolve to carve out an Internet presence as a real estate expert in your area, or for your chosen market niche.**
- Add content to your website or blog that shows you're an expert and educates your site visitors.**
- Stop "visitor bleedoff," requiring contact info to see stuff they can find all over the Web and at your competitors' sites. They won't give it up, and they will leave.
- Offer more detailed "special reports" or other market-specific data documents for email delivery to entice your visitors to give you their contact information.**
- Be the expert "author." Once you have a number of reports, create an eBook. Authors are always considered experts.
- Learn to use Forms solutions for lead generation.**
- Learn about landing pages and calls-to-action, and how to build them for your website or blog.**
- Keep a record of every question your customers and clients ask ... the answers are new website or blog content.
- Make every technology decision as an independent contractor. You are your business, not your broker.
- Get rid of your name as a domain name - nobody cares and it isn't the way to go. Use keyword or market area words for your domain.**
- Make navigation a critical part of your website strategy. If your visitors can't find what they want, they leave without leaving a trace of who they are.**
- Get a good PDF creator software tool & learn to use it.
- Get a good FTP software tool & learn to use it.**
- Buy a good digital camera & learn to use it.
- Get a video camcorder and learn to make mp4 video.
- Learn the difference between linking and embedding.**
- Get a good (not expensive) image editing software product. Learn to use it.
- Use a free feed reader & start using RSS feeds to keep up with real estate news.
- Get a reliable online backup service and keep your system backed up.
- Get a good anti-virus product and keep it updated.
- Learn to use Google Maps on your website or blog.**
- Build a blog or publish regular fresh content on your website.**
- Build a Facebook page for your business.
- Build a Twitter account for your business.
- Start a YouTube account & start putting up video.
- Open a LinkedIn account for your real estate practice.
- Learn to use RSS to feed information from your site to Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn. Cross-polinate your online presences.**
- Join Google + and build out your "Circles."
- If you spend hours every day on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google +, quit it! They are tools, not a lifestyle. Learn how to use them efficiently.
- Learn about PPC, Pay Per Click, marketing. Consider moving some marketing budget from refrigerator magnets and direct mail to PPC for immediate leads.
- Learn about HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography & use it for your listings.
- Set up auto-responder emails to deliver content and to market to visitors.**
- Learn what makes an effective email and call-to-action.**
- Set up INTERESTING drip (scheduled autoresponder) email for ongoing client communications.**
- Commit to answering email the same day ... NOT with an automated "you're important to me" response.**
- Recognize the importance of links to your site & start participating in forums and around the Web to place those links.
- Comment on blog posts at real estate related sites.
- Learn about and adopt eSignature technology.
- Learn to use a free online document & spreadsheet solution like Google Docs (DropBox or others). Learn to share using the service.
- Have your IDX search utility allow visitor-saved searches. Or, you offer customized delivery of automated search results to your visitors. Set them up in your MLS system.**
- Get over being in a hurry! The Internet allows buyers and sellers to start much earlier in their real estate activities.
- Go mobile intelligently. Study the options like smartphone versus tablet and Apple versus Android.
- Always be studying how to generate your own leads through your Internet presences, rather than buying less valuable leads from aggregators.**
- ALWAYS be learning about technology and finding ways to tie everything together for efficiency.
Count up the ones you checked and multiply them by 2. What's your "bucket list" score? There's nothing scientific about this, but here's my take on your score:
- 0 to 30 - I feel for you, but get to it!
- 30 to 50 - You're in a big group, and now you know what to do.
- 50 to 70 - Much of the competition is behind you, don't slow down.
- 70 to 90 - Wow! Clean up some loose ends and you're working on Guru status.
- 90 to 100 - Come on now! Why are you reading this?
**Post Amendment - After some of the comments I realized that I'm a real geek and tend toward do-it-myself solutions. In the interest of helping many to handle this list without being overwhelmed, I went back and marked 20 of the items with a "**."Choosing the right real estate focused website provider and backend service will allow you to check off most or all of those 20 items. That's because the right website provider will either help you with those items or have them handled for you without you having to learn anything new except to follow their instructions. A great example is the FTP software tool (#19). There will be one built into the software service as a "file upload" function, so you can forget about special software. Other examples are forms for lead capture and follow-up email templates.So, if you choose a good real estate website service, your score is already going to be at least 40 as soon as you start using their functions. It's like getting graded on the curve.What's your score, and which item is your next step to raising it?
About Jim Kimmons:
Jim Kimmons, with more than 16 years experience as a licensed real estate agent and broker in 3 states, is a consultant to Realtors in how to use technology to market and manage their businesses. He has also written books and eBooks on Internet marketing and real estate. Jim is RealtySoft's chief evangelist and is a compensated regular contributor to the RealtySoft.com blog.
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